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Post by Megary on May 14, 2023 16:41:09 GMT -6
Yeah, this has been a fun test. Ken, I think you brought up a personal battle with brewing lethargy not that long ago and it’s so understandable. While it appears you’ve clearly kicked that to the curb, I think a beer like this is one way to start a small fire. Very simple recipe, but with a bit of a DIY touch to it. Part of me wants this to be an unqualified success on first pass, but another part of me looks forward to improving it in the future, as Lefty alludes to.
Anyway, Baja is running with it. I’m no expert when it comes to lager brewing so I’m in an uncomfortable position right now. The beer is currently sitting at about 58F with a very white, tight krausen and purposeful (if not crazy) air lock activity. It’s only been about 30 hours post pitch. I have no experience with this yeast and can only assume to follow a “keep it cold, then warm it up as things slow” guideline, if such a guideline exists.
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Post by Ken on May 14, 2023 17:54:56 GMT -6
I have not used Baja yet but if it's the dry version of WL940 then I have actually used it many, many times. If it's the same, I love this yeast. The character is great, it tends to drop bright and it attenuates well too. That part where you have a brewing drought or maybe your mind is just not on the same page... I assume we all experience this. After all, we have a lot of higher priorities and this is a hobby. Hobbies tend to fall off the table... unless you're Denny. Can't wait to hear how this comes out. This is why we brew and share our experiences with the rest of the crew. Cheers.
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Post by Megary on May 27, 2023 7:49:52 GMT -6
This went into the keg today.
Finished at 1.008 from 1.050, that’s 84% from Baja, more than I planned on. Coupled with a bit of an overshoot on my OG, I ended up at 5.5% ABV, about .75 more than I was shooting for. *shrug*. I’d put te SRM around 5, give or take.
I was able to pick up lager-like aromas from the sample, taste was bready but not toasty, a bit of lemon tartness, no sulfur. I want to believe there’s a bit of interesting malty depth here, but that could be wishful thinking. But there is something a bit different that I just can’t quite put a finger on. Whether that’s yeast driven, from the corn malt or from the toasting - I have no idea. I hate making conclusions from hydrometer samples!
This will get 3 weeks minimum in the keg before I tap it.
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Post by Ken on May 28, 2023 19:23:35 GMT -6
This went into the keg today. Finished at 1.008 from 1.050, that’s 84% from Baja, more than I planned on. Coupled with a bit of an overshoot on my OG, I ended up at 5.5% ABV, about .75 more than I was shooting for. *shrug*. I’d put te SRM around 5, give or take. I was able to pick up lager-like aromas from the sample, taste was bready but not toasty, a bit of lemon tartness, no sulfur. I want to believe there’s a bit of interesting malty depth here, but that could be wishful thinking. But there is something a bit different that I just can’t quite put a finger on. Whether that’s yeast driven, from the corn malt or from the toasting - I have no idea. I hate making conclusions from hydrometer samples! This will get 3 weeks minimum in the keg before I tap it. Thanks for the update. Please keep us posted because the suspense is killing me.
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Post by Megary on Jun 17, 2023 19:38:23 GMT -6
Here we go. Deer Creek Pils, Deer Creek Blue Corn Malt (oven roasted at 350F 325F for 30 minutes), Magnum, Baja. Very happy with this first shot at what will certainly be a rotation beer for me. Easy drinker, decent malt presence, interesting depth for a simple Pils-Corn mash, very clean. Leans soft for a lager. The head was a bit underwhelming (maybe the lime fouled that up?) and next time I think I will push the oven-roasting to enhance that “street corn” flavor. An argument can be made for a touch of Munich or Vienna, but I’m not sure. First shot with Baja and for a half-arsed lager brewer, I can’t point to any off-flavors yeast wise, maybe a slight bready note. After 3 weeks it’s pretty clear, if not quite “crystal”. Hard to tell from the picture, but I’d put the SRM around 5-6 L. This one will go quickly.
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Post by tommymorris on Jun 18, 2023 3:59:33 GMT -6
Here we go. Deer Creek Pils, Deer Creek Blue Corn Malt (oven roasted at 350F for 30 minutes), Magnum, Baja. Very happy with this first shot at what will certainly be a rotation beer for me. Easy drinker, decent malt presence, interesting depth for a simple Pils-Corn mash, very clean. Leans soft for a lager. The head was a bit underwhelming (maybe the lime fouled that up?) and next time I think I will push the oven-roasting to enhance that “street corn” flavor. An argument can be made for a touch of Munich or Vienna, but I’m not sure. First shot with Baja and for a half-arsed lager brewer, I can’t point to any off-flavors yeast wise, maybe a slight bready note. After 3 weeks it’s pretty clear, if not quite “crystal”. Hard to tell from the picture, but I’d put the SRM around 5-6 L. This one will go quickly. Wow! That looks awesome. The toasting gave it a really nice color.
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Post by Leftympfrmde on Jun 18, 2023 6:21:36 GMT -6
Nice.
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Post by Ken on Jun 18, 2023 9:18:37 GMT -6
This sounds good. Did you post a pic? If not... would you please? How do you compare the corn character to something like flaked corn, etc? Is there a different flavor? More corn flavor? Sounds like your experiment turned out great. Nice work.
