*WRAP UP*
As a refresher… I was trying to brew an easy drinking Cream Ale for my Coors/Bud light drinking friends. This was my first attempt at creating my own recipe and I missed my starting gravity (didnt fully understand how the recipe calculator worked nor how flaked corn functioned as a fermentable). I ended up needing to rely on regular old sugar (1.5c) to correct my miscalculations…. From there i tried a cold crash with gelatin and carbonation drops, each for the first time as well.
Bottling Day… flat, warm “beer”, slight natural carbonation.... high hopes
Bottlng Day +7 (then chilled)… cold, flat, boozy (for 4.75%) and sweet… yuck.
Bottling Day +14 (then chilled)… cold, effervescent, sweet, still boozy… might not have to pour out the other 48
Bottling Day + 21. Definately carbonated, still a little sweet and boozy.... drinkable. Time for some feedback
Light beer drinker #1 - "Good, a little sweet but good".
Light beer drinker #2 - "I could drink this. Its better than the crap they serve at ~~~~"
Light beer drinker #3, #4, #5 - Some version of "Not bad"
Wife #1 after having a sip of her husbands - "I like it! Can I have one of my own?"
Everyone finished their glass, however nobody went back for seconds (except me, it was all I brought). Out of all the feedback I received, #1 makes his own wine and would tell me his real opinion... #2 has ZERO filter so..... "sweet and drinkable" seems to be the public opinion,
As a style, I would not brew a cream ale for myself so I think it has been a little difficult for me to make an honest assessment of the beer itself. I did however draw some conclusions and learned a couple things through this brew experience....
In the end, I suspect the "booziness" was the result of the alcohol having very little to hide behind.... Pilsen LME, and a combined 1.5 lbs of steeped crystal 10 and flaked corn didnt provide enough body to cover for the 1.5 cups of simple sugar needed to correct my starting gravity. The perceived sweetness has decreased with time in the bottle, so it may be related to the carbonation drops requiring a bit more time. However, I also think the flaked corn probably added some sweetness and the beer as a whole was under-hopped (12 IBUs - Saaz). With a little more bitterness, I think I could balance some of the sweetness without being too bitter for the "light beer" crowd. I dont think I would go through the trouble of a cold crash again... not unless the style really needed it.
I still want to brew something for the light beer drinkers. So I will go ahead and brew another cream ale before the summer gets here. Other than making sure I have enough LME on hand to make my adjustments, I think I am just going to drop the flaked corn and shoot for slightly higher IBUs.
Thanks for the guidance along the way.... Cheers!!
The finished product "Lifeboat Cream Ale".... ("Lifeboat" because its for the women and children)
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