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...

[Crusader-Rob]

Nice Looks good to me.

[Crusader-Rob]

This is a post for the the big Barleywine brewers.
I'm interested in testing the boundaries of what is generally acceptable, and I was interested in making an 11% version of the Arrogant Bastard Ale (Stones released this as the Double Bastard)
The original uses 100% Chinook, and the talk online suggests there is an additional hops in there somewhere, most likely centennial. there's also alot of talk about dry-hopping on a beer such as this.
Ab uses Chinook in equal amounts at 90-45-15-0, my though process is for such a large beer to eliminate the 45 addition, and bitter highly with chinook at 90, with a 100g flameout addition, split 50/50 between chinook and Centennial. Thoughts on this, and should I stick with the 15 min addition? 
what I have so far:
11kg Pale Malt
0.7kg Special B
0.1kg Acid Malt (0.9%)
90min addition Chinook ??g
15min addition Chinook ??g
00min addition 50g Chinook/ 50g Centennial
yeast: Closest stone yeast is WLP007, but for simplicity reasons I will be able to Harvest either M07 from MJ, or Some US-05 from a porter.
Help anyone?

[Cain Harland]

I posted a recipe here a while back and didn't get feed back, still haven't brewed yet, will have to soon or I will have to buy beer (tragic). Rather than re posting the recipe I will ask the question more specifically, what do people think of the idea of an IPA (either west coast style or rye I haven't decided) with a hop combo of Waimea, Nelson Sauvin and Galaxy?

I might bitter with pacific jade or warrior if I have some (other wise use Waimea and Nelson Sauvin) to 25IBUs @60min. People seem to be against bittering with sauvin but both Mikes - full nelson and Liberty - sauvignon bomb are fantastic beers.

Then get the rest of 50 - 60IBU out of late editions of a Waimea, Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy combo. And a decent dry hop of that combo.

It will be fruity, but too fruit salady?

[Damon Colbert]

I say give it a go, and find out.

You'll lose a fair amount of the flavour from a 60 min addition anyway, so I wouldn't be too worried about your bittering choice.  I think overdoing Sauvin is maybe more to do with how much/how often you add it at the end of the boil.

[Cain Harland]

Centennial or Amarillo in a RyePA with Columbus and Simcoe

After brewing the NZ PA above (thanks for the encouragement Damon I will just give it a go) I will brew an American RyePA not to heavy on the rye still pale ale based but with a good amount of rye, cara rye and special B in there.

I did a black IPA which was going to be Centennial, Columbus, Simcoe but due to Centennial being out of stock it was Amarillo, Columbus, Simcoe. That worked out pretty well so going to hop the rye along similar lines the question is do I stick with the Amarillo or use Centennial as the original black recipe. The reason I ask is I have no experience with Centennial at all other than enjoying a couple of beers with it in.

[David R]

I did a rype-PA similar to the recipe I posted at the top of this page with Columbus/Simcoe/Amarillo and it was bloody good. Can't comment on whether the Centennial would be a worth-while addition, but those three are a pretty solid combo for hoppy US-style beers. Both Amarillo and Centennial are somewhat "fruity" so will work with the "piny" Simcoe and the "dank" Columbus if used in equal portions.

[Sam DT]

Finally getting around to putting down pilsners for the summer months, figure I might as well make the most of my fermentation fridge being out of action for six weeks or so so will make three batches over several days. I’ve picked up three grain bills which seem to have stood the test of time from around the forum but am going to have a crack at my own hop schedule. I’m a sucker for punishment so while these will be my first lagers I’m keen to jump straight into step mashing.

Basic outline:

Targeting 23.5L into fermenters - Bo Pils type profiles: OGs: 1.052 - 1.048 - IBUs: 40ish

Mash:

Step mash by infusion:

50 deg 20mins

64 deg 30 mins

70 deg 30 mins

78 deg 10 mins

Hops:

Have a kg of mot so keen to use that for the backbone but thinking of adding some Nelson Sauvin for a little more dimension. Aiming to go relatively late

Mot: 30g @ 30mins

Mot: 30g @ 15mins

NS: 8g @ 15 mins

Mot: 30g @ 5mins

NS: 8g @ 5 mins

Mot: 30g @ 0mins

NS: 8g @ 0 mins

Mot: 20g @ D-rest

NS: 8g @ D-rest

Fermentation:

Aiming to use WLP800 4L starters, pitch and ferment at recommended temps + 3 day D-rest. Primary only fermentation & lagering.

