Blonde and....?

[PME]

I'm thinking of doing a mix for my next brew. I love the blonde well enough, but I'm into experimenting a little.

 

I'm looking for a dry, crisp ale.... I'm thinking of mixing the Canadian Blonde with the Real Ale, or maybe the Pilsener.

 

Thoughts? Ideas? Maybe use some BE? Hop additions?

 

[PhilboBaggins]

It depends how bitter you like your beers Paul.

 

Mixing two kits together will normally give you a fairly bitter beer. What kind of beers have you brewed up until now?

 

What commercial styles do you enjoy? Are you okay with using hops and grain?

 

Let us know the answers to these questions and I'm sure we can come up with something for you! [happy]

[PB2]

The Australian Pale Ale kit is a good one to use with most other kits. Perhaps, increase the volume to 25 litres.

[PME]

Through trials and tastings I have learned my favourite brews are usually the dry/crisp ales, a hearty stout, and the lighter blondes/pilsners for the summer.

 

We're coming in to fall now, so I'm leaning towards the dryer ales and then stouts for the winter.

 

Went to the LHBS yesterday. Had the can of Canadian Blonde in my hand and the can of Coopers Light LME in the other hand. Told the owner I was going to mix the two into my Coopers fermenter. She said it was too much for one Coopers batch, and that I would have to make 10 gallons with that much LME/HME. She sold me the Blonde and 3 pounds of Light DME and said to mix in 1 pound of the DME with the Blonde.

 

I'm skeptical. Is she right? Would two cans of Coopers be too much for one Coopers fermenter?

[Otto Von Blotto]

That's weird advice mate. I don't see any problem with mixing a kit plus a 1.5kg tin of malt extract in a normal sized batch - I used to do it all the time. It's a pretty normal recipe formulation really.

[PME]

Dammit! I really need to stop talking to these people about extract brewing! They seem to know their stuff when it comes to all grain, but every time we talk extract their advice is always opposite what experienced extract brewers say! [annoyed]

[PME]

Ok, made my batch. 1 can Canadian Blonde. 2 pounds of Light DME. I used Safale US-05 yeast.

 

OG: 1.032

[Hairy]

Ok, made my batch. 1 can Canadian Blonde. 2 pounds of Light DME. I used Safale US-05 yeast.

 

OG: 1.032

Were you after a mid-strength or full strength beer?

[PME]

If you mean abv I was hoping 5.5 - 6%

 

If you man taste, I'm hoping for a clean, dry, crisp blonde

[Hairy]

I meant ABV and it appears you will be way off your target. You are looking at 3.5 - 4% with this one.

 

If you build up a recipe with LME/DME to give you 5-6% ABV then you may struggle to achieve the dry, crisp taste you are after. You will need to replace some malt with dextrose to achieve the same OG but a lower FG. Malt extract tends to leave a fair bit of residual sweetness in the beer.

 

If you haven't already done so, download IanH's Kit & Extract Beer Designer spreadsheet from AHB (link below).

 

Kit & Extract Beer Designer

 

I think you may have to join to download it but it is worth it. It is an Aussie site so the program is in metric. But it is a really good tool, even just to play around with to get an idea of ingredients and their impact.

[PME]

I meant ABV and it appears you will be way off your target. You are looking at 3.5 - 4% with this one.

 

If you build up a recipe with LME/DME to give you 5-6% ABV then you may struggle to achieve the dry, crisp taste you are after. You will need to replace some malt with dextrose to achieve the same OG but a lower FG. Malt extract tends to leave a fair bit of residual sweetness in the beer.

 

If you haven't already done so, download IanH's Kit & Extract Beer Designer spreadsheet from AHB (link below).

 

Kit & Extract Beer Designer

 

I think you may have to join to download it but it is worth it. It is an Aussie site so the program is in metric. But it is a really good tool, even just to play around with to get an idea of ingredients and their impact.

 

Perfect! Thank you Hairy. I'm good with metric, being in Canada and all. Pesky Americans are always making me convert to their measuring system

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

I'd guess that OG reading is off anyway. 2 pounds is about 900g. A kit and 900g of dry malt in 23 litres should give an OG more around 1040. Indeed, the spreadsheet Hairy linked to predicts 1037. Either way, you're not gonna get anywhere near 5.5 - 6% ABV from there. It'll be closer to 4%.

[PME]

So..... New idea.... What if I mix the Blonde and the Lager? Should I still add BE1?

[PME]

I meant ABV and it appears you will be way off your target. You are looking at 3.5 - 4% with this one.

 

If you build up a recipe with LME/DME to give you 5-6% ABV then you may struggle to achieve the dry, crisp taste you are after. You will need to replace some malt with dextrose to achieve the same OG but a lower FG. Malt extract tends to leave a fair bit of residual sweetness in the beer.

 

If you haven't already done so, download IanH's Kit & Extract Beer Designer spreadsheet from AHB (link below).

 

Kit & Extract Beer Designer

 

I think you may have to join to download it but it is worth it. It is an Aussie site so the program is in metric. But it is a really good tool, even just to play around with to get an idea of ingredients and their impact.

 

Turns out the file doesn't work with my Mac.

I usually just use Qbrew anyways

 

[Hairy]

So..... New idea.... What if I mix the Blonde and the Lager? Should I still add BE1?

The blonde and the lager should be fine mixed together. Some late or dry hops would top it off. I wouldn't add any BEs though.

 

There is already 3.4kg liquid malt in the brew so if you want higher alcohol then add 300-500g dextrose to it. Others may not, but I personally find the amount of maltodextrin in BE1 to be [sick]

[Canadian Eh!L]

I've done a Blonde + Real Ale Toucan made to 23L with a dry hop of 25g Cascade. It turned out pretty good as I recall.

[Mainiac]

25G Cascade ?

 

If doing a boil how much water and how long to boil?

[Canadian Eh!L]

Hey Mainiac,

 

I suggested 25g dry hopped. This means there is no boil. The hops are just chucked in to the FV after the fermentation is finished.

[Adz]

Hey Mainiac,

 

I suggested 25g dry hopped. This means there is no boil. The hops are just chucked in to the FV after the fermentation is finished.

 

How long in the FV following primary fermentation do you dry hop ? Does the bag need to sink to the bottom somehow ?

 

[PME]

From what I've read... you don't need a bag when dry hopping. Most people seem to just throw them in loose. I'll wait for an answer on timing from the guys who know, because I had the same question

[Nick]

From what I've read... you don't need a bag when dry hopping. Most people seem to just throw them in loose. I'll wait for an answer on timing from the guys who know' date=' because I had the same question[/quote']

 

I've found that it doesn't make any difference if you dry hop on day 1 or wait a few days. As far as throwing the hops in in a bag or loose (commando style), i prefer the bag method because i dont like hop matter getting into the bottles, although cold crashing does minimise this somewhat.

 

[PME]

So.... use a couple of sanitized washers to weigh the bag down?

[Nick]

You can use glass marbles, they are easy to sanitise and can be thrown in the hop bag or chux cloth with the hops, or you can use a stainless steel mesh infuser. They are easy to use and only a couple of bucks each on Ebay.