An American Brown Ale, based on the “Dirty Water Brown Ale” recipe from Brewing Classic Styles. I modified it slightly in the hops (shifting additions into the late kettle and dry hop stages), and that definitely paid off in some amazing hop aroma. It’s probably closer to a brown IPA than a “traditional” American brown ale (whatever that is!), but either way it drinks well. Recipe and tasting notes are at my blog.
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Just tapped Oatmeal Stout. Has to be my best ever
Malty with nice condition!
Too much condition for a sparkler but still using a swan neck
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what are your favourite styles? i know you post them frequently ie. bitters, stouts, english ales.
But any recipes or stuff you did that really stand out?
I am currently honing in greatly on english style beers
Here is the stout recipe. Turned out wonderfully. Early on it has a nice maltiness
For 5 gal in keg
5lbs Crisp MO #19
3lbs Old fashioned flaked oats
1lb Vienna malt
1lb Munich malt
1lb UK chocolate malt
0.5 lb Melanoidin malt
0.5 lb Roasted barley
0.25 lb Debittered black malt
Bitter to 20 IBU’s
Est OG 1.045-1.050
WYeast 1318
For a pale ale I brew some variation of an “American Bitter” The simple grain bill is pretty set I may add some dark crystal 4oz to vary color. I play around with the hops rotating around Mosaic Citra Amarillo or El Dorado and combinations there of as FWH to hit between 25-30. I always dry hop in keg using multiple spice balls to contain the hops I probably brew more Mosaic beers as I love that hop Hope to brew this soon but will use all Mosaic this time
For 5 gal in keg
8 lbs Maris Otter #19
0.5 lbs Biscuit Malt
0.35 oz El Dorado FWH
0.3 oz Citra FWH
Bitter to 25-30 IBU
OG 1.038-1.044 max
WYeast 1968 yeast cake
Dryhop in keg with
1 oz El Dorado
1 oz Citra
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A word on serving :The MOST overlooked part of homebrewing
I will also say that proper serving conditions is equally important as ingredients. No you don’t have to keg or cask condition or serve with a beer engine. Although If you enjoy cask conditioned beer it is HIGHLY recommended.
However raising the temperature of your beer so that it is 50F in the glass and reducing carbonation levels from “standard” values will dramatically improve your beer IMHO.
For such a low gravity, they have a ton of flavor as cold temps and high co2 masks flavors. Simple experiment, take a sugared carbonated soft drink Try it normally out of the fridge, then take some knock out a bunch of co2 and let it warm up Probably will be too sweet to drink Why? Because the low temp and CO2 masks the sickly sugary flavor
I have been to many bars both here and in Europe where beer is properly served and the beer is wonderful. The serving temps are higher and CO2 levels lower and you get so many more flavors and aromas from your beer
I have also been to bars where the cask beer is served too warm for my liking so I think 50F in the glass is perfect.
I also keg condition by adding priming sugar and having the beer undergo a secondary fermentation in the keg. Why? Well for me it is easier and I have not had any beer that has oxidized even after a couple months of serving. I dont have a DO meter so I am merely going on my and my guests taste buds. I don’t purge with CO2 ahead of time merely rack on to primings seal the keg condition roll around a bit to mix primings vent and let condition a week (I will vent the keg a couple of days after racking to ensure I am getting carbonation), cool in my serving fridge, a couple of days and serve on my hand pulls.
Sorry for the rambling (not really 
)
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However raising the temperature of your beer so that it is 50F in the glass and reducing carbonation levels from “standard” values will dramatically improve your beer IMHO.
I would disagree that this is universal. The “proper” serving temperature and carbonation varies widely by style, even across Europe.
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I am re-editing as you are absolutely correct. I was thinking primarily English ales and most continental lagers. But this is exactly my point. From what I have read and heard discussed “most” brewers focus on brewing and brewing ingredients and forget conditioning and serving. I find those last two are extremely important.
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i know what you mean, i think youre in america though i may be mistaken and you have a strong interest in british beers. i wont start saying “british beers have lower carbonation”, but i think the key thing is considering what carbonation volume level you as a brewer like for which styles, and i agree with you that for most of my beers i like it to be lower than most commercial beer for a variety of reasons.
i know what you mean in that i feel the standard co2 pressure of microbreweries is too high and is not adjusted for each individual brew. conversely not high enough for some styles
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Ok not my beer but I need to brag. I am having Sierra Nevada 2025 Celebration Ale on CASK!!!
OUTSTANDING!!
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!!! Not at all jealous. Not a single bit.
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This is a Belgian single that I brewed from a recipe in Craft Beer & Brewing. I am so pleased with how it turned out - the aroma and flavor are phenomenal. It has a slight but annoyingly persistent haze, probably from the yeast, but other than that it’s my perfect Belgian beer. I’ve never made this style before, and it was a great outcome.
I used SafBrew WB-06 for this one – it’s interesting that they sell it as a German weissbier or Belgin witbier yeast, because everything I pick up here says it’s not suited for either. WB-06 is fantastic as a Belgian single ale yeast; the YEAST MASTER spreadsheet says that WB-06 is closest to White Labs WLP570 or Wyeast 1388. I can’t say I’ve brewed with either, but it definitely fits more in their Belgian Golden Ale / Strong Ale yeast categories than wheat beer or witbier.
Recipe, details, and tastings are all at my blog!
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excellent, but note: WB-06 may be diastaticus from what ive heard.
Yes, it is indeed! Fermentis has it labeled as such on their website.
1388 is the Duvel yeast. Fairly neutral. Haze is often present in Belgian beers so don’t sweat it.
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I think I caught a slight case of BJCP-itis (obsession with clarity) in my approach to haze on this one - ha! The BJCP guidelines for Belgian singles are a touch ambiguous at “generally good clarity,” and although I tell myself not to worry so much about the style guidelines (especially because I’m not brewing for competition), it still sticks in my craw a bit for this particular batch. You are correct in that I shouldn’t sweat the haze as much as I do!
All that said, I am enjoying this beer even more than I expected I would (and a 2.5-ish gallon batch is a perfect quantity).
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Hitting 19 Belgian breweries and innumerable bars recently changed a lot of my thoughts on Belgian beer.
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