TrannyRock

Recipes 

Thanks for all the advice. As much forethough/time/money/etc. as I'm putting into this, I need to be producing some drinkable beer.

FYI - Austin Homebrew lists Progress hops in their catalog. That's where I'm ordering all this stuff from.

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Brewery Ex Nusquam


Under consideration: Gibbs (Stout), Maxwell (IPA), Boltzmann (Dunkelweiss - slightly smoky)
On Deck: Lord Kelvin (ESB), Rankine (Scotch-Bock)
Primary: Clausius (calling it "Munich Dunkel")
Kegged: Nernst (Festbier)

flyangler18

Recipes 

The Chinook are most certainly out of place; the bitterness from that hop can be quite harsh and off-putting. If you'd like to use a high-AA% variety, Galena is an excellent choice and quite clean. Progress is a good choice as well.

As far as the grain bill, I'd suggest trimming down to the Biscuit to just a few ounces to add a complementary touch without being overpowering. It's powerful stuff. I'm not sure that the oats will be adding anything, so I'd leave them out. You're missing a vital ingredient- crystal malt! Between a .5 lb and 1 lb will be perfect; my own ESB recipe uses both crystal 40L (8 oz)and 120L(4 oz).

What is your BU:GU ratio? I'd target a ratio of .80 for an ESB, perhaps slightly higher.