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Well Hi all, this is my first post, I have been brewing now for a couple of years, I'm up to brew 96, and have decided to try the Cascade range.
Have any of you Brewmaster's tried the Cascade range, We have decided to put down a Cascade Spicy Ghost Draught.
Any hints, Tasting reports etc would be great.
regards
Crawfy
Not yet, was looking at it in the supermarket and wondering what it would be like.
I might give it a try anyway, I assume this is an ale?
Will update how I go with this, as I am waiting for my Coopers Pale Ale to finish before I start anything else.
I just bottled a Spicy ghost about 2 weeks ago, I havent tasted it yet. On the label it says stuff about "wheat inspired draught" or something with coriander and orange, so I think its something in the style of a mild-mannered Hoegaarden, cant say for sure yet though. I was quite surprised at the color, it is PALE, so I guess it lives up to its name. Maybe I'll try one tonight and let you know how the young ghost tastes.
I won a free cascade golden harvest lager kit at the National beer festival here in Brisbane, so it's going into the fermenter next. I actually was more interested in the porter since its getting a little warm up here to be making lagers, but I'm not complaining.
I posted as "guest" yesterday, whoops, looks like i forgot to login.
Well I had a bottle of my Spicy Ghost yesterday as promised. The body was a little lighter than I like it, but not horribly watery. I did use a little less than 1kg of dextrose to cut down the alcohol a bit. Not that dextrose really affects the body that much...anyways...
It has a bit of a sweet/fruity start, and the orange/coriander flavor is there as long as you don't drink it too cold. As it warmed up these flavors came through a bit more but they are fleeting and certainly don't dominate the taste. Its not a very bitter beer, but there are enough hops in it to come charging in at the finish and clean up all of the complicated flavors leaving a medium-dry finish. All-in-all its a good refreshing drop, as many wheat brews are, and it has a pretty nice, complex flavor without beating you over the head with the orange/coriander flavor. Definitely going to keep some of these around for when it gets hotter around here.
I'm no tasting pro, so that's the best I can describe it. I'm interested to see what some others come up with.
I just bouhgt a can. Des anyone reccomend adding to it? Say light malt extract or some cracked corander seeds to enahnce? Or is it wotrh just staying with the basics?
Wife says all I care about is beer and footy... she's right!
Sorry guys, but I've brewed the Golden harvest, SG Draught and have at present the CM Porter on the go.
I have been extremely disappointed with all so far. I would NOT buy another and wouldn't make another even if I won a free can.
My recipes have been as follows with tasting comments.
Golden Harvest + 1kg dextose temp around 24c. After 2 weekes bottle conditioning, very young / green, after 7 weeks drinkable but nothing special.
SG Draught + 1kg brew booster (dextrose/corn syrup/ light malt blend), followed their instructions. At 2 weeks bottle conditioning disgusting, not drinkable extreme sulphours after taste, 3 weeks now in bottle and have not tasted. Hoping that they will mature but not much confidence.
CM Porter + 1kg brew booster + 250g choc malt grain. followed their instructions but boiled grain for 30mins and added to wort. Racked after 9days and in secondary as we speak will bottle tonight after 8 days. Have tasted only during racking and was quite bitter, will let you know how things progress, after suitable conditioning.
I was that disappointed that I contacted Cascade via their web site (today) and will let you know their response.
They are using a bohemian type yeast what ever that is and I've asked about it via email, and asked for more info. on best temps to ferment. Due to the sulphorous after taste I thought that the yeast in the draught could be some type of lager yeast and possibly should be fermented at the lower end of the temp. range. (their instructions do not state this however indicating a 21-24c optimum temp range.)
I am quite sure that there has been no contamination and that I haven't done anything wrong, just poor kits which is a surprise and disappointment as I do enjoy their commerical brews.
The CMP, while being dissapointing, is most definately not bitter. I'm guessing that the bitterness you are experiencing is the tannin extracted from boiling your grains.
Cheers Tony,
I agree about boiling the grain and tannin extraction possibility, I realised my mistake when all was too later (another realisation that the HBS owner is limited on his experience) this being my first grain addition an all. However as said this was only tasted during racking, taste may improve when conditioned. (bottling tonight)
Cheers
AC
Cascade Spicy Ghost Draught
Date of brewing: 6 November 2004
Volume of wort: 23 litres
Sugar added: 500g dextrose, 500g cane sugar, 500g light malt extract
Temperature yeast pitched: 22
Original gravity: 1042.5
Present gravity: 1008
Alcoholic percentage: 5.2
Date of bottling: 14 November 2004
ok as promised,
Had a phone call from the service centre and was quite taken back by how professional and helpful they were.
The Bohemian yeast, I was told is a type of lager yeast hence the sulphours ordor and taste when young. I was also told that the yeast can be brewed down to 12c but you require about 28g, 4x the amount supplied with each can. You could make a starter to assist if you require to ferment at lower temps. I did quizz him that if the yeast was a true lager yeast then why advise to brew 21-26c, but no real answer.
A couple of his suggested recipes were
Golden harvest with 1kg glucose
SG draught 500g glucose 500g LME and some cascade hops 15g
CM Porter 2 malt cans and 2kgs of dark malt
The Indian pale ale with LME1kg and extra hops
Some suggestions, only.
After tasting my SG draught last night 4 weeks bottled conditioned it is a little better and drinkabe, sulphour odor gone and slight orange taste. Still not so sure this is quite my taste,.
Overall still some what disappointed, probably will not make another.
Last point bloke said that they would be putting up some recipes on their web site in the next few months.
Cheers
AC
Aah, yes. Them was my younger brewing days. It was one of the Coopers brew enhancer mixes, and that was the sugar mix (apart from the 500g LME I added on top of everything else).
I've tried a few of the Cascade brews. They sound really good on the packaging however IMO after the Coopers beers I usually make they were very much a dissapointment (expensive dissapointment at that).
I'm certainly never going to bother with them again. I hope they come out more to your liking than they did for me.
I've tried both the Spicy Ghost and Golden Harvest brews.
The Spicy Ghost tasted sour for the first few months, but matured after that, and tasted pretty good. By the time I started to like the beer, I was fast running out (only 3 left).
I bottled the Golden Harvest 2 months ago - still has a slight sulphur odour - like the Spicy Ghost it might need 4-6 months to become a decent drop.
It does say on the instrcutions that it may take a couple of days for the fermentation to commence, and that the sulphur odour will hang around for a few weeks.
I made a brew of this last night with an extra 12g of cracked coriander seeds, 1kg dextrose and 250g LME.
I made a yeast starter to add today, but I gotta say the yeast starter has been pretty lame in its activity. Whenever I make a starter from a Coopers kit the air lock is as busy as 3 kids in the bath after a baked beans dinner.
I'll pitch it later this arvo and see how we go.
This is the first time I've gone outside the Coopers range so I'll sit and wait.
Wife says all I care about is beer and footy... she's right!
Just bottled the SG. Bugger me if it didn't stink out the laundry when it was brewing - is this the sulphur smell everyone is talking about? Looks cloudy, but will let it sit in the bottle for at least a few weeks before sampling.
Wife says all I care about is beer and footy... she's right!
Well Hi all, this is my first post, I have been brewing now for a couple of years, I'm up to brew 96, and have decided to try the Cascade range.
