Recipe Advice Thread

[denimglen]

Thought it might be handy to have a thread for some of the more advanced brewers to give some advice on recipes.

Let's see how it goes eh...

[Kevin Sharp]

You say that, but if you're brewing Stonecutter you will need to dress for it.

[Crusader-Rob]

Wow, Really?! I don't get much smokiness on the nose. Any other insights on a recipe or something that resembles a recipe kevin?

[Kevin Sharp]

I don't have a full recipe I'm afraid. Just a few insights from visiting the brewery. Last time I was there I was told about the peated malt and went straight next door to the bar and got a pint of Stonecutter. Once you know the peat is there it's quite easy to find. In such a small quantities it doesn't come across as peat smoke - just a kind of earthy richness in the background.

Whether peated malt belongs in a Scotch Ale is a very contentious issue. The most persuasive argument I've heard is that there's no evidence of it in mainstream Scottish beers, but just like whiskey the north east and the islands would have had little else to kiln malt with so it's probably traditional there. Skull Splitter from Orkney is heavily peated. 

Notwithstanding all that, the style police rarely visit home breweries , so the best thing you can do is brew what you like. I'm very partial to a pint that tastes like it might have a shot of Laphroaig in it.

[Peter Church]

All good William, the first post was done in a rush as I shot out the door for the weekend and a bit of healthy debate is exactly what i was looking for. My starting point was a aussie home brewer recipe and then modified based on reading an interview with the brewer, 60% base malt and then layers of specialty grains to 40%, I dont doubt the layering needs some tweaking but thats why I put the post out so thanks for the input

[Peter Church]

based on the feedback I think I will go with the stonecutter clone off beersmith, seems to be a reasonable place to start although the yeast will be swapped for 1968

http://beersmithrecipes.com/viewrecipe/514308/stonecutter-clone

[David R]

Brewing an English IPA tomorrow, third brew on the Grainfather. Recipe as follows, I'm just not 100% certain on the hops. I'm used to brewing US IPAs so [by comparison] it doesn't seem like enough, but I'm aware you don't want to go overboard with the earthy English flavours. Also not quite sure how much Challenger I want to use in relation to the EKG, I've never used it before, or EKG in this sort of beer for that matter! And lastly, dry hops, or no dry hops and a slightly larger FO/steep addition to compensate?

Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.4 %
Bitterness: 35.9 IBUs
Est Color: 9.6 SRM

Ingredients

Amt	Name	Type	#	%/IBU
4.80 kg	Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM)	Grain	1	85.7 %
0.45 kg	Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)	Grain	2	8.0 %
0.19 kg	Amber Malt (22.0 SRM)	Grain	3	3.4 %
0.16 kg	Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM)	Grain	4	2.9 %
30.00 g	East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min	Hop	5	17.5 IBUs
25.00 g	East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.80 %] - Boil 30.0 min	Hop	6	11.2 IBUs
20.00 g	East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.80 %] - Boil 10.0 min	Hop	7	4.2 IBUs
8.00 g	Challenger [8.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min	Hop	8	2.3 IBUs
30.00 g	East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.80 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 10.0 min	Hop	9	3.2 IBUs
10.00 g	Challenger [8.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 10.0 min	Hop	10	1.5 IBUs
1.0 pkg	Burton Union Yeast (Mangrove Jack's #M79)	Yeast	11	-
30.00 g	East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.80 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days	Hop	12	0.0 IBUs
10.00 g	Challenger [8.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days	Hop	13	0.0 IBUs

		Hop	10	0.0 IBUs

[David R]

"Use Up The Left Over Hops" session IPA. After whats there I've got another 35g Columbus, 85g Cascade and 60g Amarillo to play with. Any suggestions/improvements to the hop schedule? Tossing up adding some Columbus dry as well...

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 23.00 l
Boil Size: 28.00 l
Boil Time: 60 min
Efficiency: 73.00 %
Est Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.2 %
Bitterness: 44.4 IBUs
Est Color: 6.5 SRM

Ingredients

Amt	Name	Type	#	%/IBU
3.00 kg	Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)	Grain	1	62.0 %
1.20 kg	Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)	Grain	2	24.8 %
0.60 kg	Carared (20.0 SRM)	Grain	3	12.4 %
0.04 kg	Acid Malt (3.0 SRM)	Grain	4	0.8 %
28.00 g	Columbus (Tomahawk) [15.20 %] - Boil 15.0 min	Hop	5	22.5 IBUs
28.00 g	Cascade [6.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min	Hop	6	7.4 IBUs
28.00 g	Cascade [6.90 %] - Boil 5.0 min	Hop	7	4.1 IBUs
40.00 g	Amarillo [8.40 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 3.0 min	Hop	8	2.2 IBUs
40.00 g	Citra [14.10 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 3.0 min	Hop	9	3.7 IBUs
40.00 g	Simcoe [12.10 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 3.0 min	Hop	10	3.2 IBUs
20.00 g	Riwaka [6.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 5.0 min	Hop	11	1.3 IBUs
1.0 pkg	British Ale Yeast (Mangrove Jack's #M07)	Yeast	12	-
30.00 g	Amarillo [8.40 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days	Hop	13	0.0 IBUs
20.00 g	Cascade [6.90 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days	Hop	14	0.0 IBUs
20.00 g	Citra [14.10 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days	Hop	15	0.0 IBUs
20.00 g	Riwaka [6.00 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days	Hop	16	0.0 IBUs

Note I'll actually be doing the whirlpool/hop stand for more like 20-25 minutes, but I've found Beersmith seems to over-estimate the IBUs if I put that time in (at least for my set-up/palate).

[Crusader-Rob]

switch up the choc and crystal.

[Richard Rice]

This is my recipe, loosely based off Yeastie Boys PKB.

 

75.3% Pale Malt(2-row)

6.0% Melanoidin

12.5% Crystal 90

3.7% Pale Chocolate Malt

2.5% Black Patent Malt

As for the licorice...why?  Have you tried a licorice porter before?  I'd think it would go better with the drier, more coffee style bitterness of a dry irish stout.

[Crusader-Rob]

Licorice would go nicely with darker beers, not just stouts etc.
But TBH it woulc probalby get lost in the array of sweetness chocolate and toast roastynewss.

[Richard Rice]

Sounds like it can't hurt!  Give it a go...either you achieve your point of difference or you end up with a really nice stout.  Win win, right?

[Richard Rice]

If it was something that could potentially screw up your beer, I'd be more concerned, but otherwise, it's going in the boil, bugs will be killed, flavour will be extracted.  If it's lost in the flavour of the beer...who cares?  What did you lose?