Which recipe should I make??

[Bigbre04]

This one is called a lager, but i would most likely use chico or a cold kolsch fermentation.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/1585197

OOORRRRR

This is a slightly updated version of one of my favorites that i have made several times in the past.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/1605642

I would be brewing this on Tuesday next week. It would be following my black lager which i will be very sad to see gone.

Current draft list:
1--session ipa 5.4%(was supposed to be 5.1-5.2) but i way overshot my grav(even after adding 3 gals of water to the batch to dilute it) and had good attenuation...
2--Black lager 5.4% <-this is where the next batch would slot in.
3--Cranberry/Tangerine sour 5.7%
4--West coast IPA 7%
5--Golden lager 5.2%
6--Belgian tripel 9.2% (cellared this for >6months!!!)
7--Blueberry Kolsch 6.1% -->plain old 5% kolsch will follow the blueberry
8--Chocolate/Raspberry Stout 6.7%

I am thinking that i will brew a Belgian Dubbel and stick it in the cooler to age a few months.

 

[Dave Y]

They're pretty close, but I'm drawn to the 2nd one personally.

 

[Bigbre04]

They're pretty close, but I'm drawn to the 2nd one personally.

they are for sure. the second one is c40/spec X vs victory/extra special malt.

Spec X is very distinct to me. dark fruits, raisons, very dark caramel etc. Extra special malt is more coffee/roasted with a hint of caramel.

in my mind the second one is more malty/caramel then roasty. the first one will have a little more roasty/grainy flavor to it.

i think both would be good, but i too am leaning towards the second.

 

[J A]

Second one is a better beer for the season but the first fits your tap lineup better. I'd make it with rice instead of oats to keep it crisp and definitely use the Kolsch yeast.

 

[Bigbre04]

Second one is a better beer for the season but the first fits your tap lineup better. I'd make it with rice instead of oats to keep it crisp and definitely use the Kolsch yeast.

i dont got no rice. i have corn though. i think atleast...yes i have corn! BUT!

 

[J A]

i dont got no rice. i have corn though. i think atleast...yes i have corn! BUT!

Corn would do, maybe a little sweet for this recipe. Rice is easy...bag or two of Cal Rose from Costco for pretty cheap per pound. I just boil it for 15-20 minutes and throw it in like a decoction. Works great. For a pro brewhouse, you'd probably have to cook it in your boil pot in your strike water and pump it back over to the mash tun. You could always round up institutional quantities of Minute Rice.

 

[Bigbre04]

Corn would do, maybe a little sweet for this recipe. Rice is easy...bag or two of Cal Rose from Costco for pretty cheap per pound. I just boil it for 15-20 minutes and throw it in like a decoction. Works great. For a pro brewhouse, you'd probably have to cook it in your boil pot in your strike water and pump it back over to the mash tun. You could always round up institutional quantities of Minute Rice.

ya i would have a serious mess i have basically a big ass brew in a bag system so i dont really have any way of cooking it. i would have to buy flaked rice or malted rice which is shockingly expensive lol.

ill look at getting a bag of flaked rice or 2 on my next grain order. i guess i could use rice solids instead? I think those are also available from my distributor???

I think im gonna do the second recipe and do the amber lager with apex munich at somepoint in the future. i think those roasty malt flavors would be really interesting as a clean lager. but then again my next lager will likely be a red or a vienna since that will be getting to the end of my base malt that i have on hand.

 

[Dave Y]

Corn would do, maybe a little sweet for this recipe. ...

 

[J A]

ya i would have a serious mess i have basically a big ass brew in a bag system so i dont really have any way of cooking it. i would have to buy flaked rice or malted rice which is shockingly expensive lol.

ill look at getting a bag of flaked rice or 2 on my next grain order. i guess i could use rice solids instead? I think those are also available from my distributor???

I think im gonna do the second recipe and do the amber lager with apex munich at somepoint in the future. i think those roasty malt flavors would be really interesting as a clean lager. but then again my next lager will likely be a red or a vienna since that will be getting to the end of my base malt that i have on hand.

Not much reason to use rice if you can't cook it. Plain rice is cheap but anything processed costs as much as malt or more. Rice syrup or solids should work just fine if the pricing makes sense.

