17 replies to this topic

[Poptop]

Hi All, I'm working up a Brown that is sort of based off of the Tater Ridge I've been going on and on about.  Want to know what you think.  I'm going for a nice malty ale with generous hop presence.  The hop schedule is very close to my muse and I'm anxious to see how the Mosaic and Moteuka play together.  Somehow I'm thinking Cadbury Chocolate Orange.......

 

Batch Size: 5.25 gal, Efficiency: 65.00 %, estimated gravity 1.055

5 lbs 4.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) 4 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) UK

1 lbs 6.0 oz Pale Malt (6 Row)  10.0 oz Caraaroma (130.0 SRM)  10.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) 2.5 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)

0.50 oz Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 26.7 IBUs 0.50 oz Mosaic [11.60 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 8 4.4 IBUs 0.50 oz Motueka [7.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 2.9 IBUs 1.50 oz Mosaic [11.60 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 10 2.9 IBUs 1.00 oz Motueka [7.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 11 1.0 IBUs

1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) 1.00 oz Mosaic [11.60 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 13 0.0 IBUs  

[neddles]

That's pretty far outside my wheelhouse so I am having trouble picturing what it would taste like. I haven't made any hoppy browns nor have I ever knowingly had a beer with that much dark crystal. I know Mosaic comes across more strongly to me than does Motueka so I suspect you'll get more Mosaic in there than Motueka. Let us know what comes of it.

[Poptop]

Yes.  The dark crystal sort of scares me a little but it is in line with the percentages received from the brewers.  Those two ingredients may be shaved a little.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to brew for a few weeks, but will allow me time to tinker. 

[johnpreuss]

I think you're fine on the  total amount of crystal as long as you keep the mash temp around 152 or below, however, I'm not familiar with caraaroma, what's the Lovibond rating? As for the dark crystal I think your ok with it but with my last hoppy brown I just used C60.  I'd up the chocolate malt to atleast 4 - 6 oz.  My question is why the 3 different base malts?

Edited by johnpreuss, 11 September 2014 - 08:57 AM.

[neddles]

Yes.  The dark crystal sort of scares me a little but it is in line with the percentages received from the brewers.  Those two ingredients may be shaved a little.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to brew for a few weeks, but will allow me time to tinker. 

If you got those numbers from the brewer and you liked it then I say brew away!

[johnpreuss]

Here was my last Hoppy Brown :

 

https://www.brews-br...03-hoppy-brown/

[Poptop]

I think you're fine on the  total amount of crystal as long as you keep the mash temp around 152 or below, however, I'm not familiar with caraaroma, what's the Lovibond rating? As for the dark crystal I think your ok with it but with my last hoppy brown I just used C60.  I'd up the chocolate malt to atleast 4 - 6 oz.  My question is why the 3 different base malts?

Below is correspondence with a couple of real generous gents; John Stuart from GreenMan and Luke Dickinson from Wicked Weed.  I made some inquiries into their collaboration and they kindly responded.  I set up a recipe based on their input.  I set up my above recipe as a "toned down" version.  So, this is where all of my ingredients stem from.  I'm pretty excited to tackle this for Holiday time.  See what you think - here's both mine and then their responses:

 

[From me:] Hello Mr. Stuart and Mr. Dickinson, I obtained your names from this article https://beerstreetjo...da-tater-ridge/ and I have to tell you that if you both collaborated with SN on Tater Ridge, you hit that beer out of the park. My only regrets are 1) I only have one bottle left out of two and the Beer Camp 12-pack would have been better served if there was more Tater Ridge! I am an avid home brewer in south Florida and am going to "try" to make a version of your highly quaffable, mildly bitter and oh so Scottish Ale. The article referenced has given me some good bread crumbs to work with but I was wondering if you might offer any other advice. I am happy to see that 6-row was used even though many brew friends shy away from the taste it can bring. However to me that Special-K flavor might have brought more richness to your ale. May I ask an approx percentage? I can also appreciate the sweetness of Golden Promise and assume chocolate malt was used for color balance and richness in flavor. Another article I read suggested some rum-raisin in the nose. Might a little Special B help? I am curious about the yeast. My first inclination would be to maybe go with WLP004 Irish. If I assume the yeast is proprietary, would you maybe suggest something comparable? The hops speak for themselves and I love Mosaic. I've never used Moteuka but have heard great things. Anyway, thank you both for putting up with my long winded email. If there is any chance of getting my hands on more Tater, maybe you can advise if it will be available after the Beer Camp stuff dies down? A case in the fridge would honestly not be enough Thank you and Cheers,