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Post by Megary on Jun 18, 2023 10:18:39 GMT -6
This sounds good. Did you post a pic? If not... would you please? How do you compare the corn character to something like flaked corn, etc? Is there a different flavor? More corn flavor? Sounds like your experiment turned out great. Nice work. Do you not see the picture? For me, flaked maize/corn provides little flavor. A bit of sweetness I guess, a little corn flavor. It’s great for lightening the body of a beer. I think the roasted corn definitely provides some flavor as there’s no way to confuse the taste of this beer with an all Pils beer. We talked earlier about Deer Creek’s Toasted Corn Malt supposedly providing “Munich” characteristics and while I’m not ready to call the Corn Malt I roasted Munich, there is a certain depth that comes through. Call it one of (or a combination of) grain, bread, cracker, biscuit…but no corn sweetness. I certainly want to push this roasting further next time. Maybe 45 minutes or an hour.
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Post by Ken on Jun 19, 2023 7:56:30 GMT -6
Not sure why I didn't see the pic yesterday but I do see it now. Looks nice. Excellent work and I really like the twist with the corn (that is not the same as flaked corn) and the roasting of it. It gives the beer and the whole process a unique character. Cheers.
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Post by Megary on Feb 11, 2024 9:16:40 GMT -6
Tomorrow will be my first pass at this Street Corn Lager. 84% Deer Creek Colonial Pils 16% Deer Creek Pale Blue Corn Malt (oven roasted) 18-20 IBU's of Magnum at 60 Baja Mexican Lager Yeast Serve with a slice of lime. I decided to roast the dry Blue Corn Malt in the oven at 325° for about 30-35 minutes. Unlike roasting a typical 2-row or Maris Otter, the kitchen did not fill up with Grape Nuts and graham cracker aromas. Rather, what I got was more reminiscent of popcorn, with a bit of biscuit thrown in. When the aroma got interesting enough and before it went over the cliff, I pulled the malt and let it cool. Tasting the roasted corn malt did give some nice nutty flavors with a bit of toast. The trademark "sweetness" of corn, which was very present in the un-toasted malt, was hardly noticeable in the roasted grains. I don't expect any "Munich" characteristics from the way I dry-roasted the malt, but I do wonder what the difference would have been had I soaked the corn prior to roasting?? An experiment for another day. Having another pass at the Street Corn Lager today. This time: 76% Deer Creek Colonial Pils 24% Deer Creek Pale Blue Corn Malt (oven roasted) 18-20 IBU's of Magnum at 60 .5oz Saaz at 0 WY 2112 California Lager Yeast I roasted the malt at 350 for 40-45 minutes, a little longer and slightly warmer than last time. I didn’t notice much of a difference in aroma and taste though. Maybe it will show up in the color??
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Post by Leftympfrmde on Feb 11, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Tomorrow will be my first pass at this Street Corn Lager. 84% Deer Creek Colonial Pils 16% Deer Creek Pale Blue Corn Malt (oven roasted) 18-20 IBU's of Magnum at 60 Baja Mexican Lager Yeast Serve with a slice of lime. I decided to roast the dry Blue Corn Malt in the oven at 325° for about 30-35 minutes. Unlike roasting a typical 2-row or Maris Otter, the kitchen did not fill up with Grape Nuts and graham cracker aromas. Rather, what I got was more reminiscent of popcorn, with a bit of biscuit thrown in. When the aroma got interesting enough and before it went over the cliff, I pulled the malt and let it cool. Tasting the roasted corn malt did give some nice nutty flavors with a bit of toast. The trademark "sweetness" of corn, which was very present in the un-toasted malt, was hardly noticeable in the roasted grains. I don't expect any "Munich" characteristics from the way I dry-roasted the malt, but I do wonder what the difference would have been had I soaked the corn prior to roasting?? An experiment for another day. Having another pass at the Street Corn Lager today. This time: 76% Deer Creek Colonial Pils 24% Deer Creek Pale Blue Corn Malt (oven roasted) 18-20 IBU's of Magnum at 60 .5oz Saaz at 0 WY 2112 California Lager Yeast I roasted the malt at 350 for 40-45 minutes, a little longer and slightly warmer than last time. I didn’t notice much of a difference in aroma and taste though. Maybe it will show up in the color?? Only one way to find out! Oh, stopped by keystone's new shop yesterday. Still in a transition phase with the bait and tackle shop, but all the same selection is a tigher space. Judy mentioned a new brewery that opened a months ago, 3 miles from the new shop; Brass Collar. Tiny sitting space, but a bunch of different beer styles. The pub ale on Nitro was my favorite.
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Post by Megary on Mar 15, 2024 17:56:22 GMT -6
Street Corn Lager, take 2. Can’t say that roasting the Corn Malt for an extra 15-20 minutes and at a slightly higher temperature really did much color or flavor wise. Biggest difference between the two is the yeast. The first one was fermented with Baja and this one with WY2112 California Lager. The Baja was clean but a little bready. This one is more crisp, a touch of sulfur, more lager-ish. Both have their selling points, but I’d lean 2112 if I had to choose. Still, next time I’d like to try WLP940, even if White Labs pricing is unrealistic. Thoughts on any other Mexican/California lager yeast options? Anyway, this beer makes me happy.
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Post by Ken on Mar 19, 2024 15:34:30 GMT -6
Yeah, that looks nice. Omega Mexican Lager seems to be the same to me as 940. I have not used Baja yet but I have Omega Mexican in the fridge and it will be the next yeast to be used here. Nice work, Megary .. looks like a winner.
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