Kit O' Beer #2 - Canadian Blonde

[Glass]

Ok so brew #2 is underway. This one is a Coopers Canadian Blonde. Its from the "International" range of cans and as we all know, the best canadians are blonde. I changed out the regular Coopers fermentable ingredients for some alternatives the LHBS gave me.

The recipe:
1 x 1.7kg Coopers Canadian Blonde extract
1 kg Beer Essentials #15 Brew Booster
100g approx additional dextrose
1 pkt Safale s-04 yeast - 11gms

Changes:
#15 Brew Booster instead of Coopers Enhancer #1
110g additional dextrose - trying to boost OG a bit
1pk Safale s-04 11gms instead of the included Coopers brewing yeast 7gms

OG 1.036

Brew temp: 26C - ambient
Pitch temp: 29C - wort
Current temp: 22C - wort

Notes:
I thought the OG was a bit low at 1.035. I dissolved some more dextrose in hot water and added. After about 5 minutes I think it showed maybe 1 point difference.

I wanted to try using 700gm of dextrose and 500gm of light malt. This is what the CraigTube guy and a few others are doing. The LHBS was out of straight dextrose so sold me the prepacked Booster #15. It is basically the same mix as the Coopers Enhancer #1 so I didn't really get anywhere there.

I ended up buying a packet of dextrose from somewhere just in case it came in low OG. In the beginning I was just going to go ahead and add the extra, then I thought I would add the packet of # 15 and see first. I did this. Then added the ~100gm extra dextrose.

Yeast:
I also asked about a yeast alternative. Why not change 2 things right? I was thinking, nice big cold fridge full of fresh lively yeast compared to the foil pack that is stuck to the top of the can. Who knows how good a condition that is in.

This yeast is still suited for warmer times of the year so not a true true lager yeast but I know what I will be using come winter. I'm looking forward to brewing a few lagers late winter for next summer.

I used 11gms instead of 7gms. Those are packet sizes. I used 1 pack. Don't know if I need to do anything special if using so much yeast or need to expect flavor affects? Its definately working in there. Can smell beer already.

[Glass]

It occurred to me I don't know what a blonde beer is. An extra pale ale would be a good description. Less hoped than a regular pale ale.

My current favorite beer Little Creatures Bright Ale. Local boutique place that made the big leagues. I like it because it's lighter than their Pale Ale which is an indian pale ale and less hoppy. I can drink more than one of these in a sitting.

Started wondering about this blonde beer. Took a look around and found blonde beer is the basis of the bright ale which seems to be an extra pale ale. So I have the makings of my favourite beer using one of these kits. This may mean I am going to have to expand bottling capacity and a dedicated fridge might be in order.

We are into day 3 and temps have been 28C outside so very mild. Fermenter is a steady 21C. Room ambient 25.5C. Standing in a trough with a wet towel and a fan. Not adding any chill at the moment. I actually just looked at the forecast for today and it's 39C. Hmmm This will be interesting to see what the fermenter temps peak at. I have an early one work wise so I can take the edge off the temps if needed later. Mild temps again until Friday.

[BrewTech]

Blonde ale is NOT an extra pale. I have both styles on right now. The blonde is (or should be) more like a German Kolsch.

An extra pale ale is between a regular pale ale and an IPA. My extra pale is as hoppy as an IPA, but only 6.1% (as opposed to my 7.6% IPA)

What is the volume of beer you are making? I ask because I feel the need to make a pitch recommendation. Most homebrewers (including myself) tend to underpitch drastically. That will lead to problems. Yeast is cheap. I just pitch 8 gallons of yeast slurry into 8 bbls of a 23.5 Plato beer. That MF fermentented so clean I can't believe it. No fusel alcohols at all. A 10.25% stout drinks like a 5% porter... until it warms up...

Glad to know your first turned out great, Glass, and happy to know your are jumping out of the gate to make another.

[Glass]

thanks for that info. I was taking a punt there and was reading the description on that brewers software web site. The pale ale and the bright ale from the LC brewer seem very similar to me. I'm keen to try this kit and see if it is in the ball park for tasting like the bright ale. I have a kit recipe based on a blonde to produce a little creatures bright ale clone.