 

[From Wicked Weed}

Here is the recipe we used for 10bbls of beer Rahr 2 row - 300lbs Golden Promise malt - 165 Riverbend 6 row - 165 Weyermann Cara Aroma - 27 Simpsons Dark crystal 165 lovi - 27 Pale Chocolate Malt - 10 lbs Hops We bittered with a low cohumulone hop such as Magnum or warrior at about 20 ibus finished in whirlpool with a nice amount of Matueka and Mosaic, I would do maybe 1.5oz of each in whirlpool for 6 gallons We used Cal Ale 001 yeast.. Good luck-Luke

 

[From GreenMan]

Mike, Thanks for the Kudos on Tater Ridge. It was a fun project to work on.  Luke forwarded me his response, so I see you have a lot to get started with on your own version. I thought I might throw in a few other thoughts..

The rum-raisin flavor you mention is attributed to the Simpson's Extra Dark Crystal 165L... No special B in this one. Be sure you use SIMPSONS, I have never found a more complex Dark Crystal malt... The stuff is brilliant. The Golden Promise Pale malt was Simpson's as well. The bittering hop used in full production was actually HBC experimental 366, which is similar to Magnum, but in my personal opinion, it is closer to Merkur, a German bittering variety that has Magnum parentage. It is slightly earthy, spicy, peppery .. And, low cohumulone, like Horizon. Luke wasn't there that day, so I made that call in production.. I know you won't find HBC 366, but if you can possibly find Merkur, it would be a better match than Magnum. Put all the Mosaic in the whirlpool... SMOKE those taters... We had the taters done by a local BBQ smoker, 12 Bones bbq, and he slit them in half and smoked them face down with Hickory wood until soft... Peel them, and puree them in a food processor...Try one tater per 5 gallons... Put the puree into your mash tun with the malt bill.. Shoot for a 17.5% Plato O.G. Hopes this helps, Happy Tater Ridge brewing!  

[johnpreuss]

That's awesome!!!  Here you go little homebrewer.  Here's the recipe.  My math might be wrong but 6 gallon batch would be 2% of their recipe correct?  Then I'd just scale it and use EXACTLY what they used.  Even if you don't I think you will be happiest if you get the Simpsons DARK crystal.  That's some good stuff.  I would also find the pale chocolate malt. 

[Poptop]

JP, can't you agree about their generosity? Cool huh.... I scaled the whole thing down into pounds for my 65% average efficiency in a 5.25 gallon batch as follows: 7.41 # 2 Row 4.08# GP 4.31# 6 Row .75# CaraAroma .75# Simpsons Dark 165 .33# Pale Chocolate

[Poptop]

The only other thing I did was shave the 6 row and replace with more GP. I can't imagine the taste of that much.

[johnpreuss]

The only other thing I did was shave the 6 row and replace with more GP. I can't imagine the taste of that much.

 

No, I can't imagine you'd notice at all. 

[neddles]

So how are you handling the smoked 'taters?

[Poptop]

A week out from brewday I intend on firing up the smoker and smoke a can of yams in a shallow pan along with a Boston Butt and other stuff just to make use of the smoke day. I will use Buttonwood from the Keys. The pork butt will not be added to the mash haha. Then puree the yams and freeze. However instead of adding them to the mash I'm thinking about adding them to the fermenter.

[SchwanzBrewer]

A week out from brewday I intend on firing up the smoker and smoke a can of yams in a shallow pan along with a Boston Butt and other stuff just to make use of the smoke day. I will use Buttonwood from the Keys. The pork butt will not be added to the mash haha. Then puree the yams and freeze. However instead of adding them to the mash I'm thinking about adding them to the fermenter.

 

Add them to the mash. The enzymes in the mash will add to the overall sugars of the beer and add flavor you won't get in the fermenter. You might end up with flavors that are unintended if you add them to the fermenter as well.

 

Do like they said. make the beer the way they formulated it and if your taste buds tell you to go another direction, follow them and make small changes. Making the changes up front like eliminating 6 row would be a mistake in my opinion. If you change too much from their recipe and it comes out different than you wanted you won't know what to adjust.

[Poptop]

Thanks Rich. I appreciate what you wrote and I will follow your advise.

[neddles]

Will you end up with unconverted starch from the yams if you add them to the fermentor and not the mash?

[MyaCullen]

Will you end up with unconverted starch from the yams if you add them to the fermentor and not the mash?

yes

[matt6150]

FYI, looks like Rebel Brewer has HBC 366 also known as Equinox.