And, yeah, that first one would be a good clean lager. Either sub corn for the oats or just add more Pilsner.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I vote for the amber

 

[Brew Cat]

I vote for the amber

me to

 

[Brew Cat]

you know me I'm a fan of Victory malt
you asked which would I prefer and would need a taste
you didn't ask for a critique but why the Cascade in an international Amber? JMO
Rice? good god

 

[J A]

you know me I'm a fan of Victory malt
you asked which would I prefer and would need a taste
you didn't ask for a critique but why the Cascade in an international Amber? JMO
Rice? good god

Rice is pretty common in international lagers. More so than corn, probably. For American and Mexican lagers corn is king, but less so with others, I think. I brew my Dark International Lager with a pretty good dose of rice. Goes very well.
I do agree that Cascade isn't necessarily the perfect hop for it but lots of various "new" Pilsner styles use flavor-forward hops rather than just noble or neutral ones. As it's laid out, I see that beer as a light American Amber or malty Pale Ale, especially if brewed with Chico.

 

[Brew Cat]

rice gives Bud that weird flavor
now i'm curious what international beers use rice other than Asian beer, which by the way are all pretty gross tasting, use rice ? not Germany or Czechia for sure or in a British or Belgian ale except maybe some stuff they export to silly Americans

 

[J A]

rice gives Bud that weird flavor
now i'm curious what international beers use rice other than Asian beer, which by the way are all pretty gross tasting, use rice ? not Germany or Czechia for sure or in a British or Belgian ale except maybe some stuff they export to silly Americans

You would no doubt be surprised at which beers use rice. There are no German purity laws now so German breweries could and some almost certainly do use rice for lighter beers. Italian and Spanish lagers likely do. Some sources say that Heineken uses rice and/or corn. I don't think it's considered a lower quality ingredient but one that can produce really nice clear, crisp beers. The best selling beer in America uses it so there's that.
There are a few craft lagers here from local breweries that are top-notch beers. Adjunct is adjunct. When the balance is right the flavor is malty and light and not identifiably any particular ingredient. Granted that when it's used pretty heavily, it can leave a flavor that some don't enjoy.

Also I think that nasty Bud flavor comes from intentionally managed levels of acetaldehyde.

 

[Dave Y]

I do agree that Cascade isn't necessarily the perfect hop for it but lots of various "new" Pilsner styles use flavor-forward hops rather than just noble or neutral ones.

You said it yourself, there's a trend toward flavor and aroma rich hops in old world styles and indeed the 'cold IPA' trend, is basically a hoppy pilsner. I was genuinely surprised at how hop prominent my cold-ish IPA (Lutra) is with just Cascade & Cashmere.

There are a few craft lagers here from local breweries that are top-notch beers. Adjunct is adjunct. When the balance is right the flavor is malty and light and not identifiably any particular ingredient. Granted that when it's used pretty heavily, it can leave a flavor that some don't enjoy.

There's whether it fits into a particular 'style' or class and then there's whether or not it's good & drinkable. I asked a BJCP guy to review my 'fest a couple years ago and he ripped me for it being too sweet and caramel-y. Literally just seconds before I got beer of the month from the locals. It was solid feedback, and nothing wrong with what he said to me about it, but sometimes the 'style guidelines' aren't necessarily the friend of what's a good, drinkable beer.

 

[Brew Cat]

Who cares if a beer is award winning or not
Means nothing to me
If you like it you like it

 

[Donoroto]

Who cares if a beer is award winning or not
Means nothing to me
If you like it you like it

I guess it’s kind of like a product that has an abundance of five star reviews, and you know they’re not faking it.

People who really know beer have said that this particular product is a good example of the style. Not entirely meaningless.

 

[Craigerrr]

My Mom always said "there is no accounting for taste" I always took that to mean that we all like and dislike different things. Is Michelob Ultra a great beer? To some it is, to millions in fact. Doesn't make it good, bad, great or anything else. Sure is popular though

 

[Brew Cat]

how many times you see someone take one sip and declare "that's good" personally the first sip is a throw away
i'll let you know when I've gotten a few sips in . That goes when tasting anything