Room Crawl Beer

[Bill Lawrence]

Ok Ladies and Gentlemen, what kind of beer do you plan to bring to the Bluebonnet for the "room crawl"? It is important to have an abundance of good beer so that we can have all the taps on the club kegorator running the entire time. We are the largest club in North Texas and as such, we need to have a show of force. That means that not only do we need an abundance of different styles, but we also hope to show the unwashed masses how it's done so the quality needs to be good as well. Remember, it's all about excess, after all, this is the Bluebonnet. Melinda has had the kegorator serviced so it will be running at peak efficiency. She has also put one way valves into the gas lines so that now we are not backing up over carbonated beer into the CO2 regulator and into all the other kegs. If I remember correctly, the club kegorator has 11 faucets however we will need many more kegs than 11 since we plan on going through them pretty quickly. By the way, I made a dry stout for the occasion from a recipie given to me by some folks over in the UK, it is one of their favorites. I wanted something that had a big taste but lower alcholol (my plan this year is to last until at least 10:00 PM, no going crazy at the commercial tasting like in years past).

Anyhow, bring whatever you have that is good. Make sure to somehow put your name on your keg and bring any style you like, variety is a good thing. Don't make me get Scott on you, remember "Bring Your Damn Beer".

[Jimmy Orkin]

I am bringing a Munich Dunkel.

[BrotherhoodBrew]

Orlando & I are bringing an Am. Amber and a Keg of the SN Golden ticket beer we made at SN

[Brewboy]

I'm bringing my American Amber too. Perhaps a Northern English Brown.

I'm also bringing the pin cask of ESB. I tapped the cask last night and it tastes good but not as carbonated as I'd like. I've got a hard stile in it already.

[donniestyle]

I've got 5 gallons of 1.067 "Euro-Lager". Fermented with Saflager S-23 at 60F, it is now slowly carbonating for the room crawl. The actual BJCP style is Biere de Garde. It's a amber/blond Biere de Garde, with the extra hopping. I may also bring a bonus keg, but insure what it will be.

NOTE: I haven't tried it yet either. It will be a complete surprise beer!

[Brewboy]

Lager at 60 degrees? That's ale temps man! Were you looking for funky character with the dry yeast?

zombudis
View Member Profile Nov 6 2007, 04:35 PM Post #2

You guys who are having success with Saflager 23, what temp are you fermenting at and what is your fermentation regime? I used it a few times this summer and just could not stand the fruity flavor it gave me whether I fermented in the mid 60s or at 55.

[donniestyle]

It's a Biere de Garde. They can use lager yeast, and they do ferment it warm (relatively). It could also use neutral ale or chacterful Belgian ale yeast strains. Note, the grain bill is 10# pils, 1#Aromatic, and 0.3#acidulated. You'll enjoy kettle caramelization, and continental hops.

Ingredients: The “cellar” character in commercial examples is unlikely to be duplicated in homebrews as it comes from indigenous yeasts and molds. Commercial versions often have a “corked”, dry, astringent character that is often incorrectly identified as “cellar-like.” Homebrews therefore are usually cleaner. Base malts vary by beer color, but usually include pale, Vienna and Munich types. Kettle caramelization tends to be used more than crystal malts, when present. Darker versions will have richer malt complexity and sweetness from crystal-type malts. Sugar may be used to add flavor and aid in the dry finish. Lager or ale yeast fermented at cool ale temperatures, followed by long cold conditioning (4-6 weeks for commercial operations). Soft water. Floral, herbal or spicy continental hops.

[donniestyle]

One more note. This is the first time I used S-23. I chose it specifically for this beer. I wanted some fruitiness. I don't know whether I would use it for a real lager.

[Bill Lawrence]

Based on the above posts, there should be 8 kegs plus one pin for gravity dispense. Hopefully we will get many more kegs that those mentioned, likely this is just indicative of low use of these forums. Based on the responses we do have, it sounds like we will have good variety, I will be looking forward to tasting Donnie's Bier de Guard and Scotts ESB from the pin. I got my stout kegged and carbonated last night and preliminary tastings are good so we will see how that goes.

[Brian B]

I plan on bringing a keg of Coffee Porter.

[MixnMatchBrew]

I was planning on bringing the IIPA but never got time to dry hop it.

I have American Stout, American Amber, Dunkel, Vienna Lager, ESB, and Blonde available. So I'll bring one of those.

Seems we already have amber and dunkel covered.

[donniestyle]

I'm flattered that my Biere de Garde is enticing you. I hope it meets all expectations - especially mine. I'll transfer it tonight into a bright tank and start over-carbonating it. It is already somewhat carbonated; I'm not sure how well.

[kingsbrew]

I'm planning on bringing my Ordinary Bitter and maybe the APA.