Chris's Pub Ale - Friday, November 15, 2019
I haven't brewed a blonde ale in years. Just trying to get this water profile down so I can slowly gravitate to light lagers. If this is okay, I will keep re-using this yeast for the rest of the winter.
11 lbs. UCM
8 ozs. Munich I
17 g Magnum at 60 min.
28.35 g Saaz ( hop stand at 5 min )
US-05
Water Profile - Kal's Website
CA - 50
S04 - 67
CI - 69
PH - 5.30
O.G. - 1.043 - 76%
F.G. - 1.010
% - 4.3
SRM - 3.4
BU - 22
MASH SALTS - GYP - 1 G. CI - 2 G. EPS - 1.8 G.
SPARGE SALTS - GYP - 1 G. CI - 2 G. EPS - 1.9 G
LACTIC IN MASH - 2.3 ML.
LACTIC IN SPARGE - .4 ML.
BREW NOTES
As soon as I added the hop stand addition of Saaz hops it turned hazy and never cleared. Usually it starts to clear in a matter of minutes. Hmmm... I guess when I keg it and use gelatin all with be clear anyway.
It is in the carboy and is still very hazy.
US-05 pitched at 12 noon.
Next morning - Nothing, nada. No surprise with this yeast. Started around mid morning and
going real good after that.
Nov. 17 - Same, very active but no krausen coming out of the blow off hose yet. 68 F. Turned on fridge to 66 F.
Sample on Nov. 20
Seems okay. Yeasty of course, but no odd taste so far. Kegged on Nov.29
Taste is just like I hoped it would be when I made up the recipe. Now that doesn't happen very often. So, it looks like I know what I am brewing in 2020. Blonde Ales until 2020. After that, lagers.
TASTING NOTES
Something happened in the last 5 days when I added gelatin. Oxidized? Has a stale taste which I hate. Will add gelatin to my keg first and purge it with C02 then. Cannot serve. Carbed up and did not transfer, not worth the C02. Still there, but faint. Still, to me, it tastes better than Bud which has a big off flavour to me. It still has that pastey taste, but is is quite low. I assume it is a yeast thing. I will know more in mid January as I am going with lagers if this water profile I am going with works out. I do have to be very careful kegging my beer for now on. Slow and try to keep the C02 from escaping as I do it. I am also going to add gelatin on kegging day so I don't have to open it the next day.
UPDATE
Half the keg is gone now. Very clear, but still has that faint unpleasant taste which can be a number of things.
1. Water Profile? Why?
2. Too high of a fermentation temp? It wasn't. 68 F.
3. Oxidation? Did I splash too much when kegging? Added too much oxygen when adding gelatin?
This has cleared up nicely, and it still tastes better than Bud which has a big off flavour to me. Done with light ales anyway.
FINAL UPDATE
It is now 15 days old in the keg. Real nice beer even with a dry yeast. That pasty taste seems to be gone along with most of the beer. I have around 1/3 of a keg left, so no more tasting unless we get company. Kegging the other beers sometime this week.
11 lbs. UCM
8 ozs. Munich I
17 g Magnum at 60 min.
28.35 g Saaz ( hop stand at 5 min )
US-05
Water Profile - Kal's Website
CA - 50
S04 - 67
CI - 69
PH - 5.30
O.G. - 1.043 - 76%
F.G. - 1.010
% - 4.3
SRM - 3.4
BU - 22
MASH SALTS - GYP - 1 G. CI - 2 G. EPS - 1.8 G.
SPARGE SALTS - GYP - 1 G. CI - 2 G. EPS - 1.9 G
LACTIC IN MASH - 2.3 ML.
LACTIC IN SPARGE - .4 ML.
BREW NOTES
As soon as I added the hop stand addition of Saaz hops it turned hazy and never cleared. Usually it starts to clear in a matter of minutes. Hmmm... I guess when I keg it and use gelatin all with be clear anyway.
It is in the carboy and is still very hazy.
US-05 pitched at 12 noon.
Next morning - Nothing, nada. No surprise with this yeast. Started around mid morning and
going real good after that.
Nov. 17 - Same, very active but no krausen coming out of the blow off hose yet. 68 F. Turned on fridge to 66 F.
Sample on Nov. 20
Seems okay. Yeasty of course, but no odd taste so far. Kegged on Nov.29
Taste is just like I hoped it would be when I made up the recipe. Now that doesn't happen very often. So, it looks like I know what I am brewing in 2020. Blonde Ales until 2020. After that, lagers.
TASTING NOTES
Something happened in the last 5 days when I added gelatin. Oxidized? Has a stale taste which I hate. Will add gelatin to my keg first and purge it with C02 then. Cannot serve. Carbed up and did not transfer, not worth the C02. Still there, but faint. Still, to me, it tastes better than Bud which has a big off flavour to me. It still has that pastey taste, but is is quite low. I assume it is a yeast thing. I will know more in mid January as I am going with lagers if this water profile I am going with works out. I do have to be very careful kegging my beer for now on. Slow and try to keep the C02 from escaping as I do it. I am also going to add gelatin on kegging day so I don't have to open it the next day.
UPDATE
Half the keg is gone now. Very clear, but still has that faint unpleasant taste which can be a number of things.
1. Water Profile? Why?
2. Too high of a fermentation temp? It wasn't. 68 F.
3. Oxidation? Did I splash too much when kegging? Added too much oxygen when adding gelatin?
This has cleared up nicely, and it still tastes better than Bud which has a big off flavour to me. Done with light ales anyway.
FINAL UPDATE
It is now 15 days old in the keg. Real nice beer even with a dry yeast. That pasty taste seems to be gone along with most of the beer. I have around 1/3 of a keg left, so no more tasting unless we get company. Kegging the other beers sometime this week.
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