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5/18/2023
branching my blonde ale for a goofy froot loops beer.
need to finalize how much to add but maybe half a family size box to the mash and the other half in 2ndary cold steep. the idea is to have some fun in the mash but i think the flavor will come from the dry hop stage. need to cold steep in order to reduce re-fermentation.
chatter on forums about possible bad taste and appearance. i am undeterred. these are mostly random stories. ive seen clawhammer did some lucky charms, basic brewing did frankenberry, and others on youtube i seen with decent results. as long as i keep the process clean it stands a chance.
deciding to do blonde ale instead of hazy ipa since that is a bigger more expensive beer to do this kind of experiment, my hazies are still not all that dialed in, and i want the cereal to be the centerpiece.
will add some lactose for body and sweetness (and cereal with milk effect) although with the unfermented cereal it may not need it?
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8/3/2020
brewing this again tonight. changed yeast from wy1056 to omega hothead. last batch got crazy attenuation, so adjusting that down to something more reasonable for now. using recycled yeast.
UPDATE: OOPS!! never ordered willamette hops. did not realize until boil started and i couldnt find the hops. arranging for 45 minuts of warrior and then will use some spare crystal for flavoring. they smell pretty hoppy. but its only an oz. we will see.
original recipe here : https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/868420/one-way-or-another-blonde-ale
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6/1/2020
it really has turned a corner after a couple weeks - at first it was fruity and cloyingly sweet but now it seems drier, cleaner, and definitely clearer. it almost tastes like a lager. i cant stop sippin it! probably could try brewing it down to 4.5 or 5%
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5/14/2020
Fg 1.0025. Is that even possible.
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5/2/2020: brewed this tonight. changed the recipe to take a full oz at 15 min instead of 0.5. just so i dont have a half oz bag floating around for 6 more years. adjusted recipe for OG (was 1048, now 1045) and efficiency (69->65); more explanation on that below.
tried recirculation / vorlauf . not a really defined or repeatable pattern but the wort looked pretty clear during cooling. first runnings i actually took after recirculation was still pretty hazy, 2nd runnings looked clearer but the photos and videos make them look the same. also towards the end i had to tip the mash tun to get everything out, that came out hazy. probably rather want to heat up more sparge water so i can keep sparging without tipping until i have enough wort. came out with 4.5 gallons. original OG was 1048 but i was at 1050, tried to top up without overshooting it but i did, final OG was 1050 on about 5 gallons.
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12/13/19 : never got the brewers gold in the mail. many recipes im browsing use williamette so lets go with that. previous "blonde" and many online do no late additions but i cant help it. maybe should reconsider.
BYO also suggests you can use Glacier, U.S. Fuggle, U.S. Tettnang or Styrian Goldings as alternatives.
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9/5/19: changing out cluster for brewers gold - should be getting some free in the mail soon....lowering IBU to under 20. abv is high for style but oh well :-)
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8/15/19: reformulating this one with 2row instead of british; dropping the honey malt for lighter less crazy crystal malt. everything else the same. hopefully a lot lighter color, get rid of honey malt flavor for cleaner plainer more classic blonde ale flavors...
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8/14/19:
first couple pints are not so great. first of all, the beer is really really deep golden. i wonder if oxidized but i vaguely remember the color being too dark during mash. i suppose honey malt is darker than i thought. second, the beer just isnt great, really way too sweet, needs more balance. partially i cant get past the ugly color. im reading now that people typically use 2-4% honey malt, i used 6. next time may use just a tiny bit if any, will try some other lighter crystal malt to try to achieve more appropriate FG. this one fermented way down to 1.005 or something like that
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7/29/19 :
decided to rebrew this, it was good. im having issues with final gravity either because of my mash or the yeast, so im adding some honey malt. i also switched to golden promise this time (just because of an inventory opportunity to use something new). i am planning to mash 150 again but maybe for only 30 minutes with the crystal malt and yeast to see if the FG comes out really low again. i suppose i should probably only change one thing at a time. will decide on brew day i guess. also i would like to cold crash this thing for a week or more to really try to get it clear from the first pour.
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The Brain : originally was supposed to be a cream ale except with 100% 2 row malt instead of using sugar to supplement. With the wy 1272 it came out fruity and hazy so i called it summer ale. after a while though the haze settled and it was kind of malty clean and clear, i started calling it blonde ale.
