Help w/ a recipe

I posted a recipe up here a few weeks ago and it wasn't any good from the get go, so I've decided to just start over, and let you guys help me out.

I need an easy drinker on the sweet side for my GF. I've been making nothing but IPAs and hoppy PAs lately so it's time for something we can both drink.

I can partial mash, and I buy all of my ingredients one recipe at a time so really anything is ok.

I do already have some cascade, centennial, and Kent Goldings hops - so it would be good to use some of those up.

I was thinking an amber style, using some crysyal, and maybe some Carafa special II? I would also like to add a touch of honey malt in there as I know she would enjoy that. Hopefully we can come up with something that is on the sweet side, but light and crisp enough to be sessionable.

Anyone have a recipe or any suggestions?

Sounds like a good English mild or bitter would do the job.

how about something like:
7lbs 2-row
1lb munich
0.5lb C60
0.5lb honey malt
1-2oz carafa (depending how deep of amber you want)
1oz centennial @60
0.25-0.5oz cascade @15
0.25-0.5oz cascade @0
wyeast 1318
mash @154F
1.05OG, 30IBUs

to make it PM, just swap in 0.6lb DME (or 0.75lb LME) for each lb 2-row

dcp27 said:

how about something like:
7lbs 2-row
1lb munich
0.5lb C60
0.5lb honey malt
1-2oz carafa (depending how deep of amber you want)
1oz centennial @60
0.25-0.5oz cascade @15
0.25-0.5oz cascade @0
wyeast 1318
mash @154F
1.05OG, 30IBUs

to make it PM, just swap in 0.6lb DME (or 0.75lb LME) for each lb 2-row

Click to expand...

I vote this. Going to have to brew this myself.

dcp27 said:

how about something like:
7lbs 2-row
1lb munich
0.5lb C60
0.5lb honey malt
1-2oz carafa (depending how deep of amber you want)
1oz centennial @60
0.25-0.5oz cascade @15
0.25-0.5oz cascade @0
wyeast 1318
mash @154F
1.05OG, 30IBUs

to make it PM, just swap in 0.6lb DME (or 0.75lb LME) for each lb 2-row

Click to expand...

That looks pretty damn good. I am getting closer to 50 IBUs using rager so I may back down on the Cent @ 60. Everything else looks pretty much perfect though.

When I made BM's blonde I doubled the hops, and you can REALLY taste the cent in that one (i used 1/2oz @ 60 and a 1/2oz @ 30), but that recipe was:

7# 2-row
.5# vienna
.75# carapils
.5# crystal 10

With this recipe having 10pts higher gravity, and a lot more crystal, the cent shouldn't stand out as much, right?

Thanks for the help guys...this looks good.

oh ya, def cut back the bittering then, I was just guessing on the AAs anyway. the cent should be pretty tame

Thanks, dcp27. I will probably brew this up tomorrow. One question: Do I need to add some 2-row to the mash? I'm pretty sure the crystal and honey will do fine, but what about the munich? My LHBS carries Weyermann - I'll probably use the lighter one.

Thanks again for the help.

This is what I've got so far:

April's Amber

% LB OZ Malt or Fermentable ppg °L
69% 5 0 Muntons Light Dry Malt Extract info 44 5 ~
14% 1 0 Munich Malt info 37 9 ~
9% 0 8 Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L info 34 60 ~
7% 0 8 Gambrinus Honey Malt info 28 25 ~
2% 0 2 Weyermann De-Husked Carafa II info 34 430 ~

Batch size: 5.5 gallons Original Gravity
1.050 / 12.4° Plato (1.046 to 1.053)
Final Gravity
1.014 / 3.6° Plato (1.012 to 1.015)
Color
14° SRM / 27° EBC
(Copper to Red/Lt. Brown)
Mash Efficiency
75%


HOPS
use time oz variety form aa
boil 60 mins 0.8 Centennial info pellet 8.7
boil 15 mins 0.5 Cascade info pellet 6.0
boil 5 mins 0.5 Cascade info pellet 6.0

Boil: 4.0 avg gallons for 60 minutes Bitterness
35 IBU / 7 HBU
ƒ: Rager
BU:GU
0.68
yeast
Safale US-05 Dry
73% attenuation

Alcohol
4.9% ABV / 4% ABW
Calories
169 per 12 oz.

misc
use time amount ingredient
boil 15 min 1 ea Whirlfloc Tablet info

AFAIK, honey malt cant convert itself, but I have seen some people report that it can. IIRC, the 9SRM munich should have just enough diastatic power to take care of it as well as itself, but adding in a lil 2-row wouldnt hurt. personally, id drop the DME to 3lbs and add in 3lbs 2-row if you can fit it, or does DME come in 5lb packs?

dcp27 said:

AFAIK, honey malt cant convert itself, but I have seen some people report that it can. IIRC, the 9SRM munich should have just enough diastatic power to take care of it as well as itself, but adding in a lil 2-row wouldnt hurt. personally, id drop the DME to 3lbs and add in 3lbs 2-row if you can fit it, or does DME come in 5lb packs?

Click to expand...

It actually comes in 3lb bags so that would work better. I've just had some trouble with my mash temps last go 'round so I was leaving as little as possible to rest on my abilities. Lol.

I'm pretty confident I know what I did wrong though so I'll mash the 2-row. The beer will turn out much better for it. Any thoughts on maybe stepping the carafa II up to carafa III to try and get more red than brown? Or any other ways I could do so without getting too roasty?

Thanks for the help man.

using special or dehusked carafa would reduce the roast. adding it just before the sparge or cold steeping it would as well. the dehusked stuff is pretty mild tho so you prolly don't need to do any of that unless you want no roast

Ya I'm definitely going to used the dehusked stuff, I was just wondering about the difference of II and III?