Kit 'O Beer #26 - Australian Blonde

[Glass]

Taken a while to put on another brew. Short supply of Coopers extracts over the holiday period left few choices. Morgans is a brand I have not tried. This one is called an Australian Blonde, what ever that is. Is it like a Canadian Blonde? I'll brew this one straight. No hop additions.

The recipe:
1 x 1.7kg Morgans Australian Blonde
1.25 kg Brew Booster - from the preferred LHBS
1 x 11gms US 04 Dry Ale yeast

Changes:
None

OG 1.052
Volume: 23L
Fermenter: Coopers

Brew temp: 28C - ambient
Pitch temp: 24C
Current temp: 26C

Notes:
High OG. Same amount of extract as a coopers. The extract tastes pretty good. It is a lot like the Canadian Blonde. Not as sweet. It has an orange flavour to it which gives it an Australian "lager" type taste. I think this one could be tasty. I rehydrated the yeast. I think about half was still dry when I pitched it.

[Glass]

I checked this beer on Friday afternoon and there was a very active krausen on the beer. By Saturday morning the whole of the krausen was gone. Nothing floating on top at all. I think this is a bit odd. Maybe I pushed the temp down too much.

Anyway I took a SG sample yesterday. Tons of yeast on the bottom.

S.G. 1.022

Anyway we let it sit. I think I put this down on the 11th from memory. Tastes quite ok so far. Just like regular beer. Bit more bitter than a Canadian blonde. Bottling some time this week maybe.

[BrewTech]

I checked this beer on Friday afternoon and there was a very active krausen on the beer. By Saturday morning the whole of the krausen was gone. Nothing floating on top at all. I think this is a bit odd. Maybe I pushed the temp down too much.

Anyway I took a SG sample yesterday. Tons of yeast on the bottom.

S.G. 1.022

Anyway we let it sit. I think I put this down on the 11th from memory. Tastes quite ok so far. Just like regular beer. Bit more bitter than a Canadian blonde. Bottling some time this week maybe.

Proper pitch rate for ales is approximately 1M cells/ml/deg. P.

This is your cell count for your SG (1.052/12.5P) for 5.5 gallons, using 11g of dry yeast:



Cells Available:
110 billion cells


Pitch Rate As-Is:
0.41M cells / mL / °P


Target Pitch Rate Cells:
268 billion cells


Difference:
-158 billion cells



Needs starter (see below), or more yeast.






You need to pitch more yeast, dang it!!

http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

[Glass]

I was lined up to bottle this one tonight. Take a few days to psyche into it. Did an SG reading and its sitting at 1.013. I'm thinking go for 1.010. I know we came from 1.052 so we're looking good. I'll let it ride another couple days. Thursday or Friday.

Plenty of yeast to smell. Looking clear though. Tastes pretty darn good. I would agree it is an Australian style beer. Dry Pale Ale is how I would class it.

[Glass]

bottled tonight. higher than normal f ups this time. I'm getting sick of 5 hour bottling efforts. Its all prep time. And spilling beer. Beer does not come out and your standing in it with no where to go unless you accept spreading it even worse. oh well.

Ok the beer. looks like beer.

I primed with about 140gms 4 1/3 oz. I did not have enough dextrose and my spare dry LME has got air in the vacuum seal so no go. I scrounged up some carbonation drop and chucked them in to make up the weight. Took a while to dissolve. Went like toffee then dissolved.

69 bottles and maybe there was one left but my PO level was at 11+ so F it. We're done. I did have less things to clean and put away this time. that was a plus.

[Glass]

I've had a couple of these now. Maybe 1 week after bottling and another a few days later. First try was flat but tasty beer. Much green apples.

Second try and the beer is carbonating ok. The green apples is still present but that is ok. The mouth feel is quite thick this time. The only time I had this kind of mouth feel previous was when I brewed a batch to 20L. Given the SG was higher than usual for a kit and that I used my regular 1.25kgs of a light malt and dextrose mix I think this beer would be better with either another litre or maybe 2 of water or only 1.0kgs of the dry malt mix instead of 1.25.

I think it would be a judgment call on the day. I don't think the LHBS does that mix in a 1kg and my experience of opening and resealing these dry malts is not the best. The stuff just sucks up moisture and goes a bit like soft honeycomb candy. It might be usable in a boil but I don't think it would be ideal in a kit mix the way I do it.

I think this beer is like an Australian Pale Ale. I'd like to do this one again and see which combo works best on the mouth feel, more than 23L water or less malt in regular 23L. Again a good base of a summer beer with some nice hops.

[BrewTech]

http://www.howtobrew.com/images/f139.sm.jpg (http://www.howtobrew.com/images/f139.gif)
Acetaldehyde
A flavor of green apples or freshly cut pumpkin; it is an intermediate compound in the formation of alcohol. Some yeast strains produce more than others, but generally it's presence indicates that the beer is too young and needs more time to condition.

[Glass]

This one is getting there. The green ness is much less. I think if I let some chill for a decent time, like a week it would be less again. I seem to be always un prepared and am chucking them in the freezer to chill em quick.

its coming along.

[BrewTech]

This one is getting there. The green ness is much less. I think if I let some chill for a decent time, like a week it would be less again. I seem to be always un prepared and am chucking them in the freezer to chill em quick.

its coming along.
Amazing how time can fix more than a few faults in beer.

[Glass]

Amazing how time can fix more than a few faults in beer.

its a true statement. Beer certainly changes character over time.

I tried another of the #6 Dark Ale at the weekend. It has lost some of the choc flavour that was there the last time I tried it. It seems that flavour is fleeting. It has come and gone a couple times as the beer aged. Still a tasty beer but not quite so nice as the last time.

I will need to bottle the redux of that one in the next couple days. Then we do another blonde I think.

[Glass]

I've pretty much given up on this one coming good. I think I've spoiled it when syphoning it. maybe a bit too much turbulence in the brew and it picked up some air.

Shame as it is a really nice looking beer. Great colour, perfect carb. I think the taste would be good as well. I might try and do another one after I get through these next couple brews I have lined up.

[BrewTech]

I've pretty much given up on this one coming good. I think I've spoiled it when syphoning it. maybe a bit too much turbulence in the brew and it picked up some air.

Shame as it is a really nice looking beer. Great colour, perfect carb. I think the taste would be good as well. I might try and do another one after I get through these next couple brews I have lined up.


Don't sweat a bad batch. Everyone, even the big guys, have to dump a beer every now and then. That's the way it goes in fermentation.