Pages: 1 2
Cran Honey Ale
Just in case..........
I am going to make a starter with a pretty low pH so I'll have some yeastie beasties acclimated to deal with the cranberry addition. My canned cranberries won't arrive for at least a week, backorder, and I am looking at a longer primary than planned because I came in pretty high on my OG. The idea, I guess is to get this brew to ferment out as much as possible for a dry type ale. Would pitching more yeast hurt in any way???
First off, the cranberries aren't going to offset the pH so much that it is a concern. And acclimating yeast doesn't really happen in a simple starter (or ever for taht matter). You want to pitch the best and healthiest yeast you can. So a standard starter is what you want. Healthy yeast is the best yeast. Always. (On top of that, what pH would you make it too? Short of knowing what the pH is going to be after the berries of added to the beer, you really don't have any clue what to even shoot for.)
Often making the best beer involves keeping it simple.
Do you think you need more yeast to get better attenutation in the current beer or to ferment out any sugars from the fruit addition?
There will be plenty of yeast available for the small amount of sugar contributed by the fruit that gets added.
As for your current attenuation. If the beer has been fermenting for a while already, I would rouse the yeast off the bottom by carefully swirlling the whole fermentor to get some up and into suspension. Prior to rousing I would raise the temp to 70-72F. That should give what yeast you have a good chance to get back to work.
How poor of an attentuation are we talking here, what was the last SG reading?
I'll have to look at the recipe again, but its likely you ahve reached the bottom of the fermentable material in the beer and no amount of further yeast is going to change the SG if that's the case. I think that is something to be aware of.
I recently had two beers that finished out in the low 1.020 range. I was mildly dissapointed and thought it was my fermentation that was a problem. But I after I reviewd the recipes, I realized I had maybe gotten a little out of control with some of my specialty grain additions, and its likely I just didn't have anything else to ferment.
Again, a good case of needing to keep it simple.
Did you go with the recipe you originally posted?
I wasn't sure.
DId you mini-mash that turbo-pils?
I stuck to the original recipe. And yes, I mashed the grains @ a steady 155 for 45 minutes. Mashed out @ 172 for 10 minutes and sparge with 2g's of 190 degree water.
Into the secondary today. I was quite suprised at my gravity reading. A 1.00!!!!!!!!!
brewskinewbski:
In the bottle: Fat Tire Clone, Rice Brew #2, Spiced Honey Wheat, Dark Maple Ale, BKB Spring Time Kolsch
In the primary: Raspberry Lambic, Cran/ Honey Ale, Hoped Cherry Mead
In secondary: 5g Barleywine,
On Deck: Trappist Ale, Belgian Wit
I was looking at that list of beers.
That poor little Kolsch is going to have to stand up on its toes and bark loudly if it wants to compete with all those fruited, honeyed or spiced brews.
Poor little kolsch. You sure you'll be able to drink that bland little brew?
I am sure you'll probably line the rim of your kolsch glasses with honey like salt and margarita's though right.
I like light beers too... but I can buy those at the store. My Kolsch, BTW, is experiencing some difficulties. It isn't carbing. AT ALL. Not a bit of carbonation. It doesn't taste bad flat. Bet it would be great carbed up.
I noticed a funky white head on my cran honey brew today. And discovered that my youngest wants to make beer to. In fact she poured and un-disclosed amount of Splenda in it to make it yummy. Should I dump it or just let it age?
Well... it's going into bottles tomorrow. I tried a sample and it was, in fact, quite good. Even with the sweetener aftertaste.
Pages: 1 2