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  • It's been some time awaiting this one..

    I've had several of them over the past month and they are improving more and more .. but heck, is taking a long time getting there. So, decided to post this interim update only because it cleared so nice towards the bottom of the beer glass .. I'll do a final update when ever..

    Brewed 4 feb '21 .. bottled 24 Feb .. 5 April today!
    CL1.jpgCL2.jpg
    It pours a nice highly carbonated beer, as you pour you can hear the bubbles bursting in a buzz... 2.8 vols CO2. Slight banana flavour and taste .. this taste seems to get less towards the bottom of the glass - only coz (I think) there less carbonation.. or by that time them ester volitiles have escaped with the bubbles. Otherwise there's a weak taste of malt .. quite balanced .. personally would like it more hoppy flavour .. there's not much hops aroma when you open the bottle .. but after many sips then you'll get a nice bitterness coming through.

    There's no need to do a side by side - this beer is different. It's close(isch) but not near. Also it's 5+ percent abv, so has got bit of that Black Label alcohol taste to it. Still quite pleasant drinking it .. if you not looking for the bad points

    If one would consider this a comparisson with a Castle Lite clone, then I have failed - reason I'm sure of is underpitching. This has left a stressed yeast off-flavour that will hopefully diminish over time of aging..
    If one would considder this as a Belgian Blonde, then one might say .. Mmmm lovely fruity after taste .. i really like these Belgian yeasts .. and how it brings out the banana flavour ... then all went according to plan.
    AlexBrew
    Senior Member
    Last edited by AlexBrew; 5 April 2021, 20:02.

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    • Fruity esters = almost guaranteed high fermentation temps? Was the 12 degree temp wise in retrospect?

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      • Here is the fermentation schedule:
        CL Ferm schedule.jpg
        I bottled the 24th .. basically coz of impatience. Thereafter it been at ambient temps for secondary bottle ferm till 19/03 when it was bottle cold crashed till now.
        AlexBrew
        Senior Member
        Last edited by AlexBrew; 6 April 2021, 09:47.

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        • Originally posted by AlexBrew View Post
          Here is the fermentation schedule:
          [ATTACH=CONFIG]3231[/ATTACH]
          I bottled the 24th .. basically coz of impatience. Thereafter it been at ambient temps for secondary bottle ferm till 19/03 when it was bottle cold crashed till now.
          Lagers are supposed to be done low and slow. I would have done 8 degrees for a week and then only started the step.

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          • Well, he was following the recipe (that won a competition) as posted on page 2 for the initial fermentation schedule ....

            The Problem With The World Is That Everyone Is A Few Drinks Behind.!

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            • Originally posted by JIGSAW View Post
              Well, he was following the recipe (that won a competition) as posted on page 2 for the initial fermentation schedule ....

              good point, and I just need to point out that I know very little about lagers

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              • Originally posted by jakeslouw View Post
                good point, and I just need to point out that I know very little about lagers
                You may know little, but that was my first thought on the topic as well. My go-to for lagers has always been a long time at low, and only then sloooowly raising the temp.

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                • Originally posted by Toxxyc View Post
                  You may know little, but that was my first thought on the topic as well. My go-to for lagers has always been a long time at low, and only then sloooowly raising the temp.
                  Do you feel that my temperature bump from 12 to 20°C was too rapid ?

                  Edit: I'll deff try this recipe again - maybe change some things more to my liking .. but first have other wish list brews on my mind.

                  Comment


                  • thanks for letting us know. I think you are on the money with the efficiency/ABV and stressed yeast.

                    I may try to brew it again one day - but I'm not in any rush either ;>

                    Comment


                    • I dunno if the temp swing would play such a huge role, to be honest. I make mostly lagers these days and with the load shedding I also get pretty bad temp swings - and it still turns out fine.

