What can I brew for my old man?

[mozza]

Hi,

I posted a while ago asking about doing an all grain lager. After looking into it I won't be giving it ago until the winter perhaps.
My dad only drinks lagers but I want to brew a blonde/pale ale to see if he likes it. Basically something with a Very subtle hop aroma to it as he doesn't like any hoppy beers.
I have at my disposal:
Challenger
Experimental CF115 (spicy honey)
Willamette
Fuggles
WGV
Celia

I was thinking of doing a SMASH with the experimental hops.

Could anybody suggest a recipe please? I will be fermenting with Notty.

Cheers,

Sam

[john_drummer]

I'd be tempted to us US05 for a pale/blonde ale rather than Nottingham. I'd also be tempted to get some european hops - Tettnanger, Saaz, Hallertauer - if he prefers a lager, or perhaps a simple Cascade-only recipe, going easy on the late hops

[jmc]

I'd be tempted to use US05 for a pale/blonde ale rather than Nottingham. I'd also be tempted to get some european hops - Tettnanger, Saaz, Hallertauer - if he prefers a lager, or perhaps a simple Cascade-only recipe, going easy on the late hops

+1 for Nobel hops Saaz etc as suggested but if you want to stick with what you have then how about a blonde brew with fuggles for bittering (low) and Willamette for aroma?

[mozza]

I would rather use what I have. This will be a summer brew for myself but in a blonde style just to see if dad likes it.
What sort of quantities should I use do you think?

Cheers

Sam

[mozza]

I was thinking something like this:

23L Brew
Crisp Pale Malt 3700
Crystal Malt 60
Torrified wheat 100

start of boil
Fuggles 12

last ten minutes
willamette 15

Flame out
Willamette 12
Cascade 8

Please correct me if you can improve this!

Cheers.

Sam

[jmc]

I was thinking something like this:

23L Brew
Crisp Pale Malt 3700
Crystal Malt 60
Torrified wheat 100

start of boil
Fuggles 12

last ten minutes
willamette 15

Flame out
Willamette 12
Cascade 8

Please correct me if you can improve this!

Cheers.

Sam

Looks OK to me. Maybe omit the crystal if you want it more blonde / lager like.
Why not plug info in Beer Engine the free Beer recipe software from Graham

[Ben711200]

I did something similar for my girlfriend as she likes lagers, and I don't have the facilities to make lager but I made a passable 'lageresque' pale.

Off the top of my head.. I used 90% pale malt, 5% Torrified wheat, 5% wheat malt to about 1.045. Hopped to 30ibu with whatever I had for bittering (a little Northern Brewer I think) and later additions of Saaz. I think including something noble is pretty vital for the lager characteristics a non-brewing person would notice and perceive.

Fermented with Nottingham at 18-19 as I'm not fond of US-05 (no temp control, and don't use finings, so it takes an age to floculate for me).

She's very happy with it. I find it a bit boring but it's a perfectly tasty lager substitute.

A bit lacking in detail I'm afraid, but I don't have the recipe to hand

[jmc]

I checked it in Beer Engine and bitterness looks too low to me at about 11EBU

Mozza's Dad's Delight v1
Date:
Gyle Number:
Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pale Malt 5 EBC 8 lbs. 2.5 oz 3700 grams 95.9%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 0 lbs. 2.1 oz 60 grams 1.6%
Torrefied Wheat 4 EBC 0 lbs. 3.5 oz 100 grams 2.6%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Fuggle Whole 4.9 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 0.4 oz 12 grams 25.5%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 31.9%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.4 oz 12 grams 25.5%
Cascade Whole 5.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.3 oz 8 grams 17%


Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.039
Final Gravity: 1.009
Alcohol Content: 3.9% ABV
Total Liquor: 34.8 Litres
Mash Liquor: 9.7 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 78 %
Bitterness: 10.8 EBU
Colour: 9 EBC


I'd tweak it a bit to increase strength and bitterness

Mozza's Dad's Delight v2
Date:
Gyle Number:
Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pale Malt 5 EBC 8 lbs. 13.0 oz 4000 grams 97.6%
Torrefied Wheat 4 EBC 0 lbs. 3.5 oz 100 grams 2.4%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Fuggle Whole 4.9 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 46.2%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 23.1%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.4 oz 12 grams 18.5%
Cascade Whole 5.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.3 oz 8 grams 12.3%


Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 4.1% ABV
Total Liquor: 35 Litres
Mash Liquor: 10.3 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 78 %
Bitterness: 20.8 EBU
Colour: 7 EBC

