Tell me about Ice Beers

[VegasScott]

Okay all you brew meisters...

I've got a question for you! I'm not a huge fan of all the micro brews. Maybe it's just my inexperienced pallet, but I just did a pub tour of Portland and I gotta say I did not like most of what I had. Most were too hoppy or bitter.

While you true beer connoisseurs, might scoff at my choice in beer, but my favorite beer I've had in my 18 years of legal drinking is Labatts Ice.

What is the sccop on the Ice Beers? Since I moved away from the NE, I can NOT get Labatts in Las Vegas.

Is it possible to brew a similar beer at home? Or should I keep having friends and family "smuggle" me some in from New York?

VegasScott

 

[Wade E]

You will need a freezer or frisge to brew a lager and cloning a lager is much much harder to do believe it or not. That being said yopu can make a very very good lager at home. Below is a link to how Ice beers are made.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1208/whats-the-deal-with-ice-beer

 

[VegasScott]

Intresting. I wonder if the "icing" process changes the flavor at all?

I saw that my baby above is now being brewed in the US in my hometown! Genesee Brewing Co. which is now called something else since they were purchased. Next trip "home" I'm going to leave the seneca lake vinyards for a day trip for a brewery tour!

VegasScott

 

[Wade E]

It probably just brings out the flavor more.

 

[Larryh86GT]

Intresting. I wonder if the "icing" process changes the flavor at all?

I saw that my baby above is now being brewed in the US in my hometown! Genesee Brewing Co. which is now called something else since they were purchased. Next trip "home" I'm going to leave the seneca lake vinyards for a day trip for a brewery tour!

VegasScott

Ah memories of Cream Ale and pounders....But I am am Saranac fan now. I hope to head out to Las Vegas in a couple weeks for a visit with my brother so order some warm weather for us would ya?

 

[VegasScott]

Sure! No worries! Care to make it a beer run for me? I pay or trade for Labatts Ice!

VegasScott

 

[Larryh86GT]

Ha - Sorry but there's just going to be room in my checked luggage for a couple bottles of raspberry wine for my brother and SIL. You're going to have to come out here this summer for your Labatt's.

 

[milbrosa]

Scott, if you can make a lager, you can make an ice beer. You just make a lager you like, and partially freeze it and filter out the ice.

Generally speaking, it's a bit easier to brew an ale than a lager. So if you aren't already a brewer, I'd suggest you start with brewing lighter ales. Just as with wine, you can buy kits that have all the ingredients you need to make your own. Most people start with extract kits. Anything described as a "cream ale" will be light and not very bitter or hoppy. Just read the kit descriptions on sites like Austin Homebrew Supply or Northern Brewer, et. al.

On the other hand, if you have a spare freezer, you can convert it for lagering by plugging it in to a Johnson Temperature Controller. Then you can brew something like this Molson Ice kit.

There may well be other ice lager kits out there, I haven't looked. If you like brewing and decide to go "all-grain", which takes a considerable investment in equipment and some experience acquired over time, you can make any style of beer you like.

 

[VegasScott]

That's pretty interesting. Being new to all of this, I never knew that yu could get a licensed homebrew kit from any of the major breweries. Things are pretty hectic here in Vegas right now and I feel like I've go hundreds of irons in the fire. Once things settle down a bit, I'll have more time to investigate and place my eagerly awaited first order!

VegasScott

 

[Wade E]

They are not kits from tha brewery but a clone kit that will resemble and sometimes even taste exactly or even better then the actual beer. I brew a Apricot Wheat/Pale Ale that most people tell me is better then the Magic Hat #9 and the Ithaca commercial beer.

 

[joea132]

I always thought "Ice" just referred to having more alcohol content.

 

[milbrosa]

That's pretty much right. But from what I've read, it's usually done to a light lager of moderate bitterness and hop profile, so I would say that is also part of the style. An ice version of a Russian Imperial Stout wouldn't fit the general style characteristics.

Again, just based on what I've read, the way it's done is to partially freeze the beer and then strain or filter out the ice. Water freezes before alcohol does, so removing the ice concentrates and therefore raises the alcohol level.

Most ice beers are still pretty tame in terms of alcohol. They tend to land between 4.9 and 5.9 percent alcohol. That's about the same range as most of the ales I make. People who prefer ice beers only for their higher alcohol content might be just as well served by brewing higher gravity ales.