Mike has an idea for house beers or beers that you always have on hand for yourself or guests. Creating a house beer allows you to brew a style many times until you get it just right. The latest house beer project is focused on Brown Ale. Back in January, we tasted the first attempt in this series. In this post, we review his second take on house brown ale project. It uses all the adjustments he noted from our discussion of the first one. Let’s get into it.
English Brown Ale 2 – Electric Boogaloo
Vacay Brown Ale Recipe II
Since the first one was brewed during his December vacation time, we’re keeping the name for this next installment.
Batch size: 3.5 US gallons post boil
GRAINS 84% Maris Otter pale malt – 5 pounds or 2.27 kg 5% Chocolate Malt (350° L) – 5 ounces or 142 g 4% Flaked Barley – 4 ounces or 113 g 4% Crisp Light Crystal malt (50° L) – 4 ounces or 113 g 2% Briess Special Roast malt (50° L) – 2 ounces or 57 g
HOPS 1 ounce (28g) of Challenger hops (7.5% AA) at 60 minutes to go in the boil 1.5 ounces (42g) of East Kent Goldings hops (5% AA) at 10 minutes to go in the boil
WATER Spring water with 2 g of calcium chloride and 0.5 g of magnesium sulfate added
DETAILS Mashed at 152° F ( 67° C) for 60 minutes Fermented for 2 weeks at room temperature Original Gravity: 1.048 Final Gravity: 1.014 ABV: 4.46%
How Did Take 2 Fare?
Well, Mike nailed the color on this one. It is brown as it should be. The flavor doesn’t have the extra toasty flavor as the first one did since he removed the Extra Special malt from the grain bill. Tasty caramel notes from the Crystal malt take center stage in this beer. The Maris Otter brought bready, biscuit support to the flavor.
Overall, he improved on his recipe. If the house brown ale project continues, the next version may have more bitterness from hops.
During your homebrewing adventure, some beers will be enjoyed right away while others are aged for a better experience later. In this post, we review some of those aged beers and figure out if they are worth keeping or not. We call this session, “Drink or Dump!”
6 Aged Beers To Taste
We each brought three beers to the party to taste and decide their fate. Here is the judgement of our stashed beers.
Imperial Nut Brown Ale with Cocoa – this beer was brewing in late 2020 and we reviewed it for the first in December of 2021. Imagined as an Imperial Stout, it doesn’t have the color or the roast for the style. The mark on the cap is a simple “SB 2020”, shorthand for special beer. This beer still has potential. We’ll drink it again in December 2023.
Raspberry Cider – This cider is over 10 years old and held up nicely. The aroma has sour beer notes but it is an enjoyable dry cider with raspberry notes. It finished dry and it made our keeper list.
Lambic Style Beer – This sour beer brewed in the style of a lambic is from aa single fermentation. I blended most of the batch with other beers for a nice gueuze we tasted in 2017. Although the gueuze is great, this beer is not. We’re dumping it!
Orange Blossom Mead – This mead from 2012 has a chardonnay aroma and a sweet honey taste. Since it did not have any indication of refermentation, we are surprised how it has held up. Mike may cook with it.
Blended Sour Beer – The beer is the product of blending three sour beers together but I didn’t add a yeast strain like CBC-1 at bottling. It hasn’t carbonated and I thought it would with age. Because of lack of carbonation and weird flabor, it’s getting dumped!
Black Plum Sour Beer – Mike presents the last beer of our set, his sour beer conditioned on black plums. The aroma did not feature plums, but it was strong in the flavor. The beer appeared a little purple too.
That is our wrap-up of our drink or dump session. We are glad you came along.
Why, hello there, fellow homebrewers! In this post, we’re tackling a topic that might sound as exciting as watching paint dry: understand the components of a malt analysis spec sheet. But fear not! We’ll go through it with all the typical Brew Dudes approach and discuss what those sheets are all about.
We put together this video because of a viewer mail question that asked, “What’s the deal with malt spec sheets anyway?” Well, my friends, understanding these sheets is crucial for our beloved hobby. So, grab your favorite pint and let’s dive in!
