From CAP to BIAB CACA?

[bad Lee]

I wasted to do a "classic American pilsner but dont have the equipment needed for lagering.
But I read in a Zymurgy back issue that I can just change to ale yeast but keep the same kind of grain bill and hops,and Bob's your uncle, a classic American cream ale is born.Not the kind that only has 15-20 IBUs though I am looking at about 30- 35.

I was thinking 2.5kg pilsner malt(JW) 750gr corn and 250gr rice with Perle and Hallertauer Mittlefruh.
My problem is that I don't think that my little brain(and kitchen) can handle the American double mash

Do you blokes reckon that I can just do the cereal mash(corn/rice and some barley) and then add it to the strike water as I am adding the rest of the grain?
Please, any input welcome,
Cheers,Lee.

[Bribie]

Yup, cream ales were designed as the working man's beer in the North East of the USA when they were big manufacturing centres (Baltimore etc) and the local breweries could crank out a lager-ish beer without having to actually tie up the equipment by lagering it for weeks. In its own way it was not unlike UK mild ales, sink a few pints on the way home.

US-05 or Wyeast 1056 American Ale will do a great job if you can ferment at around 16-18°

Here's what I do:
Take a stockpot type pan of around 10 litres on the stovetop, boil up the corn and rice for around 45 minutes, stirring frequently till you get a fairly smooth porridge, adding water from electric kettle as you go and try not to get any burnt bits.

When nicely cooked (ie. gelatinised) let it cool to about 74 degrees and stir in around a third of your base barley malt, dry. Stir like buggery. The alpha amylase will kick in almost immediately and the porridge will magically turn into a thin soup as the enzyme zaps the starches. It's a real jaw dropper

Then just let it cool down to whatever strike temperature you are aiming for and pour it into your main mash as if it is strike liquor, making sure you include its volume in your calculations. Advantage of this method is that you have let the alpha amylase have free reign so your adjuncts are properly zapped, as opposed to putting them in the main mash at (say) 65 degrees when the alpha is a bit out of its territory.

You are going to make a smoooooth beer, guaranteed.

edit; hey I see you are in Thailand and using Joe White Australian malt, you won't have any problems as it's highly diastatic and will eat those adjuncts and look for more.

[bad Lee]

Hey Bribie,thanks very much for that,you have helped to calm my nerves quite a bit.
So,how many cream ales have you done? I thought of it with a little snobbishness to start,but it makes good sense to me making the most of abundant adjuncts here in the land of smiles.The corn costs about 30 Australian cents per kg and the rice is free(in-law's farm).The malt is sent up from Singapore and costs $7sgp per kg and then an arm and a leg in postage
But if this turns out well,I am hoping it will,I will make it my second stock beer along with home malted wheat

[Bribie]

I've done maybe 2 or 3 actual cream ales, but a beer that I regularly make is an American Malt Liquor about 8.5% ABV with malted barley and up to 40% maize and rice, plus a kilo of dextrose. It's a bit like one of those UK "Tramp" superlagers. and I suppose it's a cream ale on steroids.

In your case using adjuncts would be a good way of ekeing out the expensive malt - I bet your Singapore malt comes from Australia, most of our production goes to Japan, Philippines, etc and it's high diastatic so it can handle a shed load of adjuncts.

[Beer O'Clock]

My brother in law works for Malting company in Oz and exports to the major brewers in Thailand.

It might be worth a call to Boon Rawd, APB or ThaiBev, to see if you could do a deal.

[bad Lee]

BeerO'clock,I have tried until blue in the face, and then some,to get some kind or response out of these buggers,but all to no avail.So,I shall have to invade the brewery.