23 Litres is the volume although we ended up at ~25L by the time I added the extra dex.

I pitched 11gms Safale s-04 into this one. The coopers kit comes with 7gms so I figured I am in front.

I was wondering if extra yeast has some downside like cloudiness or taste? I think the fermenter was going ballistic there for the first 2 days. Nice Krousen ring and good aromas. Seems quiet now. Just waiting for end of day 4 and I'll pull a sample of an SG reading.

yes yes been reveling in the taste and enjoyment of DIY beer. Surprised it is so good a result. Needs a bit more carbonation and better head retention. More time in the bottles also would help with this. Would like to see maybe a month or more before drinking any. So that means you need a couple of batches on the go so you can get that time in the bottle.

after this xmas I understand the easy drinker. It's nice to have flavorsome beers but it's also good to have easy drinkers that clean the palate. We found our selves buying a mix of boutique beers and also what I'd call premium or international lager. James Boags is the most popular ATM. From tasmania, so it sells on clean and pristine water etc. I realized that beer is my Budweiser or Millers Draft. When I need a break or am just darn thirsty they go down good. The lager I brewed is the same, bit stronger flavor but not much now it's had a couple of weeks on it. There was also a Boags clone recipe I found. That would be lighter and sweeter.

I've already got a list of brews I want to do. Pilsner is big on my list but I am going to plan carefully for that one. Waiting until winter to brew for drinking next summer. I'm prepared to be patient for that one.

[BrewTech]

thanks for that info. I was taking a punt there and was reading the description on that brewers software web site. The pale ale and the bright ale from the LC brewer seem very similar to me. I'm keen to try this kit and see if it is in the ball park for tasting like the bright ale. I have a kit recipe based on a blonde to produce a little creatures bright ale clone.

23 Litres is the volume although we ended up at ~25L by the time I added the extra dex.

I pitched 11gms Safale s-04 into this one. The coopers kit comes with 7gms so I figured I am in front.

I was wondering if extra yeast has some downside like cloudiness or taste? I think the fermenter was going ballistic there for the first 2 days. Nice Krousen ring and good aromas. Seems quiet now. Just waiting for end of day 4 and I'll pull a sample of an SG reading.

yes yes been reveling in the taste and enjoyment of DIY beer. Surprised it is so good a result. Needs a bit more carbonation and better head retention. More time in the bottles also would help with this. Would like to see maybe a month or more before drinking any. So that means you need a couple of batches on the go so you can get that time in the bottle.

after this xmas I understand the easy drinker. It's nice to have flavorsome beers but it's also good to have easy drinkers that clean the palate. We found our selves buying a mix of boutique beers and also what I'd call premium or international lager. James Boags is the most popular ATM. From tasmania, so it sells on clean and pristine water etc. I realized that beer is my Budweiser or Millers Draft. When I need a break or am just darn thirsty they go down good. The lager I brewed is the same, bit stronger flavor but not much now it's had a couple of weeks on it. There was also a Boags clone recipe I found. That would be lighter and sweeter.

I've already got a list of brews I want to do. Pilsner is big on my list but I am going to plan carefully for that one. Waiting until winter to brew for drinking next summer. I'm prepared to be patient for that one.

S-04 is a good yeast. Not very attenuative normally, but gives good English style esters and results in a really clean beer because it is very flocculent.

Dosage for that yeast is 50 - 80 g/hl. I would recommend doubling your yeast pitch for that much beer. That will definitely not be overpitching, and with this yeast especially will not result in cloudiness. Just try to get the temp down for a few days after fermentation to get the junk to settle out.

[Glass]

Ok so here we are at the time for the first reading. 4 Days in the fermenter now. The fermenter temps have been around 23C - 24C despite the wild fluctuations in the outside temps.

Original Gravity was 1.036.
1st reading was 1.016 (@23C Day 4).

Ambient today was 35C Fermenter ran at 23C. Outside it was 38C.

This seems to be fairly substantial progress in just 4 days.

