What to brew next?

[-Bezza-]

With it looking like social activities are likely to resume in some form before summer and the kegs I currently have running low (other than the turbo cider, which I'm slightly regretting making), I'm wanting to get on and get some new beers fermented. Wanted to ask some thoughts on where to go next.

I've got the American Pale Ale covered with the Citrabomb Pale that is currently fermenting.

I'd like to brew a Belgian ale ready for the winter. I really liked Westvleteren 12 when I had it, so not sure if anyone has any recipes that are along those lines. I'm not after a perfect clone, just something along the same lines. Or if anyone has a recipe for something strongish and Belgian that has gone down well with friends etc, I'd be keen to hear. I'm also lining up an Oatmeal Stout or Milk Stout for later in the year.

Otherwise, for the summer, probably looking for another two or three beers.

The Californian Common has gone down really well with people, so thinking something of that ilk where it's easy to drink and crowd pleaser. I could of course brew it again but wondering about a Kolsch, Bock or Vienna Lager?

I'm also wondering about Biere de Garde from the bible or otherwise trying to come up with a lemon verbena saison recipe per my signature.

For those that have brewed a double IPA, how has that gone down? I'm wary of brewing too much that is 6%+

Anyone got any inspiration or other suggestions to consider. Overall, just looking for a good range that my mates will enjoy drinking and perhaps gives a bit of a talking point about the style.

 

[Burtsbeets]

A Kolsch could be a good shout. I am still waiting for mine to condition, but it is by far the most malt interesting beer i have brewed yet. Still waiting for my stout to be ready, so it my not hold this place for long!

For the warmer weather, a good golden ale will always go down a treat if thats what people are into. I have one that is on the calendar to be rebrewed in time for summer.

 

[-Bezza-]

it is by far the most malt interesting beer i have brewed yet

How do you mean? The recipes I've found are all mostly pilsner malt.

I've got about 1/3 keg of a golden ale left. I'd like to give it another go at some stage but go a little crisper (gypsum in the water probably) and a bit more bitterness (more of the magnum) and perhaps give it a gentle dry hop.

 

[Burtsbeets]

I only used about 4-5% vienna malt, which I have not used before, and absolutely love it. So far most of my brews have been pilsner, pale ale, maris otter and 2-row based. To be fair I am still new to brewing, so it could be that, but it is one of the simplest yet more interesting malt bills I have used (Pilsner, vienna and 2% wheat).

This is the recipe HERE, however, I subbed in Lallemand Kolsch yeast.

What recipe do you have for the golden ale?

 

[An Ankoù]

How about a good, honest bitter and a mild? I've made a couple of oatmeal stouts and I haven't been overjoyed with either of them, to be frank. On the other hand, I got some naked golden oats (a kind of oat crystal malt as far as I can see) and that adds a lovely flavour in small enough quantities not to damage the head retention.

 

[Burtsbeets]

How about a good, honest bitter and a mild? I've made a couple of oatmeal stouts and I haven't been overjoyed with either of them, to be frank. On the other hand, I got some naked golden oats (a kind of oat crystal malt as far as I can see) and that adds a lovely flavour in small enough quantities not to damage the head retention.

A, hopefully good, bitter is my next brew. I am genuinely excited for this style as it has become a little pushed out among the craft boom i feel.

 

[An Ankoù]

A, hopefully good, bitter is my next brew. I am genuinely excited for this style as it has become a little pushed out among the craft boom i feel.

I can recommend a recipe by Chris Colby with the unlikely name of Tolkein's Toothsome Ale. It's an extract recipe just substitute with pale malt.
Waiting for mine to carb up.

 

[-Bezza-]

What recipe do you have for the golden ale?

It's a recipe I designed: Bezza's Brewdays

I'd probably drop the carapils to get a slightly more golden colour and increase the magnum to 15-20g to up the bitterness, or possibly add 5g of citra to the 60min addition.

 

[Burtsbeets]

I can recommend a recipe by Chris Colby with the unlikely name of Tolkein's Toothsome Ale. It's an extract recipe just substitute with pale malt.
Waiting for mine to carb up.

I tried to find this but can't see it anywhere. I have a friend that would love a tolkien named ale haha

 

[-Bezza-]

How about a good, honest bitter and a mild?

I'm not sure I've ever had a mild. I'm a southerner in my 30s, not a northerner in my 60s

Or the honest answer is that I would like to brew a decent bitter but I need to get a bit more insight into what I would be aiming for. I haven't had enough recently to be able to say what I do like. I know that I don't like bitters that are flat and taste of birds nests though.

 

[An Ankoù]

I'm not sure I've ever had a mild. I'm a southerner in my 30s, not a northerner in my 60s

Or the honest answer is that I would like to brew a decent bitter but I need to get a bit more insight into what I would be aiming for. I haven't had enough recently to be able to say what I do like. I know that I don't like bitters that are flat and taste of birds nests though.

