Your Best Mega-swill Crowd Pleaser

[Beerlust]

Hi guys.

 

I generally brew for my own tastes, & for the vast majority of the time, could care less for brewing a beer that the mega-swillers would like to drink. I've been brewing like this for quite a period of time now, to such a point I've almost forgotten how to brew a beer in this vein.

 

I'm well aware of recipes out there that pattern this style of beer, but I'd rather ask my brewing brothers here on the forum for what they have brewed & received positive responses from their group of mates to brews they have presented.

 

I'm open to all recipes & all suggestions. I would appreciate any comments your mates made about the beer you brewed & what they thought it tasted like comparing it with a commercial brew.

 

The 'Dacca Bar' I have begun building, I'm hoping will be in full swing during the AUS summer, & being able to present a keg or two of half decent mega-swill will help make the summer a memorable one.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Anthony.

[King Ruddager]

Hmmm . I normally give people my weird, experim... actually, most of my beers are weird and experimental, but anyway, the point is it's hard to say.

 

I think the answer is going to be a bit of a boring one unfortunately - Dr Smurto's Golden Ale.

[Beerlust]

Hmmm . I normally give people my weird' date=' experim... actually, [i']most[/i] of my beers are weird and experimental, but anyway, the point is it's hard to say.

 

I think the answer is going to be a bit of a boring one unfortunately - Dr Smurto's Golden Ale.

That's not the least bit boring KR. It's also great to know you have such good standards.

 

Thanks for the response, & good brewing my comrade.

 

Chalk one up for the JS Golden Ale clone.

 

Anthony.

[King Ruddager]

I should add - it's not necessarily the one that's got the most rave reviews but it's definitely the most widely approachable one, which is I think what you're looking for. Something that everyone can enjoy.

[MM]

I took a keg to a party last weekend, everyone that tried my beer came back for more.

It was one of my first and very simple yet tasty brews.

I really don't know if it's like any commercial beer but all the megaswillers loved it, and it was really quick and easy.

 

1 can of coopers os draught

1 kg dry malt extract

250gm dextrose

25g galaxy steeped for 30 min

US 05 yeast

23L

brew at 19-20c.

 

I don't know what the dry hopping actually did but I put

10g centennial

5g amarillo

5g nelson sauvin

 

 

Cheers MM

[Beerlust]

I've brewed the JS Golden Ale clone 3 times for myself, but not openly for a crowd. I agree KR that it is a very approachable beer even for the mega-swillers out there.

 

I'm hoping to get a good cross mix of recipe suggestions from our forum members. The "Super Dry" age is well & truly upon us.

 

I'll also take this opportunity to have a swipe at Coopers for not offering up a homebrew recipe for their "Coopers Clear" that has been out in the open market for sometime now.

 

Those of us on the forum are supporters of you. Further your interests & post a recipe.

 

I know it's a PITA lager recipe, but I know the powers that be can make it more ale-like if they wish, or present it for what it really is as a lager brewed beer possibly using the dry enzyme.

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[Beerlust]

Hi MM.

I took a keg to a party last weekend' date=' everyone that tried my beer came back for more.

It was one of my first and very simple yet tasty brews.

I really don't know if it's like any commercial beer but all the megaswillers loved it, and it was really quick and easy.

 

1 can of coopers os draught

1 kg dry malt extract

250gm dextrose

25g galaxy steeped for 30 min

US 05 yeast

23L

brew at 19-20c.

 

I don't know what the dry hopping actually did but I put

10g centennial

5g amarillo

5g nelson sauvin

[/quote']

Thanks for the post, I appreciate it.

 

As a good mega-swill recipe should be, it is simple & fits the bill nicely, & is now in the mix...

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[Mr F]

It depends on what they usually drink, I would've thought.

 

When i think mega-swill i think West End, Super Dry (full strength) and XXXX, Hahn 3.5 (mid).

 

lager lager lager... Until i recently got into homebrew it never occurred to me that Pale Ale (my standard bev) is in a different category to (basically) all the other beers you can buy at a country pub. According to wiki, lager sales make up something like 95% of all beer sold in Oz.

 

I was on the roster at our footy club bar last week and I reckon we sold at least two cartons of 3.5 (as well as the others mentioned) in the same time that I sold two stubbies of Pale. The punch-line here is that I bought those two stubbies :)

 

I just can't understand all these 3.5 drinkers, though. After two or three they pretty much taste like fizzy water. That's probably being generous!!!

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread. I think i just had to get that off my chest.

