Ale recommendation for lager drinker

[verno]

Having read a number of posts on this forum and because I don't have the ability to make proper lager (ie ferment at 12-15 degrees) then I thought I might try an ale.

I was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions to try? I see milestones IPA getting some good reviews. I also wonder whether to try a 10 litre kit rather than 20 litres.

I thought I would open it up for recommendations. I think I am looking for something with flavour but not really a fruity flavour, maybe something a bit deeper. I am also a whisky drinker if that helps with choices?

Treat it as a bit of fun maybe?

Cheers
Verno

[sparky Paul]

I wouldn't completely write lagers off, you can make a very passable lager from a kit even with an ale yeast at 18-20°C, but in my experience not without adding a hefty amount of hops, and bottling it for the carbonation. An added bonus is that you can get them in the fridge easily.

I would recommend the Cooper's lager kits, have a search around the forum for recommendations for the various methods of hop addition. I usually add at least 30g of Saaz when I do a kit lager, it makes all the difference.

The Milestone and the Cooper's IPAs are very good, or Sparkling Ale if you fancy something stronger, but again I think they all benefit from hop additions. The Milestone kits were made by Diamalt, but are now made by Muntons, so it's worth bearing in mind that they could be a bit of an unknown quantity at the moment.

Brewferm do some lower volume kits which are higher in alcohol, and in some more complex beer styles...

[PeteH]

Woodfordes Great Eastern is a nice light ale.

[verno]

Thanks, I am actually going to try a coopers lager next but was then going to do the ale after that probably.

My problem is I want to brew more and more but haven't even finished conditioning my first batch. Then I need to drink some of it to leave me room for bottling the second one.

[pongobilly]

sparky, when you do the coopers lager do you use the supplied lager yeast, also how do you use the hops, do you boil the 30g or just steep them, give me a break down how you do this kit as i want to do one soon, what sugars do you use

[verno]

Pongo,

I think he may have posted somewhere else how he uses it. Maybe in one of the coopers lager threads.

Something along the lines of pour the kit mixture into your FV then wash out twice with boiling water but put this boiling water into a pan and then boil up the hops with that. Can't remember the timings though.

Verno

[richard_senior]

Any IPA really.
Most lager drinkers I know also like Hopback Summer Lightning.
I've been trying to get a recipe which copies it properly for a few years. It's like trying to make a home curry that tastes like a restraunt one though. There just seems to be something missing.

[Waffty]

I've done the Brupaks pride of yorkshire IPA & have to say after being in the keg for 3 weeks, it's crystal clear & tastes as good as any IPA I've paid for.

The kit comes with a steeping 'tea' bag, made up of grains & hops + I made the kit up with Safe04 yeast.

On the lager front, I'm just about to keg a Dudley/Gornal Ales lager (1.8Kg of hopped extract), which I made with 500g light DME & 500g of brewing sugar + a brupaks flavour pack (£1.50 from hop & grape), which consists of 3 'tea' bags, containing grains & hops. This was fermented with Safe Lager yeast, which I pitched at 20 degrees, then dropped to 16 degrees. It's been fermenting for just over 10 days now & is down to 1008 & doesn't taste too bad.

I'm sure it'll be a good brew after it's been in the keg for 4 to 6 weeks & cooled, using my flash cooler

So I'd give both the Safelager yeast & brupaks flavour packs ago, as they both make for 'simple' flavour additions to kit brewing.

Darren.

[sparky Paul]

sparky, when you do the coopers lager do you use the supplied lager yeast, also how do you use the hops, do you boil the 30g or just steep them, give me a break down how you do this kit as i want to do one soon, what sugars do you use

This method works for me, and is pretty easy. It is in lots of old threads in one form or another, but here goes...

I always use the supplied Cooper's yeast, which I read on an Aussie forum is actually a Safale/Saflager mix, but personally I suspect is just Safale - it works well enough though. For something approaching the style of a commercial lager, I normally add say 750g of light Spraymalt and 500g of glucose/brewing sugar, but anywhere between 50-75% spraymalt works okay. Using 100% spraymalt makes the lager just a little heavy for my taste.

After dumping the can contents into the fermenter, rinse out the extract can with two can fulls of boiling water and empty them into a pan. I would then boil 1/3 of the hops in this liquor for 15 mins or so, then remove from the heat and add the rest of the hops to steep for 30 minutes. Then strain through a sanitised sieve and add the liquor to the fermenter.

The Cooper's Heritage Lager kit is a particular favourite of mine and OH with this method. Hop quantity is down to personal taste and type of kit, but I reckon 30g of Saaz works quite well for the Cooper's lagers - but I have been known to add more...

I over prime the bottles to get good carbonation, 4 tsp of sugar in a 2 litre PET, but they do need to have several hours in the fridge before opening as they are very lively at room temperature. Oh, and I nearly forgot - the longer you can leave it in the bottle, the better it gets.

[verno]

sparky does the saaz come in the form of hop pellets or some other form? I have found hop saaz pellets on a website but thats it?

[mattmacleod]

They come as whole hops or pellets. I personally prefer pellets as they are a bit easier to handle in my system and they apparently keep better. But to be honest, make do with whatever you can get your hands on

[sparky Paul]

mm's right, it doesn't make a lot of difference and you usually have to take what you can get. The last lot I had were loose hops.

Another good variety if you can't get Saaz is Hallertauer, or maybe Perle... I've got some Perle, which are said to be similar to Hallertauer Mittlefruh but higher alpha acid, I might try some of them in the next lager, just for fun.

[mchansen]

Hi verno

If you like a fruity taste try a milestone IPA and bottled it, it is absolutly fantastic.
It was my first brew and still my favorite.