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My all-grain English Pale Ale 1-gallon Kit I brewed in March is ready. And the results of the first bottle are: Success! Wow, I can't believe I'm doing this. First goodness with the MRB 1776 and now Success with the no-name brand EPA. This beer is very pale, smooooth, hoppy, and well-carbonated. I'm a happy brewer right now. Thank you to all of you that helped out when I was doing this batch - @RickBeer, @Jdub, @BDawg62, @Nickfixit, @Shrike, @Bonsai & Brew, @D Kristof, and @StretchNM (that's me). Yes, I went through the old thread to find everybody who gave advice and encouragement. Thank you. Despite the sloppy instructions that came with the Kit, we made it work. Pretty dang cool. I would definitely brew this beer again. And again. I guess I'm going to have to break out my pilsner glass for this brew. I know, my logo and labeling needs work. But that's about as professional as I need to be ((( )))

This one's for you, @MiniYoda. I've never been to Kentucky but they tell me that this was a popular style back in the day. Hop times are 45, 15 and 5 minutes. This tasty all-grainer turned out great but I'll find out at Sunday's Lost Cabin Homebrew comp if it appealed to BJCP judges. Entered in the historical category, they will probably group it with other Amber/Common-type beers for judging. I'll follow up with a score then. 🍻 Dark Cream Ale (2-gallon, Mash-in-Sack) Rahr 6-row, 2.25 lb. Flaked corn, 1 lb. Briess Victory malt, 0.12 lb. Briess Crystal 60, 0.12 lb. Weyermann Carafa II (Special), 0.04 lb. Mt. Hood, 0.25 oz. Cluster, 0 25 oz. Mt. Hood, 0 25 oz. Safale K-97 German Ale yeast Step mash grains 20 min. @ 132 F followed by 40 min. @ 152 F, adjusting pH to 5.3 with lactic acid (if necessary). Mash out @ 168 F for 10 min. Sprinkle sparge grain bag with hot tap water. Begin 45 min. boil, hopping as indicated. Chill wort to < 70 F. Pitch K-97, areate, and ferment cool for 2 weeks. Cold crash is optional. OG 1.043 IBU 19 SRM 12-14 ABV 4.5 - 5%

Talking of fermentation temps , I was looking at the "Craft Week" Recipes Mr. B has this week, and noticed that all of them say ferment between 70 and76 deg. Seems a little warm for some of them. I am thinking it is just a boilerplate number not catered to the recipe/yeasts - which is a bit disappointing. I am especially intrigued by the Pennsylvania Lager, but I am thinking even for S-04, 70-76 may be a bit high especially as Fermentis says "ideally 15-20°C (59-68°F)." And this is the Wort temp not ambient. I think I will just keep it at my cellar temp of 62-64 ambient.

Who is Kanye? and where is my old geezer cane?

@Fire Roosterdry hopped my 4 gallon smash today. only used 1/2 oz of the mosaic cryo pellets. recipe called for 1 oz. will keg in a week.

That was kinda my thought too, but they do specify different ranges in some recipes. What might work would be a "Default Temp Range" and a "Better" temp range both given.

In that case, the American Lager may provide a better base as you suggest, maybe it depends how bitter you like it though. Does this look good? Kentucky Common: American Lager HME, PM 8 oz 6 row, 4 oz Flaked corn, 1 oz Cara 60, 1 oz Carafa II, 1 oz Victory. Hops - 0.25 oz ea Mt Hood and Cluster, 10 min boil. Safale F-97 yeast. Then I get 1.045 Final Gravity 1.009 ABV 4.76% IBU 29.42 SRM 12.48 Mash pH

👍 bonsai gets me. That’s a very rare thing

I think what @Creeps McLane was trying to convey is that my recipe is a Kentucky Common, which would be correct. The BJCP describes the overall impression of this style as a darker version of cream ale. As I've gotten a bit lazy with my recipe naming of late, that description just kind of stuck.🍻

That's precisely the point I was flailing at but not making contact with. I don't understand the willingness to make that first sale and accept the drop off of so many after the initial disappointment. There are many opportunities and resources being left for discovery only by the few who persevere.

Congrats, it is always a good feeling when all of the hard work put into a brew reaps rewards.

It is on the list and in the spreadsheet. I just brewed Rocket's Red Glare, and easy brew.

I did, I wrote to customer service 😎. They would be right - it will be beer, but it could be better beer. However, I think if they specify some other temp range that requires other than just sitting the LBK in the kitchen, they will discourage sales.

As Rickbeer suggested keep your temperatures at the low end and add both later. Adding it while the malt sugars are fermenting will only encourage a bulimic feeding frenzy resulting in the fruit flavors and aromas being lost.

"I want a good girl, she want a gentleman, we saying the same thing like a synonym" - kayne west off of "This Way" by Dilated People. Such a good song. Back when Kayne was in his prime. Sorry, that's what this made me think of.

Toast, but I've not heard of a Dark Cream Ale being popular in the Bluegrass State. What we are trying formulate is a Kentucky Common. https://homebrewacademy.com/kentucky-common/

Haven't looked at the recipe. but don't add the fruit at the beginning. Ferment at 62 (you can see the range if you Google S-04), because WHEN you add the fruit it will be very active. A week in, puree the fruit in a sanitized blender, remove the lid carefully, gently pour in, and replace the lid. It will then kick into high gear again.

Congrats!

Brew #2 - MRB - 1776 Ale (ABV 4.2) Finally... a success! After losing to my first brew batch - MRB's American LAGER, I've got a winner. At least, to me it is! Not quite as carbonated as I'd like, and lacking in sustainable head, it's as sweet as I could have asked for. No sourness. No unpleasant aftertaste. Just a nice, sweet Ale. I can do this. I have one brew in the queue - an all-grain English Pale Ale. It should be just fine. We'll see. ON EDIT: Changed MRB's American Ale to MRB's American LAGER

No, only partly. While the oats do contribute some haze, they're mostly for body. The haze is a mixture of proteins from the oats (and other grains), suspended yeast (this is why NEIPAs use low-flocculating English yeasts), and suspended hop oils. An infection probably won't happen unless you're aging the beer for long periods of time, and since IPAs aren't normally aged and should be consumed fresh, it's probably a non-issue here. I have used oat milk before with some success. It should go into the mash, though, since it's still mostly starch. This is another reason why oats and other flaked products should ALWAYS be mixed with 2-row (or rice hulls). The husks in the 2-row help provide efficiency with water flow. Just putting oats in a muslin sack on their own only creates a gooey and dense "dough-ball" that the water cannot penetrate. That means you're only pulling from the surface of the dough-ball, while the inside stays shielded from water access. Using some 2-row (or 6-row) prevents this. But I guess if they say it tastes like the real thing, who am I to argue? lol

Looks Delicious! Cheers!