[Otto Von Blotto]

I brewed a few batches of beer for a wedding last year, 3 lager and one pale ale for the craft heads. The megaswill crowd all enjoyed the lager I brewed, which is based on a Munich Helles style.

 

4.00 kg Pilsner Malt

0.50 kg Munich Malt - 20L

0.25 kg Cara-Pils/Dextrine

0.10 kg Carared

 

20.00 g Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.00 %] - First Wort 75.0 min

7.00 g Magnum [12.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min

25.00 g Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min

1.0 pkg Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70)

 

Mashed for 90 mins around the 64-65 mark. Boiled for 75 mins. FWH addition obviously went in immediately after mash out when I began to bring the wort to the boil.

 

It was then fermented at 11.5C until about 75% through when I raised it to 16 until the end of fermentation for a D-rest. It was then chilled down to zero for four weeks and then bottled.

 

Turned out a rather nice lager around the 5% ABV mark which actually had some flavour to it. I don't remember exact comments but everyone who tried one enjoyed it.

 

Cheers

 

Kelsey

 

[Canadian Eh!L]

Sounds like a nice lager, Otto. I remember when you were brewing those beers for the wedding. Did everything work out for you and your beer on the big day.

 

I'm brewing beer for a friends wedding these days. I've put together an American Honey Brown ale, An English IPA, An American PA and today I put down a Golden ale. I'm not sure how many kegs I'll bring. I've got lots! I just hope everything goes well. Nothing to write about in the Fail (mistake) thread.

[Beerlust]

It is a nice looking recipe Ottoman. In fact it's too good for my needs, & a little bit too time consuming a brew given the non-existent palates attached to those that will be drinking it.

 

I'll definitely be brewing an ale of sorts, probably from a kit base. At most an extract base with maybe a small grain steep or something. The mates I'd be brewing it for mainly drink Hahn Super Dry/Carlton Dry/Coopers Clear/Corona etc.

 

I've got a couple of ideas spinning around in my head atm. Either the Coopers Mild Ale recipe with some added dextrose to dry it a little further & bump the ABV% into the low 4's, or using the Coopers Cerveza kit with 750gms of LDM & 350gms of dextrose, with maybe a smallish hop steep &/or dry hop addition. Not sure on what hop I might use here. Something that is complimentary & at a lowish level as to not come across as being offensive or dominant in any way.

 

If I use US-05 down at its lower end (16-17°C) that I've done before, it should produce a very clean profiled ale beer similar to those types of lagers.

 

Being a fairly simple & inexpensive brew, I'm going to take the opportunity to bulk prime it & naturally carbonate it in the keg for the first time. If I stuff it up, it won't be a big loss. I'm actually looking forward to trying it. Bulk priming is not something I've done in the past, but given what I've read about it, I may use the technique a little more often if wishing to prepare some kegs in advance for a day down the track.

By naturally carbing them, this should help to minimize oxidation issues while storing them (I think).

 

Thanks for the input guys.

 

Anthony.

 

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Thanks Chad

 

Yes it did, they all enjoyed it, and the craft heads enjoyed the pale ale I threw in as well. A successful night and also good to get feedback from a larger amount of people. Hopefully yours goes just as nicely!

 

Lusty I get where you're coming from there . I figured I'd expose them to something a little more flavoursome than their fizzy water; I also wanted the feedback on one of my own recipes rather than just knocking up a quick kit brew. Maybe you can gradually change their palates by starting off with your current idea and gradually adding more flavours each brew Either way, if you ever do have a spare two months in the brewing schedule, give that recipe a go and see what you think.

 

Speaking of the US-05 down at those temps, I'm planning a couple of brews using that lager recipe but with the 05 at the low end just to see how it turns out compared to the usual 34/70 I use in it. Will be interesting to see how much or how little it differs in flavour.

 

Cheers

 

Kelsey

[Beerlust]

Hi Kelsey.

Lusty I get where you're coming from there . I figured I'd expose them to something a little more flavoursome than their fizzy water

I've tried to change their palates' date=' but I probably pushed the envelope too far away from their fizzy water beers. I'll just have to be a bit sneakier from here on... [img']wink[/img]

 

Maybe you can gradually change their palates by starting off with your current idea and gradually adding more flavours each brew

Exactly what I was thinking. Exactly.

