Soignier Brewing Co., "Tall Beautiful Blonde" Gold Ale

[Chefasaurus]

I just made this... and WOW. One of the better beers I've made period, let alone an all-extract brew.



"Tall Beautiful Blonde" Gold Ale

4# can Alexander's pale malt extract syrup
1# Munton's Light dried malt extract
3# Munton's Extra Light dried malt extract
1 oz. Hallertauer pellets (60)
1 oz. Mt. Hood pellets (30)
1 Tbl. toasted coriander seeds (30)
1 tsp. Irish Moss (15)
White Labs #WLP001, California Ale Yeast V

1/2 oz. gelatin (clarifying)

3/4 cup corn sugar (priming)
1 pt. water (priming)


OG: 1058
FG: 1010
ABW: 6.5%


The numbers in parenthesis indicate how long they need to be in the boil. The Hallertauer hops start the boil, then 30 minutes later, the Mt. Hood hops go in, as do the coriander seeds, then 15 minutes later, the irish moss goes in, another 15 minutes, and you need to chill it to 80 asap. Pitch @ 75, and keep the temp between 70-75, and it'll be done in about 6 days. Rack it into the secondary with the gelatin, let it clarify for 2 days, then bottle it. 10 days later, the Tall Beautiful Blonde is done!


Enjoy!

--Evan

[steveh]

How long did you boil, just the 60 minutes?

S.

[Chefasaurus]

yup

[fretlessman71]

Hey Chef... you have a website up yet? I've got friends in the sorf-of-general area I can send your direction...

(sorry to hijack the thread - back to the Tall Beautiful Blonde! :D)

[steveh]

Originally posted by Chefasaurus
yup

I have a home-brewing expert friend who swears by boiling all extracts at least an hour and a half to cut the extract character down. None of the beers he's made ever have that "home-brewed" character to them, many of them light-bodied/colored beers.

S.

[Wilson]

Originally posted by steveh
I have a home-brewing expert friend who swears by boiling all extracts at least an hour and a half to cut the extract character down. None of the beers he's made ever have that "home-brewed" character to them, many of them light-bodied/colored beers.

S.

Interesting! Maybe I'll give it a try on my next brew.

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by steveh
I have a home-brewing expert friend who swears by boiling all extracts at least an hour and a half to cut the extract character down. None of the beers he's made ever have that "home-brewed" character to them, many of them light-bodied/colored beers.

S.

Here we go...:D I was told just the opposite; boil DME for an hour, LME only about 15 minutes to prevent extract "twang".
Experimentation is in order...let's see - I just brewed a Belgian Dubbel, but only used DME, so that won't help. My Imperial Stout will be far too complex to get a handle on...sounds like I need to brew again soon!!

[Chefasaurus]

This was just an experimental recipe to try to get my roommates and one of my co-workers interested in homebrewing....


LUCKILY, it worked out beautifully... the recipe is rock-solid, and the beer is TITS.

[steveh]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
Here we go...:D I was told just the opposite; boil DME for an hour, LME only about 15 minutes to prevent extract "twang".

Hmm. My source is Dave Norton (Wisconsin native Harp), one of the few Grand Master (I think that's the title) Beer Judges rated nationally. I don't recall if he distinguished between light and dark in his advice, but I'm pretty sure it was a lighter beer we were discussing (read: drinking) at the time. I remember being surprised when he told us it was 100% extract.

I'll try to contact him about a "refresher course," though he's a snowbird since retirement.

S.

[c0nsumer]

Hmm, I think I might try this as the first batch to be boiled in my turkey fryer. Or, since I haven't made a chiller yet, I might do it in a pot on the stove...

Has anyone tried this as a partial boil?

[c0nsumer]

Originally posted by Chefasaurus
White Labs #WLP001, California Ale Yeast V

Two quick questions, if you don't mind... First, WLP001 is California Ale, and WLP051 is the California Ale V. Do you have a preference between these two? Second, do you think this would be acceptable to make as a partial boil? With it being winter time, I don't want to get out the large pot for boiling outside, because live in a condo, and I'd imagine all the steam would attract a good deal of attention.

Now I just need to find a way to get the temp to the 70-75 you recommend. Typically the main floor of my house sits at 68-70 this time of year.

Thanks for the recipe, though. I think this will be my next, and third, beer.

-Steve

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by steveh
Hmm. My source is Dave Norton (Wisconsin native Harp), one of the few Grand Master (I think that's the title) Beer Judges rated nationally. I don't recall if he distinguished between light and dark in his advice, but I'm pretty sure it was a lighter beer we were discussing (read: drinking) at the time. I remember being surprised when he told us it was 100% extract.

I'll try to contact him about a "refresher course," though he's a snowbird since retirement.

S.

DME and LME..."dried" and "liquid"...if I remember right, the source of my info was a post on this board from Chris Colby. I believe LME is already boiled during production, and further lengthy boils can result in that "extract' flavor.

Chris, very sorry if I am misquoting you...please feel free to correct me!

