Duffman Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hey all! I've been ready to put down my second brew (the IPA turned out great and just gets better every time I open a new one!), but I want to now use the OS Lager that came with the kit. I know I wont be a big fan of that style of beer following the regular recipe or ingredients that came with the kit. From doing some reading, I've decided to try this recipe that Muddy had attempted: 1 Can OS Lager 1 kg LDM 500g Dex 12g each of cascade and galaxy @ 30mins (boiled with 500g of the LDM in 5L) 15g each of cascade and galaxy dry hopped after a few days fermentation US-05 yeast I'm not completely lost on the hopping part, but at the same time I don't want to screw it up either. Some questions I have: When you boil the first batch of the hops (pellets I'm guessing?), do you use a sack or not? Same question for the dry hop, do you just drop the pellets in the fermenter or do you use a sack? Is this made to 23L? And finally, the yeast. I wanted to use what came with the OS Lager kit ... will this be good enough or should I just get some US-05 when I order the hops? Thanks in advance for the help! Miche Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hey Duffman - I bottled mine just over a week ago and haven't tried them yet. I put my hops loose in the pan for the boil then I use a strainer when adding the liquid to the fermentor. For dry hopping I don't like adding them loose so I put them in a bag or a chux cloth or something. Some people say to just chuck them in and they will settle out but I find I get floaties in my beer using this method [pinched] I prefer to use US-05 but you will still get a good beer if you go with the kit yeast (as long as it has been stored well). The recipe is intended for a 23L batch. I hope you enjoy it - but don't hold me liable if you don't [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 i agree with muddy. watch out for the "floaties"[annoyed] i think for your second brew the cooper's yeast will be just fine. it's a good hearty yeast which usually means pretty good beer as long as it is in good health. muddy will hate me for suggesting it but if even in doubt of your yeast "proof" it with a starter.[devil] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 [lol] Nah, I readily recommend a starter if you are unsure of the yeasts viability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenK1 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hi! Duffman! This is your second brew? Could I suggest first try the kits as recommended. Try the result & than you know what direction to go from there! Some of the manufacturers basic recipes are making a very good beer! So why risk to blindly just do anything without to know what can you expect as a result!? I suggest this, based on my own experience! When you experimenting make sure you keep a very detailed brewing record so you can go back & see what did work & what not! Good luck & good brewing! Steven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Well,here's my 2c worth. I made a starter for the dry Cooper's yeast out of 1 1/2C 150F water & 1/4C DME in a 1/2L Pyrex measuring cup. I inserted a quick check thermometer,& covered with plastic. Waited til it came down to about 75F (about 24C),& pitched the yeast,stirred lightly with a sanitized fork to mix. Recover & allow to stand till I was ready to pitch after OG test. I was berated on homebrewtalk.com for making a starter for dry yeast. They say drying removes something called glycomene or glycogen from the yeast cells to dry them,creating off flavors. Well,I'm here to tell y'all that my brew in primary has no off flavors whatsoever as of today (6 days after pitching). But,rather,that dry yeast should be "awakened" in brew temp water till ready to pitch. You could just do the same thing I just described,minus the DME addition. But it didn't make sense to me not to give'em something to feed on to wake them up that's similar to what they'll be munching on in a few hours? Because,they're not just waking up & feeding,they're also reproducing. So it stands to reason,that they'd reproduce these needed chemicals at the same time they reproduce. It sounds like something they need to be normal/healthy yeast cells anyway.?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kearnage Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Duffman, Sounds nice. Muddy is the man to ask if he has done this recipe, but as the kit is already bittered, is a 30 min boil going to add more bitterness than you want? I would probably dry hop or boil for a very short time myself. And Leonard, if you had just sprinkled the carefully optimised dry yeast on the surface of the wort, you would have had just as much success with the fermentation, and no hassle or berating [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I calculated the boil to increase bitterness to an American Pale Ale level. So, the bitterness is just right and not over the top IMO (according to my bottling sample) but if you wish to reduce the boil you could....I'd recommend keeping it as is though [rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kearnage Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I stand politely corrected. It will