Fair 'nuff. I'm not even sure you can get a mild in the North nowadays. I, too spent my formative years in the South even though I'm from Yorkshire, and even then, there was very little mild about and even then it had a very bad "old man in a flat cap" image.
Until one day, long ago, and in a far distant galaxy, I had a single token left at the end of beer festival and bought a half of Elgood's Black Dog Mild. I was amazed- 3.6% and full of flavour. I bought some more tokens and bid my bus and train-catching mates goodbye.
I've learnt that a decent mild can be full of flavour and that you can drink it until it pours out of your ears, getting nicely mellow without falling over in a heap. That's 60s and 70s mild. I've learnt more recently that earlier, pre-war milds could be of a mind-numbing strength and not dark at all. Mild is a style that deserves much more investigation, in my opinion. Anyway, to cut a long story short, my "The Mild With No Name" runs out at 4.2% (same as draught Guinness, in fact, and Pilsner Urquell) and is my preferred session beer at the mo. Or was until I ran out!

 

[RockTKaz]

For something a bit lighter and “summery” if you can lay your hands on modern homebrew recipes by Gordon strong, his Galaxy pale ale or new world blonde went down a storm round my way

 

[An Ankoù]

For something a bit lighter and “summery” if you can lay your hands on modern homebrew recipes by Gordon strong, his Galaxy pale ale or new world blonde went down a storm round my way

I'm sure they were excellent beers, but beware, free beer always goes down a storm.
I've just looked up these two recipes and in many ways the grain bills are identical- just more of it for the Galaxy because it's stronger. But the bittering levels are quite different: the Galaxy seems over-bittered with 59 IBUs for a 4.6% abv beer. I think the mash temperature would need to be very carefully controlled to get his declared FG of 1015, while the New World seems under-bittered, with only 13 IBUs and he does this as a no sparge!!
Leafing through that section I came across his Pride of Warwick Bitter and note that it contains something called Victory malt, which I understand to be Biscuit malt. Chris Colby, another American also uses Biscuit malt in his bitter and I've just made a a batch of this. I've only recently bottled the stuff and it's not ready yet, but my first crafty taste suggests it's going to be an amazing bitter. Which brings me to the question: what is biscuit malt? I had thought it was an amber malt, but now I'm not so sure. Does anyone know if there's an English equivalent?

 

[RockTKaz]

It may have been enhanced by the fact fg dropped to 1.005 not 1.015 dropping the ibu

 

[-Bezza-]

I think I might go for a vienna lager as something I wouldn't normally drink but should be a crowd-pleaser.

And then I might go down the saison route with something like this, which is going to be about 6.3%:

Mash or Steep Grains
Mash Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
3.50 kg​	Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC)​	Grain​	1​	70.0 %​	2.28 L​
1.00 kg​	Wheat Malt, Bel (3.9 EBC)​	Grain​	2​	20.0 %​	0.65 L​
0.50 kg​	Cara-Pils/Dextrine (3.9 EBC)​	Grain​	3​	10.0 %​	0.33 L​

Boil Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
10.00 g​	Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min​	Hop​	4​	15.4 IBUs​	-​
0.25 Items​	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)​	Fining​	5​	-​	-​
15.00 g​	Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min​	Hop​	6​	11.5 IBUs​	-​
25.00 g​	Lemon Verbena (Boil 10.0 mins)​	Herb​	7​	-​	-​
1.00 tsp​	Peppercorns (Boil 5.0 mins)​	Spice​	8​	-​	-​

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume
Fermentation Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
1.0 pkg​	Belle Saison (Lallemand/Danstar #-)​	Yeast​	9​	-​	-​

 

[samale]

I will be brewing a saison at the weekend.

 

[-Bezza-]

I will be brewing a saison at the weekend.

What recipe?

 

[samale]

Just at the planning stage but it's looking like
4kg pilsner
1kg rye
500g wheat

I am looking at going for lemon and maybe rosemary. So I will be using Sorachi ace hops. Still trying to research how much rosemary to use and at what stage. I will add lemon peel at flameout and dry hop with the Sorachi ace.
Yeast will be belle Saison.

 

[-Bezza-]

Just at the planning stage but it's looking like
4kg pilsner
1kg rye
500g wheat

I am looking at going for lemon and maybe rosemary. So I will be using Sorachi ace hops. Still trying to research how much rosemary to use and at what stage. I will add lemon peel at flameout and dry hop with the Sorachi ace.
Yeast will be belle Saison.

I literally just looked at my recipe and swapped the carapils for rye! I've gone for chinook to try and get a bit of the resinous pine flavour, so not a million miles from what rosemary would be. So looks like we're after similar things but approaching it from two completely different angles. Perhaps we'll have to do a swap!

 

[samale]

I literally just looked at my recipe and swapped the carapils for rye! I've gone for chinook to try and get a bit of the resinous pine flavour, so not a million miles from what rosemary would be. So looks like we're after similar things but approaching it from two completely different angles. Perhaps we'll have to do a swap!

Sounds good I will post the recipe I use, could be Sunday when I brew. My last Saison used cardamom and coriander, it was lovely