Importance of Understanding These Sheets
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty details, let’s state quickly what these sheets are for. They are created mostly for commercial brewers. On the homebrewing level, they can provide some information that enables us to make informed decisions about the grains we use, ensuring the quality and consistency of our brews. Overall though, we can use these sheets to get a sense of the malt qualities but we don’t have to pay as close attention to the specifications as a multi-million dollar brewery would.
Overview of Malt Analysis Spec Sheets
Now that we understand to what level we should pay attention to these sheets, let’s explore the two main types: Certificate of Analysis (C of A) and Product Information Sheets. The C of A offers detailed insights into specific malt lots, while Product Information Sheets provide a broader overview. Keep in mind that availability of C of A may vary depending on the malt lot, and as homebrewers, you may not be able to get your hands on it.
Analysis of a Brewer’s Malt Spec Sheet
The example product information sheet we looked at for this post is for Briess’s American two-row malt. Here are some of the first descriptors we discussed.
Mealy, Half, and Glassy: These terms are indicators of malted barley quality. Mealy describes a texture reminiscent of mashed potatoes, while half falls between mealy and glassy, and glassy indicates a smooth surface like a polished mirror.
Plump: This term measures the quality and intactness of the malt kernel. The plumper the kernel, the better the quality.
Moisture: Don’t underestimate the significance of moisture content in malt. It affects freshness and quality, much like the right balance of hydration in your favorite plant. Moisture can make or break your brew, so pay attention to this essential factor.
C. Extract Dry Basis: This measure determines the sugar yield per pound of malt, unleashing the potential for brewing magic. It’s like discovering a hidden treasure trove of sweetness within the malt.
D. Protein and Soluble Protein Ratio: Proteins and enzymatic activity are the unsung heroes of brewing. They impact fermentation and the overall quality of your brew. So, keep an eye on these numbers to ensure a smooth brewing journey.
E. Diastatic Power: This mystical-sounding term, measured in Degrees Lintner, represents the malt’s enzymatic conversion power. It’s the factor that describes the malt’s ability to converts starches into fermentable sugars, unlocking the full potential of your brew.
F. Alpha Amylase: This item shows the measure of the enzyme that breaks down starches, ensuring a plentiful supply of fermentable sugars for yeast to work its magic.
G. Color: Malt color, measured using the SRM (Standard Reference Method) is important to note for the color it can impart in your beer.
Practical Application for Homebrewers
As homebrewers, our focus lies on extract content and sugar yield per pound of malt. Extract every last drop of brewing potential, and savor the sweetness of success. Don’t forget to consider moisture content for the freshest and highest-quality brews.
Additional Considerations
Malt enzymatic activity can influence mash temperature and fermentability. Craft maltsters may introduce variations in specialty malts, offering unique flavors and characteristics. Embrace the diversity and add an extra dash of creativity to your brews. Lastly, monitoring moisture is vital for maintaining malt texture and quality which will affect your beer.
Conclusion
Understanding terms like mealy, plump, extract content, and moisture are the important factors in the product information sheets. Focus on extract content and moisture, for they hold the power to unlock the full potential of your brews. May your brews be flavorful, your glasses full, and your brewing adventures never-ending.
Our friends at NewAir sent us a new refrigerator. It arrived a few weeks ago and Mike has been using it on his porch. His porch, you ask? Yes, his porch because this fridge was made for the outdoors. Watch this video to learn more about this particular NewAir product.
The Spectacular Details of the NewAir Outdoor Fridge
Picture this: it’s a warm and sunny day, you’re outside with your friends and family, and you’re craving a nice, cold beverage. But here’s the thing – regular coolers with ice just don’t cut it. The ice melts, and before you know it, your drinks are warm. Well, fret no more, because we’ve got the perfect solution for you: the NewAir Commercial 5.3 cu. ft. Outdoor Fridge!
