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I unexpectedly got a couple beers from @kellanstec, and his/her Grodziskie was so pleasurable I thought @kellanstec wouldn't mind if I posted my review here.
Note: I didn't do a BJCP-style evaluation, so this is more a beeradvocate style review. I didn't review the guidelines for the style, and no little about it other than it is a Polish smoked beer, and that Kristen England raved about it in Brewing with Wheat.
Appearance: Fill level normal. Compact yeast cake. Beer is hazy in bottle. Beer pours a very pale straw, and is slightly hazy. About 1 inch of head on a normal pour, which dissipated quickly. Looks like many Berlinner Weisses I have had. Very attractive.
Aroma: The beer disappointingly did not immerse me in a campfire immediately upon opening. Aroma is grainy sweetness, with a hint of spice. At this point, I was thinking that maybe this is *not* supposed to be a smoked beer. No hop character.
Taste: Little to no hop flavor (that I recall). No fermentation flaws are perceptible. But, there is the smoke! The smokiness is medium and pleasant, and occurs evenly throughout the taste, lingering on the palate. It reminds me of the way clothes worn to a bonfire smell the next day; a full, permeating smokiness. The rest of the flavor is a sweet graininess, finishing with a light cracker character (like Saltines) that helps balance the smokiness, with the lingering cracker and smoke invitni9g you to take another sip.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation level is medium and complements the beer well. No astringency. Body is light yet mouthfeel is silky and does not give perception of not thinness.
Overall: This is a great beer. I do not know how it compares to commercial examples, but it is extremely drinkable, and I immediately wanted another one. The balance between smoke and the malt/grain character is well done. I would call this about 40-point beer -- plus or minus -- based on drinking pleasure.
I'm hoping to get the recipe from @kellanstec!
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by chino_brews
wow. That post got murdered in the email translation.
On Tue, Jan 12, 2016 at 1:19 PM, chino_brews <[email protected]> wrote:
rnrnI unexpectedly got a couple beers from reddit userrndownvote_sydrome, and his/her Grodziskie was so pleasurable I thoughtrndownvote_sydrome wouldn't mind if I posted my review here.
rnrn
rn
rnNote: I didn't do a BJCP-style evaluation, so this is more a beeradvocate stylernreview. I didn't review the guidelines for the style, and no little about itrnother than it is a Polish smoked beer, and that Kristen England raved about itrnin Brewing with Wheat.Appearance: Fill level normal.rnCompact yeast cake. Beer is hazy in bottle. Beer pours a very pale straw, andrnis slightly hazy. About 1
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Posted 34 days ago.
Either that or Chino just had a stroke.
Posted 34 days ago.
The recipe is stupid simple. I did a protein rest to aid in lautering. I have a large 12" bazooka, so I didn't use any rice hulls (the mash wasn't super gummy due to the protein rest anyway). The 90 minute boil was to help with body and head retention. Traditionally this style was super carbonated and they'd pour about half foam in the glass. They likened it to champagne. I didn't aim for that here.
Historically the brewing liquor is very hard. I didn't get too close to what Stan Hieronymus or the historical sources recommended. I ended up using Ca 61 Mg 2 Na 22 SO4 78 Cl 74
The Lublin/Lubelski hops I sourced from Williams Brewing. The malt I used was Weyermann's oak smoked wheat.
I fermented that 1007 very low...mid/upper 50s. The key is basically as clean as possible. Some folks use Kolsch yeast, but I feel like that has too much flavor/character. This beer is all about the malt and smoke.
Here is a fascinating video of a guy tasting an old bottle (with proper glassware!). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5jlHgVMefI
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by kellanstec
I dunno why, but i was not expecting a 3.2% beer when reading your description.
Man, thats actually tempting to make. i love session beers.
Posted 34 days ago.
It really is delicious as hell. So refreshing.
I liked it so much I am going to shift my 70% wheat IPA all the way to 100%. Wheat is where it's at.
Posted 34 days ago.
Im not a wheat fan personally, but maybe i just havent had one i like.
I also tend to like a touch of sweetness in my session beers (not much, just a hint) to offset the lack of malt you sometimes get. Often times they just seem to need that extra touch of sweetness/body. I'd expect that wouldnt be an issue with smoked malt, though...especially mashing at 158.
Posted 34 days ago.
100% wheat IPA? Madness!
Also, cool.
Posted 34 days ago.
Right on, Kellan is a cool dude! 100% wheat IPA is just crazy enough to work! I've been percolating a 50% wheat IPA for a while now, but I don't brew too many IPAs so I never did it. Maybe I'll do a 50% wheat session IPA this summer!
Posted 34 days ago.
I mean, Little Sumpin Sumpin is one of my absolute favorites, and I know it contains some wheat... but surely nothing approaching this level.
Still, I love the idea of pushing boundaries.
Posted 34 days ago.
If you're scared to go all in, I've found 30% Pils, 60% white wheat, and 10% flaked wheat works well (and was my latest iteration). That should be just enough hulls to not be a lautering issue. You could throw a protein rest in there too.
I put so many hops in it, and the wort is so pale, that it has a really gnarly looking green tinge to it!
Dammit, now I want one.
Posted 34 days ago.
Meh, I use a Brew Bag as my filter - no grain bill scares me in terms of stuck sparges or whatnot.
lol @ green tinge. I love it.
Posted 34 days ago.
Did a Wheatwine recently w/ 60% wheat and no rice hulls in my brew bag... not a second of stuck!
Posted 34 days ago.
Same! Been doing many wheat beers... more on the lambic wild end of the spectrum... but have been so happy with the brew bag.
Posted 34 days ago.
I could easily use a brew bag (I started pure BIAB), but my bazooka tube works so well I haven't found the need to.
Posted 34 days ago.
