Newbie Update

[bpgreen]

The Vienna lager kit is suposed to be a sort of oktoberfest style beer, so it's designed to be a bit darker than what you`ve probably been drinking (assuming you`ve been drinking the same mass produced beers most of us drank for years).

You said it was past its best by date. There's a chemical reaction called the maillard reaction that causes liquid extract to darken (and also become a little less fermentable) over time. So it's probably a little darker than originally designed.

As for your hops, I see nothing to object with regards to any of them. It realy all boils down to what you want from them.

Since you said you don't want to shke things up too much for your dad, the hallertauer might be the best option. It's going to punch things up a bit, but it won't be as pronounced as some of the other options.

[Luthrose]

Awesome, thanks! Do I add the whole pack of hops? Each package is 1oz.

And I more than likely have been drinking the mass produced stuff, though Smithwick's is a dark amber color, similar to Sam Adam's Boston Lager. The Vienna Lager I brewed was extremely dark, nearly black. Reminded me of Guinness Draught color-wise. Not taste-wise though. Nothing wrong with the brew as far as I can tell, no "weird" flavors or anything, so I would agree it probably is the maillard reaction going on. Still totally worth the $4!

I did forget to mention, after about 10 years, I tried a Guinness once again and I decided I decidedly do not like it. I don't know what terms I'm looking for, but it lacked something I like in other beers. I want to say carbonation, but it had quite a head on it so I'm guessing that isn't it. Maybe it's body? I don't know. It was too smooth for my liking. Almost like drinking a flavored water or tea or cold coffee. Nothing against Guinness! I know tons of people love it. Just not my personal mug of brew.

[berryman]

Awesome, thanks! Do I add the whole pack of hops? Each package is 1oz.

Glad you are doing good and enjoying this brewing hobby. When dry hopping, You will get more of the hop smell and some of the taste from that particular strain , it doesn't give more bitterness but might make you think it does. On the Vienna style..... https://www.craftbeer.com/styles/vienna-style-lager

[mashani]

I did forget to mention, after about 10 years, I tried a Guinness once again and I decided I decidedly do not like it. I don't know what terms I'm looking for, but it lacked something I like in other beers. I want to say carbonation, but it had quite a head on it so I'm guessing that isn't it. Maybe it's body? I don't know. It was too smooth for my liking. Almost like drinking a flavored water or tea or cold coffee. Nothing against Guinness! I know tons of people love it. Just not my personal mug of brew.

FYI there are many types of Guinness. The pub draft in cans is low alcohol low body, nitrous primed (lots of very small bubbles). It's like the "session beer" version of it, IE the beer you'd go to the pub with your buds and drink 2 pints of at a time and go home feeling just fine. The extra stout in bottles is almost 2x the alcohol, has much more body and character, and a stronger amount of the "tang" flavor. The export version is even more so. They are really not alike at all, so you might want to try the other types one day. By your description I think you had the pub draft kind. Also drinking the extra stout and export version a bit warmer (even quite a bit warmer, think more like mid 50s / cellar temps vs. fridge temps) will really bring out a lot of character. (don't try this with the pub draft in cans unless you pour them and let them sit or they might explode foam all over the place when opened).

[Kealia]

Opinions are going to vary, but based on what you said here's what I would do:

1) Mexican Cerveza: Since you're looking for fruit, I'd use the 1oz of Citra.
2) American Light Lager: I'd go with the 1oz of Comet.

I've found that Mandarina Bavaria is pretty tame and you need a boatload of it to even notice it, so I think 1oz as a dry hop would be a waste.

Again, opinions are going to vary here.

[Luthrose]

Thanks for the suggestions and info.

Regarding the Mandarina Bavaria, if that's the case about needing a lot to notice it, I'll probably skip getting it as a dry hop from now on. That leads to the question of...what do I do with this single pack I have? lol

I usually ferment for about 3 weeks, when should I dry hop? After the first week, or for the last week? And what would the differences be for both?

[Kealia]

All good questions. I would just use the MB in conjunction with something else. I know a few brewers here who will agree on the point that it's VERY mild as a dry hop. So just toss it in with another one. That being said, if you just a want a 'little something different' for the Mexican Lager, maybe that's a good use of it instead of the Comet.

When to dry hop is.....quite the discussion in the brewing world right now. If you want something like a NEIPA that's hazy, you can dry hop near the end of fermentation - say day 5. If you're looking for more WCIPA, then wait until after fermentation is done. I prefer the latter, so for my taste, I would give the beer 2 weeks to ferment and let the yeast drop out a bit before dry hopping. So, maybe around day 14 or 17. 3 days should give you plenty of time for the dry-hop.

If you have the ability to cold crash the fermenter(s) after your dry hop is done, that will help with beer clarity.

[berryman]

I usually ferment for about 3 weeks, when should I dry hop? After the first week, or for the last week? And what would the differences be for both?

On most beers 3-5 days before bottle, after most of the fermentation is done. I said most beers because on a NEIPA style you can start dry hopping on day 3, but that is a whole nother subject.
EDit: I was typing and Kealia gave you a good answer.

[Luthrose]

Hey everyone! It's been a while, hope everyone has been having a good summer!

Thank you everyone that gave me their advice! It was really helpful!

The beers I dry hopped did NOT turn out as I expected. In fact, nothing went the way I expected, and I think that's a good thing! I now know what happens when you don't put your hop pellets in a muslin sack when dry hopping. I now know the REAL difference between aroma and taste. I now know what my favorite smell is (I couldn't stop smelling the pack of hop pellets after I'd opened them and felt a little sad when I threw them away). All in all it was a great learning experience, and it DID end in really great and interesting tasting beers.

I expected an American Light Lager and Mexican Lager with a little fruity taste. What I got seemed to be much closer to what you all said, hazy IPAs with a pungent aroma. Not a bad aroma, just very noticeable. For the Mexican I used Citra, and for the American Light I used the Comet I believe. I thought I would have help drinking them but I decided to stop waiting on others and am going through 4 gallons of beer so that I have bottles ready in 3 weeks for my autumn brews.

I also didn't know that dry hopping would darken my beers quite a bit. I assumed the hops wouldn't add to the color, but they both came out more of an amber color than the light golden color I expected.
That isn't to say I'm disappointed, not at all. The beer is quite refreshing and very tasty!

Also, small tip for new brewers and funny story for the more experienced brewers here, don't even try to use coffee filters to attempt filtering the beer during bottling. It's possible, and it gets all of the large hop flakes out, but IT TAKES FOREVER. Like, seriously, forever. Plus your hands come out smelling very hoppy.

My autumn brews next is a dunkel, a pumpkin lager, and an oktoberfest. I'm borrowing my cousin's LBK to ferment the third. Is it bad that I'm actually considering buying a THIRD LBK? I have autumn and spring brews already planned.

I'm going on a cruise at the end of September so im hoping to have everything bottled before then. The Dunkel actually uses a different yeast, and I'm going to have to figure out how to keep my LBK temp between 50-59F. Anyone with experience with the Mr. Beer keg, will the wet shirt over the keg with a fan bother it, or should I be ok doing that?

What is everyone up to? What are you brewing? Any experiments or anything you're excited about?