Few questions:

Any thoughts on mash schedule?

Any thoughts on hop schedule?

For dry hopping (I know it isn’t traditional) would addition at D-rest a day prior to lagering and then leaving in to bottling be the way to go? I figure lower temps should hopefully suppress grassiness I might otherwise get from leaving them in for a month

[Mark Weusten]

Hey Sam, in my limited experience of 2 pseudo pilsners and one real one it looks tasty. I cant comment on the mash as I didn't step but the hop schedule looks nice. I tried to get too tricky and added 4 hops to my last one, Pacific Jade, Mot, NS and Riwaka and while it tasted good early now is just too bitter. My second one was all Riwaka with late additions and its much better even though it wasnt lagered. I think your hop schedule will work well and I wouldn't dry hop it personally.

[Peter Smith]

Pils Malt possibly 3-5% carahell or carapils mixture (I would avoid any crystal or melanoiden) 1kg of munich malt goes well in the more bitter ones,  Mot goes well with Southern Cross  = amounts at 60 , 30 , 20 , flame out.   Any of the noble hops would go well for a traditional example.   

I don't think it needs DH if done well, but it depends on your taste... no rules in modern brewing, create your own style     that said  You are after flavour not aroma IMHO   to much aroma can disappoint as it can promise a more floral beer is to follow..    IBU 45-55   depending on taste.  Good luck.    

I bottled all of mine, no additional yeast 2 carb drops and they where best after about 2.5 months in the bottle, it was winter, expect if over summer 5-6 weks in bottle be awesome.  Amazing head on real larger yeasts is magic, in a tall cold glass.....

[Crusader-Rob]

Based on the recipes I've seen around a very small amount of Melanoidin helps with colour and malt dimension.
My most recent I ran with the following
4.9kg Pils
150g Acid for ph (change depending on your water.)
100g Melanoidin
250g Cara-pils.

chjeck out Douglas' winning pils recipe Here.
it got 44/50 and he step mashed.

[Peter Smith]

Lots of forums say that Melanoidin can help add maltiness if not doing a decotion etc etc  BUT how do you know if you are missing it in the first place???   I would go gladdies pils if doing new world hoppy pils go german pils malt if pure noble classic style is the goal, gladdies pils turns out darker then I expected

[Sam DT]

Thanks for the advice and feedback,

I've dropped the the DH and will up all the all the NS additions 13 for the first and 10's for the second two, I'll stick around 40 IBU as I'll be sharing with the family over Christmas

Step mash wise I'm going: to go for

55 (15 min),

64(30 min) - by infusion

70 (30 mins), - by direct heat

77 (10 mins) - by direct heat

Am going to try and knock them out during the week mashing before work and getting close to boil post mash-out to inactivate all the enzymes and throw the boil on when I get home from work.

Grain bills below - from Dougal, Peter & James P recipes - have added some carapils to the second two. Upon reflection the second one (James P) Pale malt was listed so I took it as Pale ale which possibly wasn't the right way to go (puts color just over the Bo Pils style guidelines) but should hopefully be a good contrast for the other two lighter beers. From what I remember it was a clone of Hop Rocker which from memory is relatively dark anyway. Besides they're all measured and crushed now so I'm locked in.

Have gone for a double crush so hoping that with the step mash I'll get 75% + which may take me up to around 1.052 OG. Had to run with Wyeast 2007 as couldn't get my hands on WLP 800. Beersmith is estimating a FG of 1.017 which is higher than I'd expect but hopefully my 4L starters should knock it down a little.

NZ Pilsner 1	Kg
Gladfield Pilsner	4.90
Cara Pils	0.26
Melanoidin	0.07
Acid Malt	0.15
Total:	5.38
NZ Pilsner 2	Kg
Gladfield Pale Ale	4.20
Gladfield Munich	0.58
Gladfield Light Crystal	0.35
Cara Pils	0.26
Acid Malt	0.15
Total:	5.53
NZ Pilsner 3	Kg
Gladfield Pilsner	4.00
Gladfield Ale Malt	1.00
Cara Pils	0.26
Acid Malt	0.15
Total:	5.41