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                      • Drumroll .... The Long Awaited .. Much Anticipated..
                        20210529_155308.jpg
                        The time had come yesterday to open my last Castle Lite clone alongside the original. When I opened both bottles, there was much more hop aroma coming from the original, with hardly any from the clone. The clone still had a wee wiff of that banana.. It's been in that bottle for a while now.. brewed 4 feb, bottled 24 Feb.. 3 months on.

                        20210529_155821.jpg
                        My clone obviously not as clear as the original - I didn't add any gelatin to it. Something to add for the next brew. The original also has more colour to it.

                        20210529_155835.jpg
                        I had a couple of sips from both.. the clone was just less tasty than the original - mainly lacking the hop flavour/aroma that the original has. On the bitterness level, they where very equal, even mouthfeel was similar. Both had that 'spritz' when you took a sip of co2 crackling in your mouth.. even after couple of sips the head retention was very similar all the way to the bottom, both leaving some lacing on the way down.

                        The original was more of the lager/pilsner style, the clone was more like a blonde, with that subtle banana aroma.

                        Next time I'll add some colour, maybe aroma/melanoidin malt or munich. Bittering was almost spot on, but was lacking the hops in your nose effect - so more late addition hops. Not sure if dry hopping would do the trick, but that is not lager style practice to do this. Possibly a 20min whirlpool... and pitch a decent whack of yeast

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by AlexBrew View Post
                          Drumroll .... The Long Awaited .. Much Anticipated..
                          [ATTACH=CONFIG]3337[/ATTACH]
                          The time had come yesterday to open my last Castle Lite clone alongside the original. When I opened both bottles, there was much more hop aroma coming from the original, with hardly any from the clone. The clone still had a wee wiff of that banana.. It's been in that bottle for a while now.. brewed 4 feb, bottled 24 Feb.. 3 months on.

                          [ATTACH=CONFIG]3338[/ATTACH]
                          My clone obviously not as clear as the original - I didn't add any gelatin to it. Something to add for the next brew. The original also has more colour to it.

                          [ATTACH=CONFIG]3339[/ATTACH]
                          I had a couple of sips from both.. the clone was just less tasty than the original - mainly lacking the hop flavour/aroma that the original has. On the bitterness level, they where very equal, even mouthfeel was similar. Both had that 'spritz' when you took a sip of co2 crackling in your mouth.. even after couple of sips the head retention was very similar all the way to the bottom, both leaving some lacing on the way down.

                          The original was more of the lager/pilsner style, the clone was more like a blonde, with that subtle banana aroma.

                          Next time I'll add some colour, maybe aroma/melanoidin malt or munich. Bittering was almost spot on, but was lacking the hops in your nose effect - so more late addition hops. Not sure if dry hopping would do the trick, but that is not lager style practice to do this. Possibly a 20min whirlpool... and pitch a decent whack of yeast

                          Thanks for this.. Does the future hold a v2 showdown with the changes you mentioned?

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by BruHaha View Post
                            Thanks for this.. Does the future hold a v2 showdown with the changes you mentioned?
                            Yes for sure. I've got a benchmark to work from now. I've made some noob mistakes as mentioned which lead me into reseach on the topics - hopefully I learned from it.

                            EDIT: Perhaps if I added gelatin to the beer post fermentation I might not have this banana flavour (which I believe is the yeast in suspension), in addition the beer would bave been clearer too, which then only leaves the colour and more late addition hops.
                            AlexBrew
                            Senior Member
                            Last edited by AlexBrew; 31 May 2021, 16:14.

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                            • Has anyone been tempted to re-make / clone Castle's (3 hops - SA, Japan, France) lager that they released for the Rugby World Cup in 2023?

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by ant_topps View Post
                                Has anyone been tempted to re-make / clone Castle's (3 hops - SA, Japan, France) lager that they released for the Rugby World Cup in 2023?
                                Was not even aware that they made these beers, but then I never get to a bottle store and buy beer, only drink beer I brew.
                                Everyone must beleive in something, I beleive I'll have another beer

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