Cream ale

[Badgerfan79]

I brewed a recipe that I based of BierMuncher's Cream of Three Crops recipe. I changed it some to make it work with my efficiency. I also used summer hops in my version because I had some of them available. It is fermenting away as I speak after it got a slow start (around 60 hours before it got going). My final recipe looks like this: http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/412334/cream-of-3-crops

I still have about a 1/2 ounce of summer hops left. I was wondering what people would think about dry hopping with that 1/2 ounce or if I should just leave it be.

 

[jmcnamara]

no expert on that style or recipe, but I don't think dry hopping would really fit with it. that being said, you could always split the batch and dry hop one of them to prove me wrong

 

[Starter Hops]

I'd skip the dry hop. 1.5 oz in boil sometimes tastes too much. Hoppy's good but it doesn't need it.

 

[GFHomebrew]

I just brewed a cream ale recipie called for cascade and sazz no over the top in hops just subtle. I don't know summer hops so can't comment on them but this ale seems to be like a light refreshing lawn mower type beer so an overly hoppy beer might go against the style a bit aye?

 

[Nosybear]

I just brewed a cream ale recipie called for cascade and sazz no over the top in hops just subtle. I don't know summer hops so can't comment on them but this ale seems to be like a light refreshing lawn mower type beer so an overly hoppy beer might go against the style a bit aye?

Aye. It's not an IPA.

 

[Badgerfan79]

That's what I was thinking but I've heard of a couple people who have dry hopped a cream ale. I just wanted to see if anyone has done it with good results.

 

[GFHomebrew]

That's what I was thinking but I've heard of a couple people who have dry hopped a cream ale. I just wanted to see if anyone has done it with good results.

For some fruitiness well my vanilla cream ale came across at first with a stronger than expected vodka taste due to my soaking vanilla pods I. Vodka to extract flavour and I was going to dry hop with about 10g of cascade but it's smoothed off now and I'm digging the flavour. So yea why not but I would just give it a small kick? Just my 2c

 

[Girbob75]

I have brewed my cream ale a few times and found that I liked dry hopping it with a very small amount in the keg for a couple days.
I have had a nice subtle fruity nose with Saphir. The bittering hop was Hallertau Hersbrucker.
I recently just brewed the same beer and just dry hopped yesterday with Jarrylo. 1/8oz for 5 gallons. We'll see how that turns out.

 

[J A]

I have a Table Saison in dry hop now. Very light, low-gravity beer using a touch of Magnum for bittering, Sorachi Ace hops for flavor addition and dry hopped with Lemon Drop. All the hops are understated, but with a lot of subtle flavors interacting with the fruit/spice notes from the Belgian yeast. There's a place for it, but it shouldn't be over done.

 

[Brew Cat]

Not to be critical but what is purpose of a cream ale. I always thought it was just brewed to imitate an American light lager.

 

[Myndflyte]

Not to be critical but what is purpose of a cream ale. I always thought it was just brewed to imitate an American light lager.

I'd say it's close but a Cream Ale usually uses corn in the mash. I believe a homebrewed American light lager would not use a cereal mash. I could be wrong though.

 

[J A]

I believe a homebrewed American light lager would not use a cereal mash. I could be wrong though.

Pretty much the definition of an American Lager, light or otherwise is cereal adjunct in the grain bill. Cream Ale would normally have adjunct plus an ale yeast or, sometimes, lager yeast at ale temps or blend of ale and lager yeasts use for fermentation. Hoppiness can vary, but it's not usually very pronounced.

From the BJCP guidelines:
An ale version of the American lager style. Produced by ale brewers to compete with lager brewers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States. Originally known as sparkling or present use ales, lager strains were (and sometimes still are) used by some brewers, but were not historically mixed with ale strains.


Concerning the original question...If you're confident of nice malt aroma and good balance, leave it. If you think it might benefit from a little hop-derived character, throw some in. I dry-hopped a light, plain-Jane American Wheat with Hallertau Blanc and it was quite nice.

 

[Brew Cat]

Pretty much the definition of an American Lager, light or otherwise is cereal adjunct in the grain bill. Cream Ale would normally have adjunct plus an ale yeast or, sometimes, lager yeast at ale temps or blend of ale and lager yeasts use for fermentation. Hoppiness can vary, but it's not usually very pronounced.

From the BJCP guidelines:
An ale version of the American lager style. Produced by ale brewers to compete with lager brewers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States. Originally known as sparkling or present use ales, lager strains were (and sometimes still are) used by some brewers, but were not historically mixed with ale strains.


Concerning the original question...If you're confident of nice malt aroma and good balance, leave it. If you think it might benefit from a little hop-derived character, throw some in. I dry-hopped a light, plain-Jane American Wheat with Hallertau Blanc and it was quite nice.

So if you pitch a lager yeast would it still qualify as a cream ale ?

 

[J A]

Yeah...pretty much. I think it's technically thought of as a hybrid beer so either or both types of yeast could be used. I'm not sure about commercial versions, but I believe it's usually brewed as an ale without the extended cold-aging (lagering) period that true lagers get.

Some lager yeast strains work extremely well at ale temperatures - up to 70 degrees in some cases. The esters produced may be more pronounced, but most beer fermented that way will still be cleaner in flavor than with "fruity" ale strains. I've been fermenting a house "lager" with Saflager S-23 at 60 to 65 degrees with very good results. I guess I could call it a Cream Ale if I wanted. As a style, I think it's just basic American beer.