Need expert opinions and anyone else's :D

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Pommy

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Ok so here we go. Ive put together my first recipe, probably havent got it well balanced at all but it will only be my second home build extract to date and my first original recipe. So what Im asking you guys for is a general beer style (nice and easy) then a beer you could possibly compare to (extra points for UK beers) then just any advice of what i would expect the current recipe to taste like and finally what you reccommend to fix it :D

Cheers for the help and dont worry guys im not easilty offended so lets have fun with this :tank:

Here's the recipe for a 5 gallon batch:

6.6lb Light Malt Extract
2.2lb 40L Crystal Malt
1.5oz East Kent Golding (60 mins)
1.5oz Fuggles (15 mins)
1tsp (10 min)
Ale Yeast (S-04)

BeerSmith calculations for 60min boil:

OG: 1.040
FG: 1.011
Color: 12.8
IBU: 21.3
ABV: 3.9
 
Pommy said:
Ok so here we go. Ive put together my first recipe, probably havent got it well balanced at all but it will only be my second home build extract to date and my first original recipe. So what Im asking you guys for is a general beer style (nice and easy) then a beer you could possibly compare to (extra points for UK beers) then just any advice of what i would expect the current recipe to taste like and finally what you reccommend to fix it :D

Cheers for the help and dont worry guys im not easilty offended so lets have fun with this :tank:

Here's the recipe for a 5 gallon batch:

6.6lb Light Malt Extract
2.2lb 40L Crystal Malt
1.5oz East Kent Golding (60 mins)
1.5oz Fuggles (15 mins)
1tsp (10 min)
Ale Yeast (S-04)

BeerSmith calculations for 60min boil:

OG: 1.040
FG: 1.011
Color: 12.8
IBU: 21.3
ABV: 3.9
Click to expand...


You've got too much crystal malt in my opinion (.5-1 lbs should be plenty), other than that it looks like a solid English pale ale.

Your gravity estimate is also very low for the much extract, even without steeping grains you will probably be around 1.050. Is that 1 tsp of irish moss at 10 min?
 
Pommy said:
Ok so here we go. Ive put together my first recipe, probably havent got it well balanced at all but it will only be my second home build extract to date and my first original recipe. So what Im asking you guys for is a general beer style (nice and easy) then a beer you could possibly compare to (extra points for UK beers) then just any advice of what i would expect the current recipe to taste like and finally what you reccommend to fix it :D

Cheers for the help and dont worry guys im not easilty offended so lets have fun with this :tank:

Here's the recipe for a 5 gallon batch:

6.6lb Light Malt Extract
2.2lb 40L Crystal Malt
1.5oz East Kent Golding (60 mins)
1.5oz Fuggles (15 mins)
1tsp (10 min)
Ale Yeast (S-04)

BeerSmith calculations for 60min boil:

OG: 1.040
FG: 1.011
Color: 12.8
IBU: 21.3
ABV: 3.9
Click to expand...


I agree with the previous posters on the amount of Crystal. I would back off to 1 pound of Crystal, maybe even change to grain to a nice Aromotic which would add a nice profile to your English Ale type recipe.

I also believe your OG will be higher, approaching 1.058/59 for a true 5 gallon batch.

Both Hop choices are great, and I think you will be happy with how they affect the beer. I am not sure what AA% your hops are at, but I also calculate a higher IBU.

Overall, this will be a very nice drinkable bitter/pale ale. Two things to consider. First, switching to DME, if possible, may offer a "cleaner" beer, at least visually. Second, switching to a 90 minute boil may also improve your results. The S-04 is a great dry yeast for the British Ale styles.

Enjoy!:mug:
 
thanks for the tips guys, good to know im on the right track. I was wanting to use quite a lot of crystal malt so I pushed that out to see what people would say and its good to see I seem to have an understanding of putting together recipes. And yes it was Irish Moss :D

I was going for an English Bitter at the low end in terms of bitterness and colour with a caramel base, heres the new recipe:

6.6lb Light Malt Extract
1.1lb 40L Crystal Malt
1.5oz East Kent Golding (60 mins)
1.5oz Fuggles (15 mins)
1tsp Irish Moss(10 min)
Ale Yeast (S-04)

Are we looking better now? Please also bear in mind that I will be measuring in metric measurements so obviously the 1.1kg would be 500g etc. Also what OG/IBU/Alc% should I be expecting now in your opinions?

Cheers,

:mug:
 
How about if I drop 3.3lb of the light malt extract and use 2.2lb of dextrose? It would be cheaper and might help with allowing the caramel flavours to come through?
 
so that would be:

3.3lb Light Malt Extract
2.2lb Dextrose
1.1lb 40L Crystal Malt
1.5oz East Kent Golding (60 mins)
1.5oz Fuggles (15 mins)
1tsp Irish Moss(10 min)
Ale Yeast (S-04)
 
"6.6lb Light Malt Extract
1.1lb 40L Crystal Malt
1.5oz East Kent Golding (60 mins)
1.5oz Fuggles (15 mins)
1tsp Irish Moss(10 min)
Ale Yeast (S-04) "

If it's LME, then around 1.05 OG, 29IBUs, and 4.9% ABV
If it's DME, then around 1.06 OG, 25IBUs, and 5.9% ABV.
that's given its a 3gal boil, and 5gal batch.
 
Pommy said:
so that would be:

3.3lb Light Malt Extract
2.2lb Dextrose
1.1lb 40L Crystal Malt
1.5oz East Kent Golding (60 mins)
1.5oz Fuggles (15 mins)
1tsp Irish Moss(10 min)
Ale Yeast (S-04)
Click to expand...


In moderation sugar is a great addition to strong (particularly Belgian) ales. However, in a light beer like this you will end up with a beer too thin in both body and flavor (in my opinion).
 
One pound of the crystal will give PLENTY of caramel base. I did 2 pounds of crystal one time and regretted it. I'd keep the dextrose to a minimum. If you really want to use the dextrose then sub 1 pound of the extract for 1 pound of dextrose. I liked this one you posted though:

6.6lb Light Malt Extract
1.1lb 40L Crystal Malt
1.5oz East Kent Golding (60 mins)
1.5oz Fuggles (15 mins)
1tsp Irish Moss(10 min)
Ale Yeast (S-04)

I think you'd like the way that tastes (from what you've said). You'll get a great idea of taste from that recipe and you can use it to build off of for your next one. Maybe you want more caramel after that, so you could do the next with more caramel.
 
Everything is coming together nicely and I'm hearing exactly what I was expecting. I think the recipe above will be the one I go for. Thanks for the feedback on the recipe from everyone. :mug:

Wish me luck :D
 
Ok so were still going with this one:

6.6lb Light Malt Extract
1.1lb 40L Crystal Malt
1.5oz East Kent Golding (60 mins)
1.5oz Fuggles (15 mins)
1tsp Irish Moss(10 min)
Ale Yeast (S-04)

should that have enough flavour of might i want some finishing hops? I wanted the caramel to come through but I also dont want the beer to be lacking flavour.
 

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