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...

[Michael]

US-04 puts out  a lot more esters. Especially whilst we are in the summer, you will want to control your temps quite well for a good IPA or APA IMO. I also find the attenuation on it if not quite as good as US-05.

[Kelly Milligan]

Agreed here, I've used them both a  few times each and the US-05 can finish really dry (awesome for APA's). I think the S-04 is really good too, but it's of a very english style. I wouldn't use it for an american inspired beer, but I've used it for a vanilla porter and an IPA and both turned out very good :) Using a WYeast 1335 for my next batch, cant wait to see how that goes! was at Galbraiths tonight for a bit of 'inspiration'.... ;)

[Scarrfie]

Let me know how this turns out with the Brambling Cross hops. I was down in AK on Friday and detoured to Brewers Coop to get some hops. It is great there because they have them in bulk in the fridge and I was able to go through and stick my nose in a few to see what else I liked that I could try. Brambling Cross jumped out at me and I plan do use them in an ESB with PG for bittering. They smelt to me like a cross between fuggles and NZ Halletau but more mild than the NZ hops.

I have used SO-4 exclusively for my ales because I didn't know any better when I started. I got some Windsor to try on Friday and will brew an identical batch to try and get a comparison. S-04 doesn't seem to be liked, but I have a couple of very nice beers from it. To me it seems to suit darker beers better than lighter, so maybe you should take Joel's advice. 

[Sam]

Used up a kit I had sitting around in the weekend but just got all the ingredients for the batch today so I'll let ya know how it turns out. Although I haven't used any of these hops before so might be hard to pick out the Brambling Cross. A bit worried though as the Brambling Cross I got has an AA of 4.9, its meant to be 13g of 6% Brambling Cross at 30min! Should I be upping the level of it to compensate? Although I guess that might add to much more flavour of that hop compared to what was intended

[Mark Goodin]

Hey all,

Relatively new to Grain brewing and have always followed a recipe...

Just playing around with Brewmate and trying to come up with my own recipe based on what I have got.

Please let me know if this sounds ok or not...I am not 100% sure of which hops go well together, but the following is whats in my freezer.

Any advice welcome! Cheers


American Pale Ale (or Amber Ale)...

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20.0
Total Grain (kg): 5.000
Total Hops (g): 88.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.055 (°P): 13.6
Final Gravity (FG): 1.014 (°P): 3.6
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.40 %
Colour (SRM): 8.3 (EBC): 16.4
Bitterness (IBU): 41.9 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 70
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
3.600 kg Maris Otter Malt (72%)
1.000 kg Munich I (20%)
0.250 kg Carapils (Dextrine) (5%)
0.150 kg Caramunich I (3%)

Hop Bill
----------------
8.0 g Pacific Jade Pellet (15.2% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
15.0 g Amarillo Pellet (8.6% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (0.8 g/L)
15.0 g Nelson Sauvin Pellet (11.5% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (0.8 g/L)
20.0 g Amarillo Pellet (8.6% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil) (1 g/L)
30.0 g Motueka Pellet (6.8% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil) (1.5 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------
Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes.
Fermented at 18°C with US-05

[MrC]

Recipe looks pretty solid to me and would make a pretty decent beer exactly as it stands.

The only changes I'd make would be personal preferences such as:

- split the 15min hops in half and add the other half at the end of the boil 

- reduce the munich malt down to about 300g and increase the base malt to achieve the same OG

- dry hop it

[Mark Goodin]

thanks mate for the advice...I tend to agree about the munich and MO...

I will most likely dry hop it but will wait until I can taste/smell it out of the FV. But the more aroma the better IMO.

Combination of Amarillo and Motueka for DH or just Motueka?

Cheers

[MrC]

If your plan is to test the combo of Mot & Amarillo, I'd stick with the combo & ratio to match the other additions.

[jt]

Contemplating the low gravity beer and wondering how Munich will go as a base malt
I'd usually go something like 85% malteurop 15% Caramalt or crystal in a paler one or in a darker one I'd add say 5% choccies

I suspect that using Munich as the base  I may need to back the Cara/crystal back a bit, any suggestions, comments, opinions ?

cheers, jt

[jt]

Alright, a days contemplation lead to a recipe and an order to pick up from the brewhouse in Newtown tomorrow. I'm totally disorganised as far as yeast goes, would have loved to have some Windsor on hand but I'll have a look at the liquids in the fridge in Newtown tomorrow. Leaning towards a whitbread ale as the first choice W1968 appears to be out of stock though I have a fondness for the Thames Valley too.

[Scarrfie]

Can't really help you with that recipe jt, but my only suggestion would be chocolate would compliment the Munich with those toasty notes better than crystal. Crystal perhaps just for balance. Noob advice though:) Must say I am loving chocolate at the moment and put 100gms into my ESB's. I did an Irish Red experiment a couple of weeks back and the thing is that is has the choc in there but I didn't put any in. Must be from the Roasted Barley, but that was only 50g.

[jt]

I like pale chocolate along with the chocolate, nice and smooth.
Looking at something like 10% crystal (may go down to 5%) 5% mixed chocolates handful of black and balance Munich
Sauvin ro bitter and then cascade and motueka (maybe a a little sauvin too) late
1032ish with an as yet unknown yeast. Hopeflly something low attenuating so I get a nice high FG and a big bodied beer under 3%