[fredthecat]

i think alot of the "still learning" factor is new styles/ingredients to take into account as much as a better understanding of already existing information.

no one i know IRL wants to know about the brewing related info that fascinates me, so i need to come here to discuss it.

[Slowbrew]

no one i know IRL wants to know about the brewing related info that fascinates me, so i need to come here to discuss it.

And yet so many people still make the mistaking of asking questions at the door to the rabbit hole.  Welcome Alice, let me explain...  

Paul

[Saccharomyces]

And yet so many people still make the mistaking of asking questions at the door to the rabbit hole.  Welcome Alice, let me explain...  

It is far too easy to descend down the rabbit hole.  I have spent the bulk of my time in amateur brewing descending down the rabbit hole.  The deeper one gets, the worse it gets.

[denny]

And yet so many people still make the mistaking of asking questions at the door to the rabbit hole.  Welcome Alice, let me explain...  

It is far too easy to descend down the rabbit hole.  I have spent the bulk of my time in amateur brewing descending down the rabbit hole.  The deeper one gets, the worse it gets.

Agreed.  I finally resurfaced and swore it wouldn't happen again.  Now it's the brewing that matters to me, not where the rabbit goes.

[ScallyWag]

I finally have a couple of Verdant brews that are mature enough to taste (both brewed back in July), and I am quite pleased with both.

The first was a milkshake IPA with a touch of lactose, my first time making that style, and my wife (who typically hates IPAs) loved it, and said it was my best brew ever.  Unfortunately, I still did not get the attenuation I wanted (1.068 -> 1.016) even after 23 days in FV, so I was a bit disappointed hoping for >80%, but the flavor is quite good.  (I did not put much lactose in, so that's not the reason).  Mostly Glacier & Ariana hops, to about 62 IBU (with Millenium & Ariana bittering). 

The other beer was an Imperial Porter (roughly), pitched on half the slurry from the above-batch (had a bit of blow out), and again I am quite pleased with the outcome even though it is still early (barely a month in bottles) and I expect it to improve.  A bit better attenuation (1.098 -> 1.020) and the residual sugar is appropriate for the style at 10+% ABV, but I would've liked it a teensy bit drier.  Again though, wife said "this is your best beer you've made" and in another month or 2 I might have to agree.  Hops were Progress & First Gold, with Millenium for bittering.

Granted, despite their marked difference in grain bills and in hoppiness profiles, these 2 beers were similar in that both styles I was targeting a fuller body/mouthfeel, with some milky/creamy hint, and I was hoping for some of that vanilla tone that I'd heard Verdant can give.  I am thinking this yeast could work well for a Dark Mild, maybe also for an amber/red based on a ton of Munich malt.

Before Verdant, I would've probably used S05 plus a pinch of saison yeast (or Nottingham, when my basement temps are colder) for the IPA, and a co-pitch of Windsor +S05 for the Porter, to get the flavors of Windsor with a drier finishing attenuation.  (It's worth noting that I am a big fan of the Windsor taste, but it never attenuates to my preferred level of dryness on its own).  Verdant seems to accomplish the same thing on its own, kind of drier Windsor, but in the future I may experiment with mostly Verdant plus a bit of a S05 or Saison co-pitch to dry it out a bit more.  As it is though, these Verdant beers are quite good.  Didn't quite hit 80% (target mouth-feel sweet spot for me), but I think if I mash lower & longer (or step-mash), I can get there with Verdant.  I like it.

I have only used dry yeasts, so I only have a dozen or so to compare it to.

[fredthecat]

I finally have a couple of Verdant brews that are mature enough to taste (both brewed back in July), and I am quite pleased with both.

The first was a milkshake IPA with a touch of lactose, my first time making that style, and my wife (who typically hates IPAs) loved it, and said it was my best brew ever.  Unfortunately, I still did not get the attenuation I wanted (1.068 -> 1.016) even after 23 days in FV, so I was a bit disappointed hoping for >80%, but the flavor is quite good.  (I did not put much lactose in, so that's not the reason).  Mostly Glacier & Ariana hops, to about 62 IBU (with Millenium & Ariana bittering). 

The other beer was an Imperial Porter (roughly), pitched on half the slurry from the above-batch (had a bit of blow out), and again I am quite pleased with the outcome even though it is still early (barely a month in bottles) and I expect it to improve.  A bit better attenuation (1.098 -> 1.020) and the residual sugar is appropriate for the style at 10+% ABV, but I would've liked it a teensy bit drier.  Again though, wife said "this is your best beer you've made" and in another month or 2 I might have to agree.  Hops were Progress & First Gold, with Millenium for bittering.

did you add fruit or a flavour to the milkshake IPA? i hated them when i first tried them, but playing with the concept a bit in my mind i am intrigued by the possibilities of an intentionally sweetened beer heavy on an added flavour.


not familiar with verdant yet but 1.098 to 1.02 is really good IMHO and i wouldnt worry about that.

[ScallyWag]

I finally have a couple of Verdant brews that are mature enough to taste (both brewed back in July), and I am quite pleased with both.

The first was a milkshake IPA with a touch of lactose, my first time making that style, and my wife (who typically hates IPAs) loved it, and said it was my best brew ever.  Unfortunately, I still did not get the attenuation I wanted (1.068 -> 1.016) even after 23 days in FV, so I was a bit disappointed hoping for >80%, but the flavor is quite good.  (I did not put much lactose in, so that's not the reason).  Mostly Glacier & Ariana hops, to about 62 IBU (with Millenium & Ariana bittering). 

did you add fruit or a flavour to the milkshake IPA? i hated them when i first tried them, but playing with the concept a bit in my mind i am intrigued by the possibilities of an intentionally sweetened beer heavy on an added flavour.

I did; I used a tiny packet of "crystalized blackberry" (powder) added after primary fermentation was complete, got it from Northern Brewer.  I dissolved it in boiling water and let it cool to room temp before adding it to the [mostly finished] beer.  I also used 2 teabags of herbal blackberry tea (Celestial Seasonings Wild Forest Blackberry) in the FV.  I've done that (fruity herbal teas) with some saisons before, with good results.

The blackberry powder itself wasn't sweetened, so the only sweetness was the lactose (which was just 5 oz in a roughly 8 lb. grain-bill) plus any residual sweetness from the malts.  No actual fruit was used this time.  My base was Golden Promise, so that probably helped, and I had 7% Mecca Grade Shamiko [wheat] which I think is also kind of sweet-ish.  The only crystal was 1.5% CaraPils [8L] and 1.5% CaraVienne [20L].

It really was just the vaguest hint of sweetness, and it is possible that it was just the suggestion that made me expect sweetness.  I'd be curious in a blind tasting if a drinker would perceive any sweetness, without knowing the name of the beer.