This fridge is specifically designed for outdoor use, with a water-resistant casing and sealed back to handle those inevitable rain showers and sprinkles. You can even place it under a little cover, like a gazebo or patio, for extra protection. Plus, it’s not just durable; it’s also incredibly spacious, boasting a whopping 5.3 cubic feet of storage. That means you can easily fit a couple of cases of your favorite beer inside. And speaking of beer, this fridge comes with adjustable shelves and a digital probe inside, so you can set your preferred temperature with ease. Whether you like your beers chilled at 45° F or a frosty 33° F, this fridge has you covered.
Say goodbye to messy coolers and warm drinks, and say hello to the NewAir Outdoor Fridge – the ultimate companion for outdoor entertaining. You can find it on NewAir’s website or even at your local big box hardware stores. This fridge will certainly help if you want to take your outdoor gatherings to the next level. Cheers to Newair for sending us this gem, and make sure to give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel for more awesome beer and homebrew content. Stay tuned, everyone!
Mike invited me over for an unexpected beer and he was correct in that description. He brewed a low ABV beer that he’s been thinking about for a while. There have been a few articles that we have read lately about brewing non-alcoholic beers. Let’s just say that Mike questions if those types of beers are achievable at the homebrew level, but he thinks we can brew beers successfully that are just a touch above that 0% ABV. This post explores his homebrewing techniques for low-alcohol beer and the results of his first experiment.
What Are Those Techniques?
The main thing Mike keeps in mind is that small adjustments to a typical homebrewing session can make big changes in the beer. Here are the slightly modified techniques to brew a low ABV beer.
1. Build Your Grain Bill For a Low Starting Gravity Keep the weights of your grains down. In recipe below, Mike intentional measured his grain amounts to dial in his starting gravity to be under 1.040. His base malts are still making up the majority of the bill, but the small amounts are enabling to keep the fermentable sugars low.
2. Use Flavorful Base and Specialty Malts To make sure the resulting beer is tasty, use a combination of malts that bring a lot of flavor. Seek out base malts that have identifiable flavors. Blend them with specialty malts that accentuate the overall malt
3. Aim For a High Mash Temperature You want to bring as much body to the beer as possible so that it isn’t perceived as thin. You want it to be light but not thin, if that makes sense. A higher mash temperature will bring more non-fermentable sugars to the beer, resulting in more body.
4. Use a Yeast Strain With Moderate Attenuation Mike likes his English strains. Some of them don’t attenuate fully so they are perfect for low-alcohol beers since they will stop fermenting before all the available sugars are spent. The other advantage to English yeasts is that most of them flocculate so they fall out of the beer easily.
Using this list of techniques should set you up well for a low-alcohol beer. Now, let’s look at them in action with this recipe.
Low ABV English Bitter Recipe
Batch Size: 3 US Gallons ( L)
GRAINS 1.5 pounds (680 g) of Maris Otter Malt – 47% of the grain bill 12 ounces of (340 g) Light Munich Malt (7L) – 24% of the grain bill 12 ounces of (340 g) Vienna Malt – 24% of the grain bill 2 ounces of (57 g) Extra Special Malt (Briess) -4% of the grain bill 1 ounce of (28 g) Midnight Wheat – 2% of the grain bill
HOPS 1 ounce of (28 g) East Kent Goldings hops at 4.2%AA for 60 minutes
YEAST LalBrew® Windsor British Ale Dry Yeast
INSTRUCTIONS and RESULTS Mash temperature: 158° F (70° C) Starting Gravity: 1.036 Final Gravity: 1.022
Low-Alcohol Beer Thoughts
Well, this beer made me re-think a lot of things. In the video, I say that it is light. Thinking about the concept of light, I now understand better alcohol’s effect on the total beer experience. Removing it changes my perception of the beverage entirely.
You can see that this beer has a lot of flavor. These procedures are straight out of the English Mild playoff. If you are looking to brew a beer with a lot of flavor, go with this model.
Hopefully, you learned something about these homebrewing techniques for low-alcohol beer. If you have tips that we have missed, leave them in the comments below.
