Pale Ale - Looking for Recipe Advice

Oaky · 10-09-2010, 03:13 AM

So, here is a recipe in progress
I am thinking of using some of my fresh hops in a pale - looking to make an easy drinker with some hop presence. I use Gambrinus honey malt a lot, and it seems to work well. I'm thinking of adding a bit of wheat to the equation.
I do have some munich, naked oats and crystal and some caramel etc I could throw in. thoughts? Advice on temperature? Usually we mash in a 5G cooler and 3-4 runnings - with 1 hour and about 20 min for the next 3. Our efficiency is usually poor.

malt & fermentables
% LB OZ Malt or Fermentable ppg °L
68% 15 0 American Two-row Pale info 37 1
14% 3 0 Amber Dry Malt Extract info 45 13
9% 2 0 Wheat Malt, German info 39 2
9% 2 0 Honey Malt info 37 25
Batch size: 10.0 gallons

Original Gravity
1.065
(1.058 to 1.068)
Final Gravity
1.016
(1.014 to 1.017)
Color
8° SRM / 15° EBC
(Gold to Copper)
Mash Efficiency
75%

hops
use time oz variety form aa
boil 60 mins 2.0 Cascade info leaf 6.5
boil 10 mins 1.0 Cascade info leaf 6.5
boil 5 mins 1.0 Tettnang info leaf 4.5
Boil: 6.0 avg gallons for 60 minutes

Bitterness
16.5 IBU / 13 HBU
ƒ: Tinseth
BU:GU
0.25

yeast
Nottingham Ale Dry Yeast info
ale yeast in dry form with medium to high flocculation

**Nugent** · 10-09-2010, 05:11 AM

Two pounds of honey malt is way too much for my tastes, but to each his own. Personally, I'd use no more than a half pound of honey malt. You'll still get the honey element without it completely dominating. Keep the wheat, but drop it down to a pound and throw a half pound of crystal or munich in for some more complexity.

75% efficiency isn't poor, IMO. I have always felt that it's better to know your efficiency rather than worry about how high it is. Work with what your equipment gives you and build accordingly. Nice thing about homebrewing is that it won't break the bank to add a few ozs or lbs here and there.

I'd go with Cascade all the way through.

Not trying to be critical in any way with your creativity. I'm a 'less is more' guy.

Good luck.

Oaky · 10-09-2010, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nugent

Two pounds of honey malt is way too much for my tastes, but to each his own. Personally, I'd use no more than a half pound of honey malt. You'll still get the honey element without it completely dominating. Keep the wheat, but drop it down to a pound and throw a half pound of crystal or munich in for some more complexity.

75% efficiency isn't poor, IMO. I have always felt that it's better to know your efficiency rather than worry about how high it is. Work with what your equipment gives you and build accordingly. Nice thing about homebrewing is that it won't break the bank to add a few ozs or lbs here and there.

I'd go with Cascade all the way through.

Not trying to be critical in any way with your creativity. I'm a 'less is more' guy.

Good luck.

Thanks- good suggestion. BTW - I don't know if we'lll hit 75%, I just plugged that in as a default. I've heard that Pale Ale Malt generally does well in terms of efficiency. Good idea re the Cascade - I have a few oz of wet - and I think I have some pellets as well. I generally get a bit Willey when brewing so I'm trying to keep this one simpler.

**rico567** · 10-09-2010, 07:13 PM

Since what's given in the OP relies pretty heavily on Cascades anyhow, go check out Da Yooper's House Pale Ale:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/da-yoopers-house-pale-ale-100304/

Yesterday I cracked a tube that had conditioned for two weeks. Awesome.