All Grain Recipe Recomendation

[beer1965]

Hi.. I've made a blonde ale I really enjoyed, an Irish stout I messed up and will bottle an oatmeal stout this weekend. I'm looking to brew another beer and my buddy's in the mood for a cream ale. Not what I'd brew, but I'm happy to do this with him. Can someone recommend a good cream ale recipe that's all grain that they'd recommend that's tried an tested? I just came across this on google: https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-cream-ale/ All input appreciated. Thanks. PS. It seems temp control from what I've read on this article and elsewhere is an issue. I have an old small fridge that I'm going to set up with an inkbird to control temp for this brew so that shouldn't be an issue. Thanks in advance!

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

This is my American Lager recipe, I have been making it for years and it will work as a Cream Ale. The recipe shows flake rice, but I actually use Minute Rice ground into a fine powder because it's less likely to be stale. The flaked rice has a really short shelf life and I would often get home from the HBS and realize it was stale.

It will help a lot to add 4 ounces of rice hulls since the Minute Rice is ground so fine. I would also recommend Rahr Premium Pilsner malt or some North American equivalent to keep the flavor on the more delicate side. You can bump up the IBU's to as high as 18, but I like a little lower, 12-14. I usually bitter with a German noble hop, Tettnang is my favorite.

Ferment with Wyeast 1007 German Alt yeast @58-62F and this will be an awesome beer, guaranteed.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/216382/stardard-american-lager-ii

Edit: Use all RO or distilled water, 3 grams of calcium chloride and 2 grams of calcium sulfate for water salts per 5 gallons, add them to the mash. Add 1 teaspoon of 85% phosphoric or lactic acid to the sparge water and adjust the boil pH to 5.1-5.2 if necessary. This lower pH will make the beer smoother in character.

 

[BOB357]

A quick search will find the recipe for one of the best Cream Ales I've ever tried. Cream of 3 Crops.

 

[beer1965]

A quick search will find the recipe for one of the best Cream Ales I've ever tried. Cream of 3 Crops.

Thanks. The recipes for 5 gallons or so use 9lbs but have different flaked corn and rice amounts. I just read that corn lightens up the body of the beer and rice helps give it a crisp finish. I have no experience with this bill so would you do 6lb American Pale 2 Row, 2 flaked Corn and 1 flaked rice - or bump the AP to 7 with 1.5 and 0.5 respectively? Maybe I'm just splitting hairs.

Also if I have 8 gallons of mash water and a 9lb bill with a target of 152 - should I start with water at 162 - is that fair to think always start with 10 degrees higher if you're looking something like 8 gallons of water and 9ish gallons of grains? Thanks again..

 

[beer1965]

This is my American Lager recipe, I have been making it for years and it will work as a Cream Ale. The recipe shows flake rice, but I actually use Minute Rice ground into a fine powder because it's less likely to be stale. The flaked rice has a really short shelf life and I would often get home from the HBS and realize it was stale.

It will help a lot to add 4 ounces of rice hulls since the Minute Rice is ground so fine. I would also recommend Rahr Premium Pilsner malt or some North American equivalent to keep the flavor on the more delicate side. You can bump up the IBU's to as high as 18, but I like a little lower, 12-14. I usually bitter with a German noble hop, Tettnang is my favorite.

Ferment with Wyeast 1007 German Alt yeast @58-62F and this will be an awesome beer, guaranteed.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/216382/stardard-american-lager-ii

Edit: Use all RO or distilled water, 3 grams of calcium chloride and 2 grams of calcium sulfate for water salts per 5 gallons, add them to the mash. Add 1 teaspoon of 85% phosphoric or lactic acid to the sparge water and adjust the boil pH to 5.1-5.2 if necessary. This lower pH will make the beer smoother in character.

Thanks for this - there's a lot going on in your note. Lots to learn!

 

[Craigerrr]

Lots to learn indeed! I am two years in and I think that I now know enough to know that I don't know enough! From my experience, I can confirm that controlling fermentation temperature is paramount in preventing off flavors, so that is a good move if you are going to do that.
The other thing that I would like to comment on is, brew for you. Brewing a batch of beer is a huge commitment of time and energy. Maybe encourage your freind to take the leap and try brewing for himself.
The best thing you could do for yourself early on is pick one recipe, and brew it again and again. Learn to brew...

Good luck, welcome to BF, and have fun!

