Anchor Steam

[leedsbrew]

Well seen as thought the temp has dropped and I've has a vial of WLP810 in the fridge since May I reckon it's time to get a steam beer on!

Starting the 'starter' today with 500mls and will step up to 1L. then 2L for a and probably get it brewed next weekend!

So far I've come up with this recipe


Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
UK Lager Malt 3.578 kg 79.1 % 2.9 In Mash/Steeped
UK Dark Crystal 0.304 kg 6.7 % 8.9 In Mash/Steeped
UK Medium Crystal 0.304 kg 6.7 % 6.9 In Mash/Steeped
UK Munich Malt 0.238 kg 5.3 % 0.5 In Mash/Steeped
UK Wheat Malt 0.101 kg 2.2 % 0.1 In Mash/Steeped


Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
German Northern Brewer 8.0 % 30 g 28.8 Loose Whole Hops All Of Boil
German Northern Brewer 8.0 % 15 g 6.7 Loose Whole Hops 15 Min From End
German Northern Brewer 8.0 % 20 g 0.0 Loose Whole Hops At turn off


Yeast
White Labs WLP810-San Francisco Lager


Anyone fancy picking it apart?

I'm going to go with a general water treatment of 1/2 teaspoon of gypsum in the mash and boil along with 1/2 tsp each of epsom salts and calcium chloride. I want it to be both malty and hoppy!

[dave-o]

I have no knowledge of the style but i will say that it looks lovely!

[symptomlesscoma]

Just had a look at the Anchor Steam recipe in Clone Brews book i've got.
Hops seem about right, but grain bill is a bit simpler i.e pale and crystal.
But i reckon stick with a bit of munich and wheat, should end up really nice.

[leedsbrew]

It has been pointed out to me on 'the other forum' that my recipe looks a little heavy on the old crystal! And that it'll probably come out a bit too dark!

AS isn't 'that' pale



my recipe comes out at 11.4SRM / 22.5EBC

so probably not far off

Although if I remember correctly (*digs around through old computer files!)



This is the colour of a beer I made using 500g of dark crystal......................hmmmm maybee a touch too dark!

I'm not looking to do an exact clone, but I would like it somewhere near, I'm gonna half the amount of dark crystal!

cheers


LB

[leedsbrew]

with a quick re tweak and I came up with this



Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
UK Lager Malt 3.345 kg 80.0 % 2.7 In Mash/Steeped
UK Medium Crystal 0.293 kg 7.0 % 6.7 In Mash/Steeped
UK Munich Malt 0.293 kg 7.0 % 0.6 In Mash/Steeped
UK Dark Crystal 0.167 kg 4.0 % 4.9 In Mash/Steeped
UK Wheat Malt 0.084 kg 2.0 % 0.1 In Mash/Steeped

[mysterio]

Yeah, there is no way that recipe is going to produce a beer that light. Try 5% medium crystal?

[lancsSteve]

I had a punt at one of these - using yeast recultured from the Robinson's west coast ale bottles I remember - based on the recipe in John Palmer book:

Pale or Lager Malt 4.2kg 88%

Crystal 60L 0.5kg 12% (I actually used a mix of crystal wheat, caramunich and pale crystal - this was original though)

9.3L

OG1.051
FG 1.014

28g Northern Brewer 9.2%AA 60 minutes

22g Northern Brewer 9.2% AA 15 miinutes

IBU 36

Fermented 14-15c

Was nice enough but never shone as 'superb' - think Northern brewer are so neutral it didn't have anything as distinctive as I usually like or hope for in an american beer...

[leedsbrew]

Yeah, there is no way that recipe is going to produce a beer that light. Try 5% medium crystal?

I was a bit disappointed that the last beer I brewed with dark crystal was SO dark (I know....its in the name!) but I was going on the colour calculations in beeralchemy!

Fine, you've convinced me M


Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
UK Lager Malt 3.337 kg 83.3 % 2.7 In Mash/Steeped
UK Munich Malt 0.384 kg 9.6 % 0.8 In Mash/Steeped
UK Medium Crystal 0.200 kg 5.0 % 4.6 In Mash/Steeped
UK Wheat Malt 0.083 kg 2.1 % 0.1 In Mash/Steeped

[leedsbrew]

I had a punt at one of these - using yeast recultured from the Robinson's west coast ale bottles I remember - based on the recipe in John Palmer book:

Pale or Lager Malt 4.2kg 88%

Crystal 60L 0.5kg 12% (I actually used a mix of crystal wheat, caramunich and pale crystal - this was original though)

9.3L

OG1.051
FG 1.014

28g Northern Brewer 9.2%AA 60 minutes

22g Northern Brewer 9.2% AA 15 miinutes

IBU 36

Fermented 14-15c

Was nice enough but never shone as 'superb' - think Northern brewer are so neutral it didn't have anything as distinctive as I usually like or hope for in an american beer...

that's a fair amount of crystal steve, was it a bit cloying? I really like NB hops. Mind you this will be the 1st all NB brew, I usually pair them with a big C hop addition so maybe that's where the affinity comes from?

[lancsSteve]

Wasn't cloying - amazing crystal aroma, clean bitterness.

Some munich and a little less crystal would have added to the maltiness - - I think my mix of crystal malts probably helped to avoid the cloyingness that just normal crystal would have had I adapted recipe to what I had to use up and went with 300g Caramunich 6.3%, 150g crystal wheat 3.2%, pale crystal 100g 2.1%

It was a nice 'easy drinker' - of the sort I never seem to make - though my current 'zum ueridge' recipe alt does about fit the bill - otherwise its hop lunacy with evil twin or serious smokiness with the rauch marzen or belgian madness in bottles... waiting for my 100% wheat beer to come ready so I have another 'drinker' and can drinks schqartzbier as a standard too - waiting for more taps from barley botom (hopefully today)