be nice and not too bitter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 [lol] That's the spirit Dan [biggrin] ...I just re-read my post - It sounded a bit more abrupt than intended [pinched] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Duffman, Sounds nice. Muddy is the man to ask if he has done this recipe, but as the kit is already bittered, is a 30 min boil going to add more bitterness than you want? I would probably dry hop or boil for a very short time myself. And Leonard, if you had just sprinkled the carefully optimised dry yeast on the surface of the wort, you would have had just as much success with the fermentation, and no hassle or berating [biggrin] Well,the yeast sachet that came with the OS lager kit had the #'s "32809" on it. 328th day of 09? I think a starter was def in order,since the 1st OS lager I bottled on 2/13 was brewed per instructions with 2010 yeast,& stalled sometime before dawn the next day. And it had only 1/2" of krausen to start with! This one was done with the starter (being old yeast),& kit can/DME combo. Pitched at 7:35pm,& by 7:10am,the brown krausen was pushing against the lid. 6 days into primary,no off flavors & it's still at 1.020...with about 1/2" of light colored krausen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kearnage Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 If you are using old or abused dry yeast a starter simply to see if it is viable is reasonable. Ya didn't tell us that part [biggrin] In date well stored dry yeast doesn't benefit from a starter, but if you enjoy making one, I'm not gonna stop you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Actually it should. As I said before,they reproduce in the starter as well. Making more,new yeast cells. They aren't just sitting around getting fat,as it were. Making a starter greatly reduces lag time,& that means less time for the wort to be exposed to the air in the top of the fermenter. Not to mention,A more vigorous ferment. I didn't get any of those weird off flavors this time. Clean & crisp already. If the usual way works,then do it that way. This way is better for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 leonard, i agree with your starter. if the yeast has a date on it 2 years old i would be concerned with it viablity. i might have to wonder if it hasn't been used by now it probable hasn't been loved over those couple of years (kept at the right temperature).[pouty] i'd make make the starter a little more simple, though. 600ml boiled water 4 tbls dex let it do it's thing for a couple of hours then pitch it in. chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 600ml boiled water Boiled water let cool to room temperature with Glad Wrap over the top to stop other little bugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I'm a minimalist,so I figured for the 3-3 1/2 hours it'd be sitting on the counter, 1/4C DME to 1 1/2C water would be plenty. Just assuring more & healthier yeast cells. It worked fabulously well. Only a few hours to start bubbling,instead of a few days as with dry. Also,cleaner/crisper flavor this time. So far,anyway. The spring water is said to contain trace elements the lil yeasties need to be fruitful & multiply. Right on so far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I don't want to keep harping on but.... Only a few hours to start bubbling,instead of a few days as with dry. Dry yeast should kick off in a lot less than a few days. Usually 6-12 hrs which is only a few more hours than you would expect from a liquid yeast. But it works for you - I would suggest a 1:10 ratio (DME to water) for your starters though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffman Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Thanks for all the replies! Well I'm glad I waited to reply (or got drunk enough to forget I started this [innocent] ) I'm going to order the hops this week. I found a place that can deliver Galaxy hops to the U.S. I didn't realize how hard it was to get them here. I know I won't like the lager by itself as a beer so might as well experiment a bit! And if it's as bitter as an IPA then I'll love it. Thanks again guys, much appreciated! Miche Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Nice one Duffman! If you're concerned about the bitterness you could reduce the boil (as Kearnage suggested [innocent] ). 15 mins would also do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 The amount of bitterness was my concern as well. I'm experimenting with making an American pale ale out of the OS lager kit. So hop flavor/bitterness should not be excessive. According to BJCP style guidelines,anyway. So far,it's good but is still young. Anyway,I kept the hops boil (heavy simmer,really) down to 15mins,as was suggested. Gunna try an FG test tomorrow,2 weeks in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I worked out the bitterness for that one to fall in the middle of the range for BJCP guilines and should be about 32 IBU which is on the low side for and American Pale Ale. So as per style hops aroma are bitterness are prominent but not excessive. When is a heavy simmer not a boil? [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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