 

Speaking of the US-05 down at those temps' date=' I'm planning a couple of brews using that lager recipe but with the 05 at the low end just to see how it turns out compared to the usual 34/70 I use in it. Will be interesting to see how much or how little it differs in flavour.[/quote']

When I did my US-05 brew @ 16°C I was initially aiming to ferment the brew @ 15°C. I had gradually eased the temperature down to 15°C early on after obvious signs fermentation had begun, but in my situation the yeast appeared to start to struggle. So much so, that I didn't want to take any chances with it stalling, & raised the temp back up to 16°C where it behaved much better. It may well have continued to ferment at that 15°C temperature, but I didn't like what was happening at the time.

 

The fermentation range says 12-25°C, & optimum range says, 15-22°C, but 15°C appeared to be pushing it for me.

 

Coincidentally, the beer I made from that ferment is arguably one of the two best beers I've ever made.

 

P.S. That reminds me, I must get around to making that "Amnesia Ale" I tagged to you.

 

 

Cheers & good brewing,

 

Anthony.

[Canadian Eh!L]

Nice one, Lusty! I've always meant to brew that one too. I can't seem to remember the recipe, though.

[Beerlust]

Hi Skookum.

Nice one' date=' Lusty! I've always meant to brew that one too. I can't seem to remember the recipe, though.[img']tongue[/img]

 

Me either!

 

We shall have to put our minds together & come up with something!

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[Canadian Eh!L]

With our two minds, together... In the same room? Nar, mate! That be dangerous.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Funny that, I can't remember the recipe either!

 

That could be the case there Lusty. I think my lager was obviously more flavoursome than fizzy water but not too much that they got shocked by it. They may have retreated to their megaswill if they'd tried the pale ale first though.

 

Fair call on the brew temp there. Going off that, I'll try fermenting at 16C when I get around to doing that batch.

 

Cheers

 

Kelsey

[BennyBateson]

Hey all,

 

This is our groups fairly standard 'Fruit Salad' brew

 

Cooper Pale Ale tin

1kg LDME (or Coopers Light Dry Malt 1.5kg tin)

Cascade Hops, 30 grams

Amarillo Hops, 20 grams

Australian Galaxy Hops, 10 grams

Ale Yest (included with Coopers tin) or Safale US-05 Ale Dry Yeast 11.5g Sachet

 

We experiment with different 'fruity' hops, Nelson Sauv (when available) definitely goes down well too.

 

I find crash chilling to 0°C-2°C then carbing for 3-4 days at around 20-25psi the beer retains carbonation pretty well. Adjust to your tastes. I am keen to try a carbonation lid to see if I can carb more effectively... Will post results....

 

Steep the hops in a pyrex jug with hot water before you dissolve your Pale ale and Malt, then either hop the concentrate, or hop after you add your cold water (I prefer hopping the concentrate).

 

At 23 litres, I think this beer hangs around the low 4% mark, as we force carbonate (therefore no secondary fermentation). My last brew was a touch under 22 litres of water, which to me added a bit of extra body.

 

Standard Ale yeast ferm conditions, but I find 7 days at 18°C-20°C does the trick. Leaving longer will develop the flavor, and excess yeast drops out, clearing it up a bit.

 

Like the rest of the thread, my family are Super Dry fiends, so I would love to brew a beer in that light (great for summer). I have a Coopers Cerveza down now, mildly hopped (10gms of Cascade), with 100gms added LDME for a bit more guts.. Will keep you posted.

 

My understanding is that Rice Malt is used in conjunction with an enzyme additive to bind to remaining sugars. Achievable with kit, but may taste interesting..

[Chuznut]

I know I'm coming very late to the party here, but I've found that of my beers that I have made, the most appreciated by my mega-swill drinking mates have been the Czech Pils recipe on the Coopers website, as well as the Caribbean Siesta recipe (although I swapped the Calypso hops for Galaxy on account of availability at the time), and fermented with US-05. I had a poker night at my house last year, where everyone was drinking my home brews, and almost all of them just stuck with the Caribbean Siesta's all night, despite the fact that, IMHO, I had much better beers available for them to drink.

 

Despite all of the vitriol that Coronas cop on here, I've found that the Mexican Cerveca can is a pretty good can to use as a base for recipes. It is fairly bland by itself, but once mixed with some extra hops, it's a really easy beer to drink that's very light and easy to drink when the weather starts heating up.

 

The only thing that I've found though, of the 3 brews I've done in the past with the MC as the base, is that it's best to leave them in the bottle for at least a few months before drinking. Most of my other beers have been good after only a few weeks, but the MC seems to definitely benefit from leaving a bit longer for some reason.