Unexpected brewday - what should I brew?

[Llamaman]

I'm unexpectedly working from home tomorrow, so have time to go beyond my usual kit brewing and do some steeping. But I don't have a recipe planned and need some inspiration pronto.

I was planning to brew a Fuller's ESB clone using harvested yeast from 3 bottles of Bengal Lancer - but I now don't (I assume) have time to step up the yeast. So should I use one my other yeasts (I have trub saved from Cooper's Stout bottled yesterday and a sachet of Gervin) or ditch the ESB for now and brew something else?

I have;
Loads of pale extract
600g Extra-light DME
400g Wheat DME
500g Amber/Medium DME
500g Crystal malt (80L)
500g aromatic malt
500g carapils
Lactose/dextrose and various other store-cupboard sugars

Hops:
EKG
Saaz
Northdown
Challenger
Target

Yeasts:
Gervin
Coopers stout
Belle saison

Any ideas?

 

[Zephyr259]

You could brew an extract version of my saison with that. I recently shared the recipe here. You could sub the munich with aromatic (doesn't that need mashed?) and the wyeast yeast with belle saison. The EKG/Saaz hopping would make it a brilliant drink for this heat, they did fade after a few months as hops tend to do. Should also scaled down a bit if you don't fancy 6.1% abv.

 

[Clint]

Fosters clone!

 

[Llamaman]

You could brew an extract version of my saison with that. I recently shared the recipe here. You could sub the munich with aromatic (doesn't that need mashed?) and the wyeast yeast with belle saison. The EKG/Saaz hopping would make it a brilliant drink for this heat, they did fade after a few months as hops tend to do. Should also scaled down a bit if you don't fancy 6.1% abv.

Thanks!
As it happens, I was planning to do a saison as well (free fermented in a 5L Tesco Asheck water jug). My last batch was a 66% pale/33% wheat/saaz number, but I was thinking of going EKG this time. Adding some of the crystal isn't something I'd thought about, but why not?
That reminds me - I need to get that first batch out the shed - should be conditioned by now :)

As for my main brew (in my temp controlled fermenter) I think I might go with a simple best bitter - pale and crystal malt and ekg. Might add one of the other hops as well, but I'm erring towards simplicity.

 

[Zephyr259]

What do you mean about adding crystal? I suggested aromatic as it's similar to melanoidin which is "super-munich" but it's not a crystal malt so needs mashing. Oh, is it CaraAroma by any chance? I've heard folks describing it as aromatic malt but it is a very dark crystal.

I saw you had some saisons on the go and planned in your signature after I posted. When my bitter and helles stocks start to dwindle I'm going to brew a british pale ale using the same hopping schedule as the saison I linked, the EKG and Saaz was very tasty, so that could work for your best bitter?

 

[Llamaman]

What do you mean about adding crystal? I suggested aromatic as it's similar to melanoidin which is "super-munich" but it's not a crystal malt so needs mashing.

Sorry, misread your post. Aromatic would be a more appropriate malt but would need mashing - I think that might be beyond my skill level for now.

 

[Llamaman]

Fosters clone!

I refer you Arkell v Pressdram (1971).
:)

 

[Zephyr259]

Sorry, misread your post. Aromatic would be a more appropriate malt but would need mashing - I think that might be beyond my skill level for now.

A mini-mash would be pretty easy using your steeping bag, but you'd need some base malt for enzymes so probably not helpful for this brew.

After a bit of research it seems that aromatic malt may have just enough enzymes to self convert so steeping it in 65c - 70c water for a while (30-60 mins?) could actually work.

 

[Llamaman]

A mini-mash would be pretty easy using your steeping bag, but you'd need some base malt for enzymes so probably not helpful for this brew.

After a bit of research it seems that aromatic malt may have just enough enzymes to self convert so steeping it in 65c - 70c water for a while (30-60 mins?) could actually work.

Only just saw this after I'd brewed!
I also discovered some amber malt (not extract) so could have mashed that too if I had any base malt.

Anyway, I did a leftovers recipe;

300g crystal steeped for 30 mins
Topped up to 4L and boiled for 60 mins
20g EKG @ 60 mins
20g EKG " 15 mins (+ irish moss)
Late additions of 200g wheat DME, 100g extra light DME and 1.2kg pale LME.
Topped up to 12L in fermenter.
OG 1.044

Will pitch yeast (Gervin) once cooled and dry hop with some more EKG (or Saaz?) in a week's time.
Should produce a c. 4.5% best bitter.