[mozza]

I checked it in Beer Engine and bitterness looks too low to me at about 11EBU

Mozza's Dad's Delight v1
Date:
Gyle Number:
Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pale Malt 5 EBC 8 lbs. 2.5 oz 3700 grams 95.9%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 0 lbs. 2.1 oz 60 grams 1.6%
Torrefied Wheat 4 EBC 0 lbs. 3.5 oz 100 grams 2.6%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Fuggle Whole 4.9 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 0.4 oz 12 grams 25.5%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 31.9%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.4 oz 12 grams 25.5%
Cascade Whole 5.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.3 oz 8 grams 17%


Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.039
Final Gravity: 1.009
Alcohol Content: 3.9% ABV
Total Liquor: 34.8 Litres
Mash Liquor: 9.7 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 78 %
Bitterness: 10.8 EBU
Colour: 9 EBC


I'd tweak it a bit to increase strength and bitterness

Mozza's Dad's Delight v2
Date:
Gyle Number:
Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pale Malt 5 EBC 8 lbs. 13.0 oz 4000 grams 97.6%
Torrefied Wheat 4 EBC 0 lbs. 3.5 oz 100 grams 2.4%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Fuggle Whole 4.9 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 46.2%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 23.1%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.4 oz 12 grams 18.5%
Cascade Whole 5.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.3 oz 8 grams 12.3%


Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 4.1% ABV
Total Liquor: 35 Litres
Mash Liquor: 10.3 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 78 %
Bitterness: 20.8 EBU
Colour: 7 EBC

Thanks very much!!! I might have to invest in this program to save me asking you guys all the time!

Do you think thats enough aroma hops?

[jmc]

I checked it in Beer Engine and bitterness looks too low to me at about 11EBU

...
Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Fuggle Whole 4.9 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 46.2%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 23.1%
Willamette Whole 4.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.4 oz 12 grams 18.5%
Cascade Whole 5.7 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.3 oz 8 grams 12.3%


Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 4.1% ABV
Total Liquor: 35 Litres
Mash Liquor: 10.3 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 78 %
Bitterness: 20.8 EBU
Colour: 7 EBC

Thanks very much!!! I might have to invest in this program to save me asking you guys all the time!

Do you think thats enough aroma hops?

Beer Engine software is free!

Personally I'd like more, but trying to keep it low key for your Dad.

If you wanted to buy 1 thing to make it more lager like then get 100g of Saaz as others have suggested and use that throughout.

[mozza]

you will all be pleased to know i have downloaded this program thingy majiggy. For the sake of a few quid in hops i will buy some Saaz. Might as well get some yeast to make it more lager like i suppose seeing as im paying for postage!

[mozza]

am i better off with the kolsh strain? Wlp029?

[mozza]

Mozza's Dad's Delight MK3


Pale Malt 5 EBC 6 lbs. 7.8 oz 3736 grams 92.7%
Torrefied Wheat 4 EBC 0 lbs. 3.5 oz 100 grams 2.3%
Vienna Malt 7.5 EBC 2 lbs. 3.2 oz 202 grams 5%

Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Saaz Whole 3.3 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 1.0 oz 30 grams 58%
Saaz Whole 3.3 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.8 oz 22 grams 20%
Saaz Whole 3.3 % 10 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 10%
Saaz Whole 3.3 % 5 mins 0 lbs. 0.2 oz 6 grams 2%
Saaz Whole 3.3 % 0 mins 0 lbs. 0.3 oz 8 grams 10%

Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.040
Final Gravity: 1.009
Alcohol Content: 3.9% ABV
Total Liquor: 32.3 Litres
Mash Liquor: 10.1 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 20 EBU
Colour: 7 EBC

What about this? fermented with Wlp029. Do we think it will be lager like?

[jmc]

Manx Guy has a few posts on Kolsch

I haven't used it myself, but have heard that its very clean tasting, which is what you want, but can take a while to clear.

I wouldn't bother using a true lager yeast unless you had temperature control for the fermentation and ideally a lagering period.

[mozza]

Manx Guy has a few posts on Kolsch

I haven't used it myself, but have heard that its very clean tasting, which is what you want, but can take a while to clear.

I wouldn't bother using a true lager yeast unless you had temperature control for the fermentation and ideally a lagering period.

Thats what i was thinking. I will go with the saaz and kolch yeast. ferment it at 18 maybe lower if i can.