[danno]

Steve, I have no opinion on the yeasts. I'm a Wyeast guy... on the partial/full boil, either will work, but you'll need to adjust your hops for a partial, as you get less bitterness from the same hops in a partial boil...

[Chefasaurus]

Originally posted by c0nsumer
Two quick questions, if you don't mind... First, WLP001 is California Ale, and WLP051 is the California Ale V. Do you have a preference between these two? Second, do you think this would be acceptable to make as a partial boil? With it being winter time, I don't want to get out the large pot for boiling outside, because live in a condo, and I'd imagine all the steam would attract a good deal of attention.

Now I just need to find a way to get the temp to the 70-75 you recommend. Typically the main floor of my house sits at 68-70 this time of year.

Thanks for the recipe, though. I think this will be my next, and third, beer.

-Steve

You want the 051... my fault.


I kept it all inside a closet, and kept a blanket on the carboy.... our house stays at 71 all the time anyway.

[Chefasaurus]

BTW, c0nsumer... let me know what you think!


I'm VERY pleased with it.


IF it gets too cold, I [ut a heating pad set on low under the bottome of the carboy for 2 hours or so.


I have one of those LCD, stick-on thermometers on all my carboys, so I can always tell what the temp is hovering at.

http://www.homebrewsupply.com/catalog.cfm?categoryid=9&subcategoryid=75

Look for "Thermometer, Liquid Crystal, Disposable"

[steveh]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
DME and LME..."dried" and "liquid"...if I remember right

I always read that as Dark Malt Extract and Light Malt Extract, I stand corrected.

I believe LME is already boiled during production, and further lengthy boils can result in that "extract' flavor.

Had never heard that...interesting, I need to talk with my HBC members a little more about it. I've been so far out of home-brewing for so long, need to get back.

S.

[c0nsumer]

Hmm, maybe I'll pick up a thermometer tonight, or I'll just drape it with a blanket for good measure.

I made up a starter last night. This was my first starter ever, with 1/2 cup extra-light DME and 1 pint of spring water into which I pitched the WLP051. There were bubbles in the sanitizer in the airlock this morning, so I'll probably give the thing a good shake and pitch the whole volume. I've also considered making up another pint of wort and tossing that in, to step up the starter a bit more. That depends on if I'm going to brew tonight, or tomorrow, or Sunday, or Monday...

Did you use a starter for it, and if so, how do you do it? Pitch the whole volume, just the yeast layer....?

Regardless, I'll let you know how it comes out. It sounds like it'll be a much lighter beer than what I last made, so it should be a good contrast for when people are over and drinking both.

-Steve

[Chefasaurus]

I didn't make a starter. I probably could/should have... but for whatever reason at the time, decided against it.


I kept the yeast in the fridge till brewing day, pulled it out at liek 10am when I started getting the kitchen and rest of the house ready for brewing. By 7pm, when I pitched it, it was already up to room temp... I shook it for like a minute straight, and then just dumped it into the carboy. Swirled the shit out of the carboy, with the top off, so I could aerate it some more, and within 6 hours, the airlock started with it's first bubbles.

[c0nsumer]

Hmm, well, I've got it all sitting in the fermenter now.

Pictures of the setup waiting to get going are here (http://www.nuxx.net/gallery/brewing_beer/DSCN0268) and here (http://www.nuxx.net/gallery/brewing_beer/DSCN0271).

It seems fairly nice thus far, although my batch ended up with an OG of 1.063. The starter seemed to be going nicely, and once shaken poured a nice, opaque tan with a very yeasty odor. It's been in the fermenter for about four hours with no activity, and the temperature is generally swinging between 75 and 72.

I also managed to end up with 3.5 gallons after the boil, so I didn't have to dilute the resulting wort too much. Hopefully it'll be as good as yours sounded...

Oh, and after boil, I strain my wort in order to remove most hops and some protein. Unfortunately this also removed the coriander. I'm trying to figure if I should add some more in the primary, add some in the secondary, or just leave it as is?

-Steve

[Chefasaurus]

Leave it as is. I strain mine too.... but I thought you were always supposed to strain it out? Oh well, if not, then it explains why they stay so squeaky clean, and if so, then woo hoo!

[c0nsumer]

Heh. Sounds good... Well, it's churning away now. This time I also made an effort to skim the hot break off the top as it was boiling and right before I began chilling it. It seems like this is a beer that I want ridiculiously clear, so I'm doing whatever I can. The only thing I'm questionable about is the gelatin. I haven't used it before, and I'm reading that it removes suspended yeast and one should leave it for about two weeks to batch condition (aka secondary fermentation).

I think that the two days of clarifying then bottling would make it so that the yeast doesn't settle out until it's in the bottle, where the yeast will ferment properly to carbonate the beer?

Does this beer seem to have more sedament in the bottom of each bottle, as opposed to beers you've made without the gelatin?

[Chefasaurus]

As soon as the primary fermentation is done, I siphon it inot a bottling bucket (with a spigot at the bottom), stir in 1 packet of Knox gelatin, and then go straight into the secondary carboy. You'll notice within HOURS of how clear it gets, and then it gets prgressively clearer as it sits. It gets jostled up a bit when you put it into the bottling bucket for the second time (after the 2 days), but don't worry about it... the 10 days or more in the bottles are sufficient to clear it up again.


