Janet's Brown strikes again

[bosium]

...I've been thinking about making a 1.056 version...
Tasty

I have been meaning to try this recipe for ages, but haven't gotten round to it yet. I've never had an american brown before but they do sound delicious.

I would love the recipe for the 1.056 version if it's going?

TIA,
Bosium

[TastyMcD]

Sorry, I haven't got around to it. I'm a little afraid that it might be better than the 1.065 and 1.074 versions. I'll probably add some carbonated water to one of the other two to see what it might taste like.

Tasty

[mookie1010]

Shkrew your sesshion beersh!

*BURP!*
*falls down.*

[bosium]

Sorry, I haven't got around to it. I'm a little afraid that it might be better than the 1.065 and 1.074 versions. I'll probably add some carbonated water to one of the other two to see what it might taste like.
Tasty

Hey Tasty,

I must admit that 1.056 is more in the sort of gravity that I prefer for ales. I will definitely be monitoring this thread for the recipe should you get around to it (I'm assuming it's not as simple as just watering it down pre-fermentation to achieve the right balance).

Thanks for all the great info and recipes.

[TastyMcD]

I could just throw something out there without actually brewing it but that's not how I do things. That said, a straight line downsizing of the malt down to 1.055 along with 35-40 IBUs would probably be a good starting point. For all-grain, I think I'd mash a little lower, say 152F.

Tasty

[Dr.Unk]

Tasty,

I am kinda bummed, my crop is male and my first Janet's seems harsh - hopin you can help - with the Janets.

I brewed it 5/26 - in general what I have is a very clean, dry beers, not diacetyl or other yeast flaws - but it seems harsh. Not astringent or overly bitter - just a harsh flavor - I assume is hop related. Appearance and aroma are perfect - Never having had another Janets, I don't if it's just my tastes - but I don't think so.

So the brew/fermentation went well - but had some deviations and hoping you can guess whether the flavor issue makes sense givin the deviations.

Used basic recipe in Jamils book except:
- OG=1.056 vs 1.066 - we had been having some crush issues - otherwise 1 hr mash at 154F
- FG = 1.010 vs 1.016 - figured due to low OG - may explain why hop taste is too much ??

I was a little short on Northern Brewer so saved for later additions but substituted:
Mash hops: 1 oz perle and .5 oz Magnum vs 2 oz NB
60 min: 1.4 oz NB .5 oz Magnum (13%) vs 2.5 oz NB
15 min - same (NB)
10 min - same (Cascade)
0 min - added .4 oz NB + recipe Cascade
dry - same - 4 days

Yeast pitch was approx per Mr Malty calculator 001 - 67 F - raised to 72 after 5 days (had a pancake yeast cake on top which I broke up before i started raising temp.

OK,

So now it is 9/20 - still drinking it - the harshness is slowly mellowing - but still harsh, still clean, still dry.

Sorry for the long winded story , hope it was a bit entertaining

Dr Unk

[TastyMcD]

Always start with clones. Not having your beer in front of me makes this a little tough. My brain is mushy from a weekend of drinking excellent homebrew. Imagine 200 homebrews and I couldn't find one bad one. Homebrew has really gotten better in the last five years.

You're focusing the harsh flavor on the hops. I assume you're saying there's a hop harshness. I don't know the alpha of your hops so I can't tell what your IBUs are but a 1.056 beer would typically be more in the 35-50 IBU range not the 63 IBUs of the 1.066 high finishing gravity Janet's Brown Ale. Curious as to what your pre-boil gravity was.

I'm also wondering if you didn't pick up something from your mash that's also giving you a harshness. You didn't extract the sugars you were expecting but you may have extracted something else given a quantity of grain for 1.066 but a resulting sugar of 1.056.

Tasty

[Dr.Unk]

Cheers,

Need to get a chick first, then I'll look for stem cells.

Good comments, we shot for the 63 or so, had a "measured" pre-boil of 56, then lo and behold, the final gravity ended up 56. Could have been first time refrac usage error. Never did figure out what happened, but pretty sure it was grinder issues - which we are now looking for.

How about if I send you a bottle? If that would be OK, give me an address you'd prefer I use.

So I'm guessing the issue could have been just a low malt to IBU ratio.

You got that right about homebrew - I'm in awe - makes judging a pleasure