Mainly because ive heard a lot of weird descriptions (egg and bacon breakfast etc) of this beer and want to try it myself.
It's a good beer to bring out when your mates are around. Just to see the looks on their faces when they take the first sip.
Is it drinkable or am I going to have a hard time going through a keg of it?
I don't mind it, it's only about 6 weeks in the bottle so should improve a bit.
I only drink 1 long neck though then its on to something different.
I'll definitely make it again but stout it up a bit as per Olivers suggestion on another thread
Ok, so I tasted my Dark Lager (see recipe below) on Tuesday, and i's coming along nicely. It's been about 2 weeks in the bottles, and I reckon it needs another 1-2 weeks to get a nice amount of carbonation, but even considering that, it was totally worth trying. I'll definately stick with the "crisp stout" description, but it's still hard to categorise. Next time (which there will be) I'll use more bittering hops.
BLANDY's DARK LAGER
1.5kg Black Rock Amber malt extract (LME can)
1.5kg Black Rock Dark malt extract (LME can)
350g crystal malt
200g munich malt
500g pale malt
10g green bullet hop pellets
25g Saaz hop pellets
2 x sachets of Saflager W-34/70 yeast
Grain (in grain bag) was steeped in about 8L of 55*C water for 30 mins, temp then raised to 70*C and held for 40 mins.
Grain removed, wort raised to boil and LME added.
10g green bullet hop pellets boiled for 60 mins, with 15g Saaz pellets added with 3 mins to go in the boil. Wort then strained.
Final volume in fermenter made up to 20L, and both sachets of yeast pitched to about 25*C. Allowed to ferment between 8-13*C for 1 week, then racked into secondary and 10g of Saaz pellets were dry-hopped.
After a week in secondary fermenter, beer was bottled and left to condition for 2-3 weeks.
Ok, since the dark lager, I have done much in the world of brewing. Last night was the first time I had THREE fermenters ticking over in the shed.
I bottled my stout today. This was an all-grain recipe by Charlie Parpazian called "Dusty Mud Irish Stout." Mandatory tasting while bottling was hard to keep to a minimum because it was so good! really thick, lots of coffee flavour and a powerful aftertaste.
As for the dark lager (see recipe above), That has been in the bottle for four weeks now, and although it still neds a bit more carbonation, it was worth a taste. Same delicious tase as before, but with more carbonation. Head, when it is present, is like a stout head (but not like guiness).
Yesterday I made a sweet quince and apple cider with my girlfriend. Now bubbling happinly in the shed. Airlock smells of quinces, surprise surprise.
I think I put the recipe up earlier, but here it is again so you don't have to search:
1 can Black Rock cider
5 quinces
250g lactose
kit yeast
quinces were boiled for a couple of minutes then put into the fermenter in a grain bag.
And through all this time my Rauchbier (german smoked lager, Charlie P's all-grain recipe "spider's tongue") is sitting in the shed. Week 3 of 4 for cold 2ndary fermentation. I'll bottle it on Saturday.
Today I racked the quince cider and bottled the Rauchbier. Tasting of both proved fruitful and smoky respectively. I've got a feeling that I'll be seeing repeats of both these brews in my shed in the future.
As for the dark lager, still a little on the flat side, but very drinkable and yummy.
Uni has gone back now, so I don't think I'll be brewing as fast as the past month, but I still reckon that will be one of the fastest 100L (5 batches) of homebrew I'll ever make.
Plans for the future:
- Make wine (probably a shiraz to start with)
- Make a pale ale or bitter or both in time for summer
As for my Rauchbier, it was the all-grain one in "the complete joy of homebrewing" by Charlie Parpazian. That recipe said nothing about filtering the water, and the stuff that went into the bottles tasted wonderful, so I guess Melbourne water wins again! How lucky us Melbourne people are!
I don't know whether I've really kept on topic here, but since my recipes are posted on this thread, it seems logical.
Anyway, last night Cat, rwh, three other homebrewers who are not on this forum (yet) and I gathered in a cold hall in Creswick to sample our latest homebrewing enterprises.
I can't exactly remember everything that was there, as everyone had at least two brews to sample, but there was a huge range from pale ales to stouts, from k&k's to a full mash, all of which were unsurprisingly delicious.
One of the beers for tasting was my Rauchbier, which was in need of its first tasting. Although a little flat, it was defininately worth a try, and will certainly be a scarce resource in a few weeks when it's totally carbonated.
My dark lager showed up too, and thankfully it's now carbonated properly. I think my bedroom's a bit colder than I thought it was.
Cat and rwh between them had recipes from the book of Dogger and Wassaon show. Until last night I couldn't come to terms with the "honey but not sweet" description of the affect of honey in beer, thanks for clearing that up.
blandy wrote:I don't know whether I've really kept on topic here, but since my recipes are posted on this thread, it seems logical.
Anyway, last night Cat, rwh, three other homebrewers who are not on this forum (yet) and I gathered in a cold hall in Creswick to sample our latest homebrewing enterprises.
I can't exactly remember everything that was there, as everyone had at least two brews to sample, but there was a huge range from pale ales to stouts, from k&k's to a full mash, all of which were unsurprisingly delicious.
One of the beers for tasting was my Rauchbier, which was in need of its first tasting. Although a little flat, it was defininately worth a try, and will certainly be a scarce resource in a few weeks when it's totally carbonated.
My dark lager showed up too, and thankfully it's now carbonated properly. I think my bedroom's a bit colder than I thought it was.
Cat and rwh between them had recipes from the book of Dogger and Wassaon show. Until last night I couldn't come to terms with the "honey but not sweet" description of the affect of honey in beer, thanks for clearing that up.
Here's to the next homebrewing party!
Hey blandy im a melbournite and i know that i dont know all you guys but id love to be in one of those tasting nites and have you guys taste my brews, i have been trying to figure out how to get a bunch of home brewers together to swap recipes and brews in person.
anyway if you organise this again and you want a new member then id be in it
I think maybe next time we should be more organised The fact I had drunk a lot that night already may have clouded my judgement. But as far as I remember, all beers were really tasty, and despite the cold and somewhat uncomfortable settings, it was a tasty night.
Went on a bike ride today, and had two hours to think of nothing but homebrewing (incidently I rode past CUB in Richmond)! And I came to the conclusion that I need to do another batch (duh!). So my todo list now includes:
- Pale Ale
- Amber Ale
All in time for the end of exams.
This is to complement all the specialty stuff I made over winter, which is nice, but I wouldn't call any of them "session" beers.
I'm thinking they'll be own recipe partials like the Dark Lager, I'll post the recipes if they are!
Also considering culturing yeast for the first time. what do you all think, should I get liquid yeast or culture some out of some Coopers Pale Ale (I'm buying the Pale Ale whether I'm culturing it or not)?
Well, all things going well, my next brew is going to be the Morgans Golden Sheath Wheat Beer with SAFALE/Wheat yeast and not sure about the sugars. Any thoughts????
An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools. (Ernest Hemingway)
I have a Pliny the Elder Clone, & an English Bitter on the go. & 2x ESB kits ready to go after that. Then it's a Golden Ale using all Glacier hops & Golden Promise grain.
Last edited by chris. on Sunday Oct 07, 2007 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The fact I had drunk a lot that night already may have clouded my judgement. But as far as I remember, all beers were really tasty, and despite the cold and somewhat uncomfortable settings, it was a tasty night.
) when I was in the kitchen. Do you remember the comments on that?
