Real Ale thread

[BlackSands]

1 hour ago, Aussiekraut said:

I tried my RA+Amber+Nottingham version today. It's not a bad beer at all but still needs some time. Very malt driven as expected. It does need more time to mature though. It's been in the bottle for just under 2 weeks but is slow to carbonate (a problem I have a lot lately). If I give it another two weeks, it should be ready to drink. Head retention is still poor, due to the low carbonation but the head is very creamy, almost Guinness like. It seems to lack something though. I can't quite point my finger at it. It's like there is something missing between the (slight) bitterness and the sweetness of the malt. Maybe it just needs more gas and/or more time. I'll see. Maybe the next time, I try some dry hopping or maybe a Fuggles hop tea.

Similar experience here.  My RA+Blonde LME+200g grain steep+Styrian Goldings Hops+Nottingham is at day 16 and still tastes kinda 'raw' to me.  I brewed the beer modeled on English Best Bitter specs.  Carbonation is still not fully there even though I gave it 5 days at 18ºC and the rest of the time at ambient temperatures that were usually within Notty's working range. 

Aside from Winter temps it's been cold crashing that has had a really big impact on the carbonation speeds, slows it WAY down compared to the beers I brewed in my pre-fridge days...  but the trade-off is there's bugger all yeast sediment in the bottles.   So, like you I too think this one won't really be ready for another couple of weeks.   

I don't feel there's anything missing with this brew as such, in fact I think there's perhaps too much for the lighter bitter I had in mind and It's also darker than I imagined it would be too.  I won't be adding steeped grains next time unless I decide to use the RA as a base for something much heavier... which I won't.     

If I do use this can again I think I'll aim for just a simple APA style brew  -  RA + 1.7kg Light LME (or even  mash 2.4kg pale malt) + flavour hops/dry hops and leave it at that.   I don't personally feel like this is one to mess around with too much...  I'll leave that for the more basic cans - the kits that have a lot more leeway for custom tweaks like the Cerveza, Aussie PA and the OS Lager which is actually the one I usually build my custom partial-mash recipes on.    

[Aussiekraut]

10 hours ago, Bearded Burbler said:

Is it the cool temperatures for the Secondary Ferment AussieKraut?

Or do you keep the bottles warm - I have to use an electric blanket down here to get to 18 Deg C - and even then I think with my 18 deg C my carbonation in the bottle has slowed a lot - even with Lager Yeasts...

No secondary here. It goes straight into the bottle from the FV. I don't know what it is. The bottles are in a closed cupboard, stored at room temperature. The FVs in the room (the fridge is almost ready) display 20C, so room temp is probably a little less most of the day. The odd thing is that the Pils I bottled last weekend seems to be more carbonated than the red ale from 2 weeks prior, which only offers a slight "fluff" when opened.

 

[Aussiekraut]

9 hours ago, BlackSands said:

Similar experience here.  My RA+Blonde LME+200g grain steep+Styrian Goldings Hops+Nottingham is at day 16 and still tastes kinda 'raw' to me.  I brewed the beer modeled on English Best Bitter specs.  Carbonation is still not fully there even though I gave it 5 days at 18ºC and the rest of the time at ambient temperatures that were usually within Notty's working range. 

Aside from Winter temps it's been cold crashing that has had a really big impact on the carbonation speeds, slows it WAY down compared to the beers I brewed in my pre-fridge days...  but the trade-off is there's bugger all yeast sediment in the bottles.   So, like you I too think this one won't really be ready for another couple of weeks.   

I don't feel there's anything missing with this brew as such, in fact I think there's perhaps too much for the lighter bitter I had in mind and It's also darker than I imagined it would be too.  I won't be adding steeped grains next time unless I decide to use the RA as a base for something much heavier... which I won't.     

If I do use this can again I think I'll aim for just a simple APA style brew  -  RA + 1.7kg Light LME (or even  mash 2.4kg pale malt) + flavour hops/dry hops and leave it at that.   I don't personally feel like this is one to mess around with too much...  I'll leave that for the more basic cans - the kits that have a lot more leeway for custom tweaks like the Cerveza, Aussie PA and the OS Lager which is actually the one I usually build my custom partial-mash recipes on.    

Maybe it is simply because it is cooler. I was away for 6 weeks and everything I had bottled before I left was nicely carbonated but that may still have taken four or five weeks and I wouldn't know. As for the flavour, maybe it simply needs some more time to mature and carbonate. Watch this space

 

[Aussiekraut]

9 hours ago, Lab Rat said:

I felt the same about the Real + Light malt tin. We might have different tastes, but I would have hoped the Amber would have added something extra  the beer tin lacked. The RA Crystal malt I have brewing might go ok, I also went 250g brown sugar.

In the meantime, I'm topping pu my Real ale with some of the ESB I made with some dark malt, which although now over 3 months old, is still not my thing. The ESB adds a bit of dark flavour the Real lacks, and picks it up a bit.

The RA with crystal sounds interesting. It'll be interesting to see how this turns out. I'll give that one a try when I caught up with my schedule. 

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

I think BB means in the bottles by secondary ferment. You'd expect a pilsner to carbonate well if it used lager yeast because it works at lower temperatures. I used to carbonate bottles of lager at about 13-15 degrees or whatever it was in the garage cupboard through winter and they were all fine. If it can ferment low in the fermenter then it can do the same in bottles. 

[Beerlust]

58 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

The RA with crystal sounds interesting. It'll be interesting to see how this turns out. I'll give that one a try when I caught up with my schedule. 

