The homebrew club around here periodically does split batches, in which a bunch of people use the same recipe but with some small variation in the ingredients. That way, differences in the final beer should ideally be attributable to one variable, giving the brewers a way to see how one particular ingredient will change the final beer.
Of course, this doesn't control for process variations, although the instructions provided by the club leader did specify mash temp and a few other variables. Additionally, because of my equipment limitations I had to scale the recipe down to 3 gallons.
This split batch will be a Wit Beer brewed with different types of yeast, keeping the other ingredients the same. I selected WY3944 - Belgian Wit.
Belgian Wit
5.375# Belgian Pils
11oz Munich 10L
11oz Table Sugar
11oz White Wheat Malt
Hallertau, 4.1%, 80min
WY3944
Expected OG/FG/IBUs /ABV: 1.063 / 1.016 / 22 / 6.1%
Brewed 7/20/13
I didn't take good notes that day since I was busy and had other stuff going on as I was brewing. Lots of things to do in the summer.... But I did note that I was slightly under gravity, and pitched the yeast a little to warm.
Bottled on 8/14, going for 2.7 volumes of CO2. Got a small amount left in the bottling bucket. It tasted a bit "green", with a lot of yeast still in suspension.
I hope it turns out like Allagash White. Possible, though perhaps not probable.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Berliner Weisse 2 Tasting
On July 4 I brewed a sour-worted Berliner Weisse, which I had allowed to sour four about 72 hours. I was aiming for a more sour beer than I had last time I used this technique,
Appearance: Golden hazy yellow, with a white head that quickly dissipates.
Aroma: Unfortunately I get a slightly off "trashy" smell from it, with a little bit of lemony tartness mixed in. I hope this smell goes away after a while as it did with my last use of this technique.
Taste: I get a pretty "clean" sourness throughout, especially in the aftertaste. It has a lemony quality, but not mouth puckering like it would be to bite on a lemon. Maybe a little bit of pilsner grain taste or very slight sweetnes in there, but the sour dominates.
Mouthfeel: Pretty thin due to the low gravity. I don't think it is quite as effervescent as my last one, so it doesn't have the enhanced mouthfeel that can come from high carbonation in a low gravity beer.
Overall: A light, refreshing, and moderately sour Berliner Weiss that probably should be more sour and more highly carbonated. Overall, I don't think it's much different than my last try at this style using the same sour-wort technique. Perhaps next time I'll sour longer, or maybe try the technique of adding lacto to the fermentation.
Other: I recently went with my with to Northern Germany, where her family lives, and took along a bottle of this beer. Her family generally do not drink Berliner Weiss, but they said it was pretty sour, and generally OK. However, they emphasized that the style is pretty much always consumed with sweet Woodruff or Raspberry syrups, in a shallow challice, stirred up a bit to get a nice thick head, and drunk through a straw. (Beer through a straw?!)
Appearance: Golden hazy yellow, with a white head that quickly dissipates.
Aroma: Unfortunately I get a slightly off "trashy" smell from it, with a little bit of lemony tartness mixed in. I hope this smell goes away after a while as it did with my last use of this technique.
Mouthfeel: Pretty thin due to the low gravity. I don't think it is quite as effervescent as my last one, so it doesn't have the enhanced mouthfeel that can come from high carbonation in a low gravity beer.
Overall: A light, refreshing, and moderately sour Berliner Weiss that probably should be more sour and more highly carbonated. Overall, I don't think it's much different than my last try at this style using the same sour-wort technique. Perhaps next time I'll sour longer, or maybe try the technique of adding lacto to the fermentation.
Other: I recently went with my with to Northern Germany, where her family lives, and took along a bottle of this beer. Her family generally do not drink Berliner Weiss, but they said it was pretty sour, and generally OK. However, they emphasized that the style is pretty much always consumed with sweet Woodruff or Raspberry syrups, in a shallow challice, stirred up a bit to get a nice thick head, and drunk through a straw. (Beer through a straw?!)
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