Spring Brewalong Recipe Discussion - Summer Quaffer

[Wezzel]

I like cascade for aroma. Copper Dragon's Golden Pippin uses all cascade and it's a delicious summer ale served cool.

[Clibit]

That Schlafly recipe Seymour posted on Bungles thread looks ideal. Just scale down the OG and IBUs. 1045 and 32.

Schlafly Yakima Wheat
OG: 1055
ABV: 5.5%
Grainbill: 62% Pale, 30% White Wheat Malt, 8% Dingemans Cara 8L Malt (which sounds a lot like Munich, doesn't it?)
Hops: Challenger for early, late, and dry hops
IBU: 40

[jaroporter]

I like cascade for aroma.

i am also a fan of a little cascade late. it can be great with english hops, not sledgehammer style, but just ten-twenty g thrown in late to compliment the challenger or goldings

[Barley Water]

Humm, I am interested in this as I need an English Summer ale for a contest in August. I'm thinking I'll just let you guys design a recipe for me as long as you keep it really British (since I want to compete with this thing I don't know that I want to load it up with a bunch of American hops as that would push it out of style). I had pretty good luck doing a beer with all M.O. except for about 1/2 a pound of Bisquet malt. Also, the lower the O.G., the more I like to use WLP02 because it doesn't attenuate as much and over here a 1.050 beer is considered a quaffer so if I'm making a smaller beer I like to do everything I can to give the impression that it's bigger than it really is. Also, to make it fun for the lads you can also design something with adjuncts; I love to cereal mash ground corn and of course there are always semi-refined sugars to play with if you dare.......

[Battleaxe]

I feel 4 - 4.5% would be adequate much higher and for me it isn't a summer quaffer. And the initial hop choice would be good too! Keeping the IBU's at 35ish would also work. I'm going to suggest either S04 or Nottingham as yeast choices as they are readily available, and a % of Carapils or Crystal to add body and head retention but still keep within the bounds of the original ideas.

[hazelbrew]

4 - 4.5% sounds good.

summer quaffer is the right description.

got to be the sort of pint that...

- you quaff one down in about 2 minutes after mowing the lawn or...
- one or two while sorting out summer bbq for friends.
- one with a ploughmans at lunch.

i.e. tastes good from the fridge between 4 and 12C. not from the garage at what anywhere between 12-20.
That's what a summer quaffer means to me.


variation in yeast sounds fair enough - dry vs ultimate liquid.
are we going english only? or choice?

I think choice of hops makes a very different beer vs choice of yeast (given we're not talking hefe or saison where yeast really matters)

[HisDudeness]

English and a bit of American hops late on sounds good to me, I vote challenger EKG and centennial! Yeast just go with notty if want to keep it accessible

[GeeThom]

I am making a summer ale using Motueka and Rakau, about 3.8% using lager malt. This adds a lightness to a summer beer and especially with a bit of flaked oats to give the beer a bit of smoothness and a nice head and shows off the fruity hops. Easy drinking.

[Clibit]

Bump!

Where are all the summer quaffer voters?:)

[AdrianTrace]

Well I've got plenty of LME/DME, a selection of steeping grains, 200g of Challenger, 400g of cascade, and a few other hops lying around, so many of the 4% - 4.5% suggestions above are catching my eye.

[JamesF]

Putting recipes together is a bit beyond me at the moment, but I'm certainly up for something similar to GW's recipe but using challenger/cascade or something like that. In fairness I'm pretty much up for anything really

James

[Hogarth]

Light summer quaffer for me, somewhere around 4% and easy with the hops.

[Clibit]

I like the Schlafly grain bill idea a lot, MO plus 25-30% wheat and 5-8% caramalt, OG 1044ish. Extract and kit brewers could use a can or kilo of wheat malt extract or a one can wheat beer kit, plus light malt extract or brew enhancer, and steep a little caramalt.

Hops could be all British. Challenger or First Gold. A late or dry Cascade addition would be fine with me.

I think the wheat would make a nice twist and add to the summer quaffability too.

[Jim]

At some point, I'll try to sum up the gist of this thread and come up with a solid recipe proposal.

For now, just keep chucking in the ideas.

[alexlark]

Grain wise I'm thinking MO with some crystal for a touch of sweetness and give some nice lacing down the glass. Hops, stick to the Summer Lightening recipe but up the flame out and a nice amount to dry hop. Should give plenty of aroma leading you back in for more.