On the right track...

sbaclimber

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Another one of the bigger breweries here in Germany (Köstritzer) recently decided to give craft beers a go.
2 days ago, I picked up their double-pack Witbier / Pale Ale, and though I wasn't exactly blown away by either, the Pale Ale proved to be a fairly solid example of an APA.
What did make me quite happy though, was realising how close my own attempts at brewing an IPA with german hops are getting to the "real" Thing. :cool:
Although I will still be switching to S-05, starting with my next brew, I appear to have finally figured out how to ferment effectively with WLP007, and my last brew (single aroma/dry hop, Hüll Melon) turned out really well.
Here is the commercial Pale Ale (left) and my IPA (right) side-by-side. If mine had been colder, it would have a bit more of a chill-haze but not much more. Obviously the flavor is quite different between the 2 (they went for the more heavily citrusy flavor, I just wanted to try out Hüll Melon), but I am still very pleased with results I got using the Hüll Melon variety. When I get more, I am thinking of combining it with a tad bit of Polaris, and see where that goes...
 

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How did the flavor/aroma of hull melon turn out?

I am using them to dry hop a saison.....which I am brewing tomorrow.
 
olywrestle said:
How did the flavor/aroma of hull melon turn out?

I am using them to dry hop a saison.....which I am brewing tomorrow.
Really nice! It is a fairly subtle hop, so don't be afraid to use a fair amount of it. I think the name "melon" is well deserved, it definitely has a very distinct melon aroma. I am thinking bit more toward watermelon than say honeydew, but that may just be my own interpretation. :)

PS, here is the recipe I used: http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/131528/2014-05-gpa-27-real-h-
 
Excellent! I am using rakau hop at 10 min and then 1 oz of hull melon for dry hop. Never used either :)

Might have to try your pale recipe also!
 
olywrestle said:
Might have to try your pale recipe also!
A comparison brew would be awsome!
I would love to claim the recipe as something special, but it is actually the result of reducing what I wanted to produce (a "german" pale ale) down into the simplest recipe I could come up with. That way, I could concentrate on getting my process down pat and then start tweaking the individual ingredients.
The pale ale malt is kind of a given for me (no particular reason why, just kind of figured that is what belongs in a pale ale), though many big brewers here still tend to use pilsner as a base malt for their pale ales. The amount of carapils is my personal preference for mouthfeel and head, fairly high for a pale ale but just right IMO...
Magnum is the most neutral hop for bittering, which is good for me because it leaves almost all of the aroma/flavor up to the aroma hop(s) that I choose to add (in this case Hüll Melon).
I have done a lot of brews with Polaris, which is also a good hop, but fairly intense and IMO a bit much all on it's own. Once I have fermenting with S-05 sussed, I will start trying to combine Polaris and Hüll Melon with each other and other hops (have a bunch of Manda Bavaria in storage that I haven't yet tried out :D )
 
Thanks, I just did the math and 50g is almost 2 oz, and you say the melon flavor was really light? I will adapt this slightly for the ingredients I can get at lhbs and let you know. Will be awhile out as I have a couple planned out already.
 
olywrestle said:
Will be awhile out as I have a couple planned out already.
I hear you there! I have been sitting on a bag of Mandarina Bavaria for ages now, just trying to get all of the other brews I have planned out of the way first. Only 1-2 more max, then it is finally time... :lol:
I just cracked another bottle of the HM....I am liking it more and more! :)
 
Isn't Köstritzer owned by Bitburger? Kind of like a Blue Moon (owned by Coors) being called a "craft beer". But I hope it's good. And I'll be in Frankfurt Sunday for ten days of fun before going on to Poland.
 
Nosybear said:
Isn't Köstritzer owned by Bitburger? Kind of like a Blue Moon (owned by Coors) being called a "craft beer". But I hope it's good. And I'll be in Frankfurt Sunday for ten days of fun before going on to Poland.
Cool! IMO, the Pale Ale is worth a try if you happen to run across it in Frankfurt.
Yeah, Köstritzer belongs to the Bitburger Group. Unlike Blue Moon, which is really just a brand created by Coors to market their "craft beer", Köstritzer is a quite old, and originally private, brewery.
I remember Köstritzer being considered somewhat *special* and a fairly good beer after german reunification. Unfortunately, through mass production, it has now just turned into a heavily marketed brand producing fairly stardard beer.
Your comparison is pretty acurate though, through the name the brand (and Bitburger) made for itself, Bitburger is trying to use it just like Coors uses Blue Moon.
 
Here at our favorite German restaurant (incidentally right next to the theater where the Aurora, Colorado shootings took place), they serve the Kostritzer (sorry, umlaut is hard to find on my tablet) Schwarzbier. Not bad. I started brewing because of the Kloster Weltenberger Schwarzbier. On a trip to Bavaria, we met one of my wife's step-cousins for the first time. As we were leaving, Heinz served us a traditional Bavarian second breakfast of weisswurst, pretzel, senf (mustard) and beer. Wife asked for dark, so Heinz got the Weltenberger. On the way out of town, wife asked if I were to start brewing, could I re-create that beer. The rest, as they say, is history. And she now says I've bettered their beer, quite a compliment.

SBA, where in Germany are you located? I think I've asked before.
 
Nosybear said:
Here at our favorite German restaurant (incidentally right next to the theater where the Aurora, Colorado shootings took place), they serve the Kostritzer (sorry, umlaut is hard to find on my tablet) Schwarzbier. Not bad. I started brewing because of the Kloster Weltenberger Schwarzbier. On a trip to Bavaria, we met one of my wife's step-cousins for the first time. As we were leaving, Heinz served us a traditional Bavarian second breakfast of weisswurst, pretzel, senf (mustard) and beer. Wife asked for dark, so Heinz got the Weltenberger. On the way out of town, wife asked if I were to start brewing, could I re-create that beer. The rest, as they say, is history. And she now says I've bettered their beer, quite a compliment.

SBA, where in Germany are you located? I think I've asked before.
Probably, though I can't remember either... :lol:
I'm in Leipzig, the good ol' former East Germany, but I lived (and still have friends and family) for quite a few years in Hannover.
Being here in the "east" it is kinda interesting to see what has happened to all of the old brands that have survived the DDR and then the buy-out that often occurred after the wall fell.
Thanks to beer fests, wide national distribution of many bavarian beers, and the odd vacation down south, I have been able to try quite a few of the bavarian beers. Weltenburger is definitely one of the better widely distributed brands. So, definitely a complement for bettering them! :)
I particularly liked their dark wheat too...and I am fairly critical of wheats.
 
I'll be nowhere near Leipzig: Frankfurt and Gdansk. Shame, I'd have loved to have hoisted one or two with you!
 
Nosybear said:
I'll be nowhere near Leipzig: Frankfurt and Gdansk. Shame, I'd have loved to have hoisted one or two with you!
That would've been sweet!
Unfortunately, I probably won't be in CO any time soon to meet up there either... (family's on the east coast)
 

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