I want to brew a light, drinkable, lager like beer. Something with a perhaps broader appeal than some of the heavier, hoppier and spicier beers I've made before. Something that'll work well this coming summer.
Since I don't have space for a fermentation chamber, an actual lager isn't really an option. But a Cream Ale could work. After reading some articles about the style, I formulated a very simple recipe that I'd like to experiment with a bit.
Experiment 1 is focused on malt (extract). I'll make two 1 gal batches. One with Briess Pilsen DME, and the other with Briess Golden Light DME. I'll also use cane sugar, since that appears to have been a common practice for cream ales. Should help dry them out a bit.
For yeast, I'll be using OSLO Kveik from Bootleg Biology. First time trying a kveik. This strain is said to produce very crisp, lager like beers. Even at high temperatures. That'll be useful later in the year.
For Hops, I'll just use what I happen to have avaialble, and that's Amarillo. Not typical for the style I guess, but whatever. Since the target IBU is low, and the volume is as well, the quantities will be tiny. I ordered a jewelry scale to make sure I have sufficient precision.
Fermentables:
- 0.8 lbs DME
- 1.7 oz Cane sugar
Hops:
- 4 g Amarillo hops (8.6% AA)
Hop schedule:
- 60 min: 2 g Amarillo
- 10 min: 2 g Amarillo
Yeast: OSLO
Predictions from Brewer's Friend:
- OG: 1.051
- FG: 1.009
- ABV: 5.62%
- IBU: 21.95
- SRM: 2.51 / 4.04 (Pilsen 2L / Golden Light 4L)
First batch was the pilsen version. Second was the Golden Light. 60 minute boil in 1.5 gal tap water. Hop additions per schedule, as well as 1/8th whirlfloc tablet and 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient at 10 minutes.
Chose to aim for a 1 gal post boil volume, but only transfer 10 cups (=5/8=0.625 gallons) to the fermentors. That leaves plenty of head space in case the kveik goes nuts.
Post boil volume on the first batch was a bit higher than intended. My measuring stick and some math suggests it came in and 1.1 gal. Math also says that that should result in SG 1.045 instead of the planned 1.051, but actual OG reading was 1.041. So yeah, this'll be a lighter beer than I planned.
Second batch came in at 1 gal post boil, but OG is 1.044. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
For both batches, after cooling to 21-22 C I just let the kettle sit for 10-15 minutes so the trub could settle a bit. I then used a sanitized measuring pitcher to scoop out the clear wort. End result is very clear liquid in the fermentors. I think I'll try to start doing something like this for larger batches as well, but with a siphon.
Batch 1 started boiling at 11:40 and was on fermentor at 1:20. For batch 2 the boil started at 1:30. On fermentor at 3:00. At 3:15 I split the yeast pack roughly 50-50 across both fermentors, aerated them by shaking and moved them to a closet.
The worts look and taste fairly similar. Pilsner batch is definitely a bit lighter in color, but not a whole lot. It also has a bit more flavor or texture (or something), while the golden light wort has a very clean flavor. More bitterness than I'd expected in both though.
- Batch 1 OG: 1.041
- Batch 2 OG: 1.044
The two fermentation vessels on bottling day
I took a look at the PPG math and it turns out I made a mistake in Brewer's Friend. I'd entered a post-boil volume of 1 gal, and a fermenter volume of 0.75. The calculator proceeded to adjust up OG prediction by 25%. Changing that puts the OG prediction at 1.039, which adds up to my own calculation (0.12546 + 0.842). Probably a good idea to do my own SG math for the next few batches until I'm confident in how I use these calculators.
Btw, Brewer's Friend uses 42 PPG for these DMEs, while I've seen 44 and 43 specified elsewhere for this specific brand (Briess). ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Bottling went fine. Took about 3 hours. For both batches I used 8 grams of table sugar in 1/3 cup of water for priming. Ended up with 4 bottles per batch but must've had at least 1 more bottle's worth in the bucket.
Both batches were incredibly clear. Pilsen version (batch 1) was a bit lighter in color, as expected. Taking care not to transfer any trub paid off it seems. Mostly just big blobs of kveik yeast on the bottom. Which I harvested btw. Going to keep it around for a couple of generations.
Samples tasted great, but the pilsen sample had priming sugar in it so it's too early to draw conclusions about the difference. They tasted incredibly clean and lager like.
- Batch 1 FG: 1.004
- Batch 1 ABV: 4.9%
- Batch 2 FG: 1.004
- Batch 2 ABV: 5.3%
Tried both about a week ago, but they were completely undercarbed at that time. Tried them again today. Better. Well carbonated.
Pilsner version (batch 1) is noticeably brighter and clearer. Both have a fruity, sweet, estery smell to them. Perhaps the yeast? Expected this kveik to produce very little of that. This seemed more present in the golden light version (batch 2).
Same flavor is present when drinking it, in both batches. Tastes pretty good at first. But then, aftertaste. Something weird lingering. Can't pinpoint it as any obvious off flavour. A bit soapy perhaps? Metallic? Or is it just the hop bitterness that should be dialed back? Was amarillo a bad choice of hop? This is present in both batches, but more pronounced in no 2.
All in all, I prefer the pilsner version. Less watery, and less of that weird flavour. The weirdness is actually enough to make me question using OSLO for the next batch, that I was planning to brew this weekend. Maybe S-05 would be smarter. OTOH, I'm all set up with an aquarium heater to do a fast and warm ferment around 30-35 C now, and that only works with kveik. Decisions, decisions...
It'll be interesting to see what 2-4 more weeks on bottle will do.
Guess what? It's delicious. Popped a bottle from each batch. No weird aftertaste. A bit of a fruity aroma for sure, but it's not bad at all. The Pilsner version is my favorite. It has a bit more malt character, while the other batch is just a tad thinner.
But, they're both under carbonated. An online calculator predicts 2.1 volumes of CO2 given the 8 grams of sugar I used (and 11*5 oz of beer). That's definitely a bit low. Should've gone for 10 or 11 grams probably.