I keep the bottles in the closet, which hovers at about 68... it seems to work perfectly.


Let me know your progress!

[corysdad]

Originally posted by Chefasaurus
Leave it as is. I strain mine too.... but I thought you were always supposed to strain it out? Oh well, if not, then it explains why they stay so squeaky clean, and if so, then woo hoo!

The last couple of batches that I brewed, I ladled from brew pot to primary through a funnel with a fine mesh strainer in it. This took a long time as the strainer kept getting plugged up. Hop pellets were used both times. I didn't like the beer being exposed to the air as long as it was, but I did get the hops strained out. Is there a better way to strain the hops out?

[Chefasaurus]

I dunno if they still make them or not, I haven't really been in the market for it...


But Braun used to have a cone shaped coffee filter that was made out of 24K gold mesh. I got it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for like 30 bucks. It fits right inside of my funnel, and as long as you stir it as fast as possible, it works fine.


If y'all have any more questions, please don't hesitate to hit me up on AIM... ChefBoyEG is my screenname.



--Evan

[c0nsumer]

I have a large mesh bag with an elastic rim that I place in the bottling bucket. What I do is, after doing a partial boil, I chill the wort, then pour it through the bag into the bottling bucket. I then lift the bag and rock it back and forth to get all the liquid out, and this generally gets all but the finest pieces of hops (I've only used pellets thus far) out. Then I add room-temperature water to the bucket until it's just over 5 gallons. Next I pour the bucket through a screeened funnel into the 6.5 gallon carboy.

This process aeriates the wort fairly well, leaving a 2" head of foam on top of the wort. Then I pitch my yeast into the carboy, generally using the funnel to ensure that it makes it all down the center. Next I sanitize one hand, place that hand over the opening in the carboy, and pick up the whole thing and give it a good shake. This produces around 4" of VERY thick foam, which settles out like a typical Guinness. Usually the foam isn't gone before the fermentation kicks in.

Having done this, I get about 1/2" of sediment before the fermentation starts, and in the past two batches (this is my third, mind you) I have gotten some surprisingly clear beer.

[c0nsumer]

Well, here it is, about 96 hours after pitching the yeast:

http://www.nuxx.net/gallery/brewing_beer/DSCN0418

http://www.nuxx.net/gallery/brewing_beer/DSCN0419

Definitely a top-cropping yeast, eh? It's weird, there isn't much krausen on top, but it's still bubbling away, maybe one bubble through the blowoff tube per second.

[Chefasaurus]

It *looks* right from the angle I have of it...

[c0nsumer]

Wow, 7.5 days on and it's still fermenting. Definitely slower than before, but about 1 bubble out of the airlock every 20 seconds. I'll keep it on the trub until Sunday or Monday, I think.

-Steve

[fretlessman71]

If you're planning on racking to 2ndary, c0nsumer, you might want to get that going pretty dang quick. What's left to ferment will continue to do so in 2ndary, and you reduce the risk of getting off flavors... or so I'm told. Then again, you're doing this with the experience of someone who created the recipe and had wild success, so what do I know? :p

[c0nsumer]

Hmm, for what it's worth, after two weeks in the bottle this is pouring with a head on it, and tastes pretty okay. It's very much a standard beer, but it's pretty tasty... The only thing I might have changed is making it a bit lower OG, but other than that I'm happy with it.

-Steve

[Chefasaurus]

I was pleased with it.


c0nsumer... by any chance did you notice if it was slightly undercarbonated?


When it was really young (like the 10th day in the bottle), it seemed borderline flat.


Now, it pours with a decent head, but there isn't much retention.

[c0nsumer]

Originally posted by Chefasaurus
I was pleased with it.


c0nsumer... by any chance did you notice if it was slightly undercarbonated?


When it was really young (like the 10th day in the bottle), it seemed borderline flat.


Now, it pours with a decent head, but there isn't much retention.

I didn't open any bottles until two weeks after bottling right on. It's very nicely carbonated, but there is a good bit of chill haze. The head has poured to maybe 1cm, but it goes away kinda quick. That glass was washed by hand and thoroughly rinsed, so I don't think that's the issue... Regardless, it is pretty tasty. It's almost got a bit of a belgain taste to it.

I can't remember if I posted it before, but here (http://www.nuxx.net/gallery/brewing_beer/DSCN0291) is the picture of a poured glass. To me it's got the perfect amount of carbonation, and this leaves a constant film of bubbles on the top of the glass, but there's no big thick head that sits there. Then again, that's not a huge concern of mine, because I find that most beers I like don't result in a large, fluffy head unless they are poured wrong.

The only thing I might do next time is use a bit less malt, just to get the body of the beer down a little. Maybe I'll also add some candi sugar instead so that the alcohol content stays decently high...

Not sure. :) Regardless, I won't be brewing any more until these two cases are nearly gone.

-Steve