The Real Ale can is a great base for making IPA's. Perhaps give this a burl...

...It'll make you look at beer in a whole new way. 

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Aussiekraut]

47 minutes ago, Beerlust said:

...It'll make you look at beer in a whole new way. 

Cheers,

Lusty.

Thanks Lusty, this sounds quite interesting. Have you tried it?

 

[Aussiekraut]

1 hour ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I think BB means in the bottles by secondary ferment. You'd expect a pilsner to carbonate well if it used lager yeast because it works at lower temperatures. I used to carbonate bottles of lager at about 13-15 degrees or whatever it was in the garage cupboard through winter and they were all fine. If it can ferment low in the fermenter then it can do the same in bottles. 

That explains why the pils is behaving a lot better. So I'll just give it a few more weeks to do what it needs to do. The red is quite tasty, so I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

1 hour ago, Aussiekraut said:

That explains why the pils is behaving a lot better. So I'll just give it a few more weeks to do what it needs to do. The red is quite tasty, so I'm looking forward to it.

 

Yeah, it's a myth that beer must always be bottle carbonated at 18+. It is true for ales but lagers don't need to be that warm, unless a diacetyl rest hasn't been done in the fermenter. 

[BlackSands]

This is the beer at day 17.  Head didn't hang around too long and there's not much lacing happening as I work my way through it.  It'll be fine in another week or two.  As you can see it's quite a dark copper colour... I think the 200g steeped grains (EBC 65) have contributed to that.   I did a fast CC on this one... barely a day and a half but it's crystal clear at fridge temps so I'm happy about that.   A subsequent PA however was also CC'd for a day and a half and it's got a very slight haze at 4.3ºC.  Thankfully I prefer to drink a hoppy PA a little warmer than that!   

Edited September 6, 2019 by BlackSands

[Beerlust]

7 hours ago, Aussiekraut said:

Thanks Lusty, this sounds quite interesting. Have you tried it?

Yup. I've made it 4 or 5 times now (I think? ). The hopping combination & oak chips transform it into something quite sensational.

I remember the first time I made it, I took a pic of it while it was still in the FV just before bottling & posted it on the forum. It doesn't look real appealing, but once in the bottle & aged a little, it was like nothing I had ever drank before. Really quite something I thought & especially given it was home brewed from a kit base.

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Lab Cat]

On 9/5/2019 at 6:54 PM, Lab Rat said:

In the meantime, I'm topping pu my Real ale with some of the ESB I made with some dark malt, which although now over 3 months old, is still not my thing. The ESB adds a bit of dark flavour the Real lacks, and picks it up a bit.

Also been doing the same with the Real and my Scotch ale, which was a 6.4% beer. A 740ml of those hits pretty hard. Topping up Real with the Scotch makes for a really good balanced ale. It would be easier brew it like this to start with, but they use different base kits.

Anyhow, the Innkeepers and Real are pretty good kits, if interesting ales are what you're chasing.

[Aussiekraut]

Ok, a few days later and consumed at a little higher temp, so all the aromas can develop, I think this is a winner  It carbonated a lot more and the taste "gap" is pretty much gone. It's coming along nicely now and I'm not sure it will get a chance to mature for too long  Maybe if I hide a few bottles from myself, it might get a chance. 

I'm still going to experiment with different malt blends, like the BR Crystal or Creamy Brown but I am pretty certain, this wasn't the last time I used the Coopers amber malt with the RA.

[Lab Cat]

Taster at day 10 bottled of the Real, 1.7kg Crystal and 250g brown sugar. Good start, a slight sweetness from the sugar, which will fade over time, and a dry finish. Quite a lot of body to this.

[BlackSands]

Another RA based partial-mash brew on the go:

• 1.7kg Coopers RA can
• 2kg Maris Otter
• 200g GF sour grapes
• 25g EKG @ 5 mins
• 25g Fuggles @ FO
• 5g gypsum
• Nottingham Yeast

| ABV = 4.2% | EBC = 15 | IBU = 34 |

 

[BlackSands]

On 9/29/2019 at 5:40 PM, BlackSands said:

Another RA based partial-mash brew on the go:

• 1.7kg Coopers RA can
• 2kg Maris Otter
• 200g GF sour grapes
• 25g EKG @ 5 mins
• 25g Fuggles @ FO
• 5g gypsum
• Nottingham Yeast

| ABV = 4.2% | EBC = 15 | IBU = 34 |

 

And here it is! A little young but already a very tasty bitter!  I'm very happy with this one.  I really do think the RA can plus the maris otter, with no additional specialty malts is a great combo for this style.  The colour is right where I want it and as you can see, even though young it's already throwing a decent head which, as I work my way to the bottom of the glass, lingers and laces very nicely.  Classic English hops are the icing on the cake.    

 

[Marty_G]

On 9/29/2019 at 2:40 PM, BlackSands said:

• 25g EKG @ 5 mins
• 25g Fuggles @ FO

Wow, bet that tastes great.  Some good old school British style hops there.   What is the purpose of the gypsum? Is it to adjust the pH of the brew? 

[BlackSands]

3 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

What is the purpose of the gypsum? Is it to adjust the pH of the brew? 

Yes, pH adjustment and a kind of non-specific 'general purpose' water conditioning.  My water is very soft and I'd determined a few years ago with the help of an online tool that a simple addition of gypsum would generally benefit most brews.  I've never bothered to get into further detail with water adjustments, but rather just simply work with what comes out of the tap and aside from this dose of gypsum accept my water for what it is.