German Ale "Altbeir?" Recipe

**efreem01** · 10-07-2007, 12:26 AM

Hi All,

Tomorrow is my first time doing an all-grain batch of beer and i was gonna throw up my recipe and see what everyone thought of it. I added two extra pounds of Munich Malt (was planning on 8lbs) because i'm worried about efficiency. Last time i did a partial mash with my bucket MLT, i got 60% efficiency. For tomorrow i'm going to do a mash-out which i hope will up my efficiency somewhat.

Here it goes:
Amount Item Type % or IBU
10.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 83.3 %
1.00 lb Carahell (3.0 SRM) Grain 8.3 %
2.00 oz Tettnang [4.50%] (60 min) Hops 30.2 IBU
1.00 lb Candi Sugar, Clear (0.5 SRM) Sugar 8.3 %
1 Pkgs European Ale (Wyeast Labs #1338) [Starter 1000 ml] Yeast-Ale

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0
Est Original Gravity: 1.068 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.020 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.2 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.6 %
Bitterness: 30.2 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 11.1 SRM Color: Color

Iordz · 10-07-2007, 04:40 AM

I would not use that much munich, your recipe looks like an Ofest with an ale yeast. Use a pils or pale base malt, with a hint of munich for complexity. An alt beer is supposed to be quite dry and refreshing, so good call with the small addition of sugar.

**azmtnbiker** · 10-07-2007, 04:48 AM

I would cut the munich in half with some pils and lose the candi sugar. IMO there is no need for candi sugar in an alt. I would also switch the carahell out for a darker crystal and use 1/2lbs at most.
I like 1338 for an alt but after doing a side by side comparison of 1338 vs 1007 the 1007 is hands down the winner. I would also mash at around 150 so it finishes dry.

**efreem01** · 10-07-2007, 06:05 PM

I put up an earlier version of this recipe before and didn't really know what style it should be. I made a few changes, and thought i'd try it as an experiment. I really enjoyed a beer at a local brewpub which was a german brown ale "with a little bit of candy sugar for sweetness".

For Hops, i'm going with 2.5 oz at 60 and .5 oz at 15 minutes. The Tettnang hops i have are only 3% aa. I calculate that at 31 IBU. I'm mashing the grains right now, the temp 32 minutes in was 154. My Bucket MLT is dripping which i hope wont mess up my efficiency. I would buy the cooler MLT/HLT from morebeer, but they're out of stock!

I'm going to mash out at 168 and see what i come up with in 6 weeks! :-) I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for the feedback. For my second revision, i'm going for a more "brown ale" approach. This is my first All-Grain brewing experience and i'm psyched.