Comments on: Cream Ale Recipe

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:38:08 +0000

Aaron:
A 90 minute boil is my standard boil length period. But I agree with the DMS issues and that using pilsner malts requires the longer boil off to get out the DMS.

I try to get all my boils going, let them roll for 30 minutes, then I start my 60 min hop additions.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:10:55 +0000

I think Jamil recommends a 90 minute boil any time you’re using pilsener malt to drive off the DMS.

By: Cream Ale Style Profile | Brew Dudes

Cream Ale Style Profile | Brew Dudes — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:21:36 +0000

[…] for themseleves. Beer styles seem to be based on what people had around them. If you look at my cream ale recipe, I use flaked maize. You can’t get a more American grain than that, right? Heck, if I […]

By: John

John — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:15:22 +0000

I would use only Cluster in the future for a few different reasons. From the research I have done on the style, this is one of the only styles created in America…so I thought Cluster would make it more “American” because it’s the variety with the longest history of it being grown here in the States. So, it’s more of an authenticity thing than a taste thing. When I post my style profile, we’ll learn that not much is known about cream ales because a lot of the information about how they were brewed and what ingredients were used was lost due to Prohibition….so even my authenticity platform is shaky.

The second reason is that I feel Cascade is used a lot by microbreweries and home brewers and I wanted to do something different.

It would be interesting just to understand the Cluster hop profile to see if I like it since I really don’t have much experience with it (that I know of).

Lastly, The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines states that the hop aroma should be low to none. The Cascade hops may produce too much aroma…but I could probably control that by when I put them into the boil. So, maybe this is a moot point…since the guidelines are based on what little we know of the style.

I used some Irish Moss in the boil when I brewed it last spring. I guess it didn’t work well enough. When I brew this beer again, I’ll take the 90 minute boil approach like I mentioned. If I still have clarity problems, I probably break down and add PolyClar to the secondary fermentation vessel.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:33:11 +0000

Why would you only use Cluster in the future? I enjoy the clean bitterness of Cascade but did it give the beer too much of a pine flavor/aroma? Also, did you use any fining agents? Do you think this would help with the clarity issue?