 

[thunderwagn]

Thanks. The recipes for 5 gallons or so use 9lbs but have different flaked corn and rice amounts. I just read that corn lightens up the body of the beer and rice helps give it a crisp finish. I have no experience with this bill so would you do 6lb American Pale 2 Row, 2 flaked Corn and 1 flaked rice - or bump the AP to 7 with 1.5 and 0.5 respectively? Maybe I'm just splitting hairs.

Also if I have 8 gallons of mash water and a 9lb bill with a target of 152 - should I start with water at 162 - is that fair to think always start with 10 degrees higher if you're looking something like 8 gallons of water and 9ish gallons of grains? Thanks again..

Your corn and rice amounts will work just fine. You can (and I always do) use Minute or instant rice. A good Pilsen malt works great also. The 3 crops recipe is incredibly versital.

 

[beer1965]

Lots to learn indeed! I am two years in and I think that I now know enough to know that I don't know enough! From my experience, I can confirm that controlling fermentation temperature is paramount in preventing off flavors, so that is a good move if you are going to do that.
The other thing that I would like to comment on is, brew for you. Brewing a batch of beer is a huge commitment of time and energy. Maybe encourage your freind to take the leap and try brewing for himself.
The best thing you could do for yourself early on is pick one recipe, and brew it again and again. Learn to brew...

Good luck, welcome to BF, and have fun!

I've just picked up a small fridge and bought an inkbird controller. I'm going to setup the fridge to control temp. I also bought a 10 gallon cooler to use as a mash tun. I think both should work well. Next up I need to get a kettle but think I'll hold off on that for a bit given the cost. I'm using a 13 gallon aluminum pot. Not ideal but does the job for now. Definitely learning as I go.. thanks for the reply. And yes, it's a lot of work. But my friend is helping me with something else so it's all good..

 

[beer1965]

Your corn and rice amounts will work just fine. You can (and I always do) use Minute or instant rice. A good Pilsen malt works great also. The 3 crops recipe is incredibly versital.

Thanks - are you putting the rice in whole? Or should I throw it in the blender for a while?

 

[thunderwagn]

Thanks - are you putting the rice in whole? Or should I throw it in the blender for a while?

Nope. If using instant or Minute rice, just use whole. If you ever have sparge issues, I'd add some rice hills.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

Also if I have 8 gallons of mash water and a 9lb bill with a target of 152 - should I start with water at 162 - is that fair to think always start with 10 degrees higher if you're looking something like 8 gallons of water and 9ish gallons of grains? Thanks again..

Use the mash calculator on Brewer's Friend or elsewhere to determine your strike water temperature. It will take the amount and temperature of the grist and the desired mash temperature and give you what your strike water temperature. I always heat about 10 degrees above that and let it sit in the cooler for 5 minutes. This preheats the mash tun. I then wait for the temperature to drop to my desired strike water temp and then stir in the grist (called dough in....though I don't know why).

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I brewed this a couple of years ago. I'm not big on cream ales but I really liked it. Got it from Northern Brewer.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/867232

 

[BOB357]

I've just picked up a small fridge and bought an inkbird controller. I'm going to setup the fridge to control temp. I also bought a 10 gallon cooler to use as a mash tun. I think both should work well. Next up I need to get a kettle but think I'll hold off on that for a bit given the cost. I'm using a 13 gallon aluminum pot. Not ideal but does the job for now. Definitely learning as I go.. thanks for the reply. And yes, it's a lot of work. But my friend is helping me with something else so it's all good..

There's nothing wrong with using an aluminum kettle. They work just fine.

 

[beer1965]

I always heat about 10 degrees above that and let it sit in the cooler for 5 minutes. This preheats the mash tun. I then wait for the temperature to drop to my desired strike water temp and then stir in the grist (called dough in....though I don't know why).

I always thought it was the volume of grist that cools the water as you're putting 9lbs of room temp grains into water and they'll absorb some heat from the water. But I guess that makes sense that the MT will take on some heat too. Thanks will try the calculator.

 

[Craigerrr]

Correct, two ways to cover this off. Either preheat the tun, or do a trial run to see how much heat the tun absorbs, and increase strike temperature accordingly.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Thanks - are you putting the rice in whole? Or should I throw it in the blender for a while?

I create a flour with Minute Rice, the extraction rate is better. When I threw them in whole, I found pieces of rice in the grist that never got converted. The upside to throwing them in whole is there is probably no need for rice hulls.