CAP (check please)

Stonechat · Post by **Stonechat** » Fri May 02, 2008 10:07 pm

I know about canoe sex beer. I posted the Eric Idle quote myself, but as I have led a sheltered life, please explain what water sports and grass cutting have in common.

Barley Water · Post by **Barley Water** » Fri May 02, 2008 11:04 pm

Actually, water sports and lawn mowing have nothing in common except you could work up a sweat doing both I suppose. We call weak beer which is not very heavily hopped (like Bud/Coors/Miller) but highly carbonated "lawnmower beer" over here because it's good to drink after mowing the lawn. It is cold and wet and you can drink a lot of it. We use the term "lawn mower beer" over here alot in homebrew (aka beer snobs) circles. Hope that helps.

BigEd · Post by **BigEd** » Sat May 03, 2008 2:36 am

DaaB wrote:but would an equivilent amount of sugar produce an authentic CAP ?

I would say no. Yes sugar, whether sucrose or dextrose, will lighten the body and color, but there are some subtle flavors and textures from the maize that you just don't get from such a refined product. During the time frame of the CAP, say from about 1850 to 1920, it would have been unusual for a brewer to use a refined sugar adjunct but quite normal to use a low-protein grain like corn/maize or rice.

Post by **Aleman** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:40 am

DaaB wrote:Yeah, I thought rice would be used which made me think sugar would be an acceptable alternative to producing something in the same style.

I've made three versions of the 'same' beer One was a traditional pilsner, one has 20% corn and one 20% rice, all were hopped the same way (As far as we can control that

)

Both the Pilsner and the Corn versions were nice beers , different from each other - the corn version was 'sweeter', the rice version . . . .Well it was beer but it is important to realise that rice is a flavour and body dilutant as well as nitrogen. While it wasn't a struggle to drink it, I now wouldn't make a big batch for myself. . . . . Sugar would do the same, but even more so

Stonechat · Post by **Stonechat** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:53 am

Barley Water wrote:Actually, water sports and lawn mowing have nothing in common except you could work up a sweat doing both I suppose. We call weak beer which is not very heavily hopped (like Bud/Coors/Miller) but highly carbonated "lawnmower beer" over here because it's good to drink after mowing the lawn. It is cold and wet and you can drink a lot of it. We use the term "lawn mower beer" over here alot in homebrew (aka beer snobs) circles. Hope that helps.

Thanks BW. I understand now.

J_P · Post by **J_P** » Wed May 14, 2008 9:52 am

Quick question about yeast for the CACA version of this brew, would something like US-05 or WLP029 be OK ? I have no lagering or temperature control facilities short of sticking it outside and hoping for a cold snap.

What yeast do others who brew CACA use?

Gurgeh · Post by **Gurgeh** » Wed May 14, 2008 12:05 pm

my CACA is underway with WLP029, as per Alemans suggestion. so go for it!

Post by **Aleman** » Wed May 14, 2008 4:10 pm

J_P wrote:Quick question about yeast for the CACA version of this brew, would something like US-05 or WLP029 be OK ? I have no lagering or temperature control facilities short of sticking it outside and hoping for a cold snap.

What yeast do others who brew CACA use?

You won't go much wrong with US-05, or the yeast for california common (which IIRC is US 05 . . . or very close)

J_P · Post by **J_P** » Thu May 15, 2008 5:18 pm

Cheers for your input chaps, US 05 it is then

! I've a couple more questions regarding this style if you don't mind. I'm brewing for a party and have lager drinkers to cater for, do you reckon I could sneak this past them?

If so how does 4kg pale malt to 1kg of polenta sound? Does an 80/20 split look about right for my first cereal mash or will I run into problems?

I have Cascade, centennial and palisade hops available for bittering and Saaz or Mittelfruh available for the aroma, does anyone have a suggestion for a hopping schedule?

Sorry about the threadjack

Post by **Aleman** » Thu May 15, 2008 9:29 pm

J_P wrote:I'm brewing for a party and have lager drinkers to cater for, do you reckon I could sneak this past them?

Should be quite easy

J_P wrote:If so how does 4kg pale malt to 1kg of polenta sound? Does an 80/20 split look about right for my first cereal mash or will I run into problems?

Shouldn't give you any problems, make sure that you boil it long and hard enough, and as the boil goes on you will need to add more boiling water so have a kettle handy

J_P wrote:I have Cascade, centennial and palisade hops available for bittering and Saaz or Mittelfruh available for the aroma, does anyone have a suggestion for a hopping schedule?

Centennial for bittering and then Saaz or Mittelfruh for aroma . . . If you are aiming to please your lager drinking mates aim for 30 IBU from the Centennial at 90 Minutes, then do an 80C Steep with 30g of the aroma hops to finish.

Should be really nice

J_P · Post by **J_P** » Thu May 15, 2008 9:44 pm

Cheers Aleman - You're certainly something of a CAP / CACA evangelist! I'm quite looking forward to brewing this ale, it'll be interesting to try something different in the brewing process as well as the resultant brew.

As JBK's CAP / CACA expert, how would you serve it from a bottle, under gas or via an engine?

Post by **Aleman** » Fri May 16, 2008 8:53 am

All three work, as does gravity dispense, which is more or less the way they would have been served 'In the Day' . . . . . . It was quite interesting in Czechoslovakia to see 'lagers' served via gravity just the way we would do traditional ales in the UK.

Any of the methods works . . . . I find bottles keep the flavours longer, but if you are trying to impress then under gas would be your best bet . . . Hand pump (witout Sparkler) would work as well.

J_P · Post by **J_P** » Sat May 17, 2008 12:51 pm

My first cereal mash is under way, it's boiling away nicely on the stove and it smells quite nice. I'm aiming to dough in around 1315. I best scoot off to the H&G to get me some US05

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CAP (check please)