The colour and aroma of the beer appear ok. The colour is a nice golden yellow. There are no bad odours and the taste is ok but a bit bland. The appearance is something else though. There is a large amount of material floating in the beer. It looks gelatinous. There appears to be no gas in the liquid. On the previous beer there was some gas which was visible on the float when checking the SG. In this case there is none as yet.

The material settles fairly quickly. As the spigot is mabye 1.5 - 2 inches above the bottom of the fermenter, the only reason I'm seeing it is because it's suspended. I'll keep an eye on it.

[Glass]

leaving the test sample in the hydrometer for a while things settled a lot. I normally leave it 20 minutes and check again. This time, with the light on and when squinting I can see carbonation in there. The rate is decent. Its also clear the gelatinous material is the yeast culture because there is a slow steady bubble going on there. I think these things are supposed to be cloudy but we still expect some settling.

I'll remove the collar soon. I didn't bother for KoB #1. That may have contributed to the temporary odour is a thought just now.

Where did the odour go? I am using these safety caps. Not the ones with the bottles. Supposed to let off pressure if too high. I don't know how high it allows. Odour gone = gas displaced because it's been released as pressure builds up?

[steyr_m]

I'm just skimming your thread.....

Have you looked into the Brewpi? it's an Arduino/Raspberry Pi brew controller.

http://brewpi.com/

I'm looking into it. The $14.00 for 4 500ml Stella Artois is starting to break the bank

[Glass]

interesting. There are some cheap controllers out there that everyone in homebrew world seem to like. I think they cost about $35. Allows for tight control of refridgerators above their normal operating temps, so in the teens. The thing that device doesn't do is log the temps as you go. At least I don't think it does so that could be handy. Mostly for troubleshooting I suppose.

I have been looking around for a fridge. More a need of beer storage than temp controlled ferment. Budgets pretty tight. If new it would be small bar fridge around $300. Used it could be bigger for same bux. 200L would be ideal. Some thing a keg could fit in as well as other stuff would be spot on. I've seen a chest freezer get converted and using one of the controllers to keep it at beer serving temp. I don't know if that would work for me. 2nd hand chest freezers are plenty and cheap though so open to ideas.

$14 for 2litres of Stella is pretty good price. It costs about $18 here. I think. Been a while since looking. On exchange rate its probably worse. I used to go for cartons/cases of it when it is at $40. I don't think I've seen it below $55 over Xmas so it's become more expensive. It is also brewed here in Oz by Carlton United or Lion Nathan so basically its now rubbish beer. All the good brands got licensed to one of those two brewery companies which turned them all into wizz.

The trick is to keep an eye out for true imports. From time to time there are actually imports of some of the top euro brands. Word spreads quick. When there is some you you gots to be fast.

i want to add, everyone should home brew.

[Glass]

Well Day 5 is done and dusted. Was milder weather today.

Original Gravity was 1.036.
1st reading was 1.016 (@23C Day 4).
2nd reading was 1.014 (@22C Day 5).

I don't know about todays temps. The Govt says it was 28C. I think it was 34C and my ambient was 29C with a ferment temp of 22C. Its possible I did not do a reset yesterday but I'm usually pretty good.

Observations for today. I pulled the Krousen (?) collar from the fermenter, this morning. I am not happy with how that went. My fault for not double checking everything. I went off and cleaned the collar and after maybe 5 minutes discovered I had not set the lid on correctly. The smell gave it away. I repositioned the lid but it was still not seated correctly and after maybe another 10 minutes the smell caused me to check again. I may have removed it too soon. Unsure.

I am also unhappy with the spigot/tap. It is not the same as the ones I have seen on YT for this kit and it does not disassemble as far as I can see. It is a spring loaded lever arrangement and not a rotating spigot. This means there is no real way to get inside and clean the guts. I also see that beer pools in amongst the lever bits which dries out. I've taken to pouring some water in there to flush it out after taking a sample but if stuff is pooling there its possible it could find its way inside.

Still a lot of floating material. Smaller size today than yesterday but still a lot there. Beer smells ok and tastes ok. bit bland but beer. Cloudy but clears to a haze which it is supposed to be I think. Still going to say no real carbonation happening here. Must try harder little yeast dudes.