First Recipe - Please Review

I have been brewing 9 months and recently moved to all grain. i'm brewing this week and trying my hand at creating a recipe with beer smith. I want to start simple, so i created an American IPA using only hops from the Northwest. This is my first time creating a brew from scratch and would really appreciate some feedback.

Thanks and Happy Brewing!


Style: American IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 5.70 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.20 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.067 SG
Estimated Color: 14.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 96.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8 lbs Pale Malt (6 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 59.3 %
3 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 3 25.9 %
2 lbs Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 4 14.8 %
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 34.9 IBUs
1.50 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 45.0 min Hop 6 26.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 7 34.9 IBUs
2.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 Yeast 8 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 13 lbs 8.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperatur Step Time
Mash In Add 16.88 qt of water at 159.1 F 148.0 F 75 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (1.25gal, 3.85gal) of 168.0 F water

Notes:
Dry Hop on 2 oz of cascade for 10-14 Days

There are a few issues I see...

The first is the amount of crystal malt. Back that up to a pound or less and replace the rest with base malt and you're in business. I don't have a ton of experience with Victory malt either, but it might be a good idea to scale that back to a pound or less too. With this much crystal malt you'll have a ton of residual sugars left after fermentation and a really sweet base beer.

As for the hopping, the varieties look good but consider moving them to later in the boil. You'll want some hops at 60 minutes to get your bitterness in line, but move your other additions to 15 minutes and less to get more flavor and aroma out of them.

As for the mash, 148 is going to produce a dry beer, which is what you want in an IPA. You're really hitting LOW on the temperature range though, I usually opt for 150-152 with an IPA recipe and they tend to dry out just fine (usually 1.010-1.014)


Good luck

Thanks for the feedback! Great suggestions! Please keep them coming everyone and i will update the recipe and and post the updated recipe.

Crowd-source Brewing!

I would knock out2- 2.5# of crystal malt, Ive never used that much victory either but would cut it back to 10% although i like some pretty robust toasty ipa's i would try that sometime, 10% is typical according to How to Brew so depending how toasty you like it. I like rogue beer alot and they seem to have a toasty robust taste to them,it must be the kilned malt they use. Dont know if i could get that effect though, but maybe its a dark crystal that does that also.
Ive also overused crystal but not upwards of your recipe but that should be cut to below 2#, but even the ones i overuse crystal they still turned out good.
I like a fuller bodied ipa so i go for 153-4 mash temp.Thats assuming a lot less crystal also. I see you want it light bodied though,if your going to mash as low as you are you may want to give it another 10-20 min mash.
If you want hop flavor you going to want to get some of those in the last 25 or so and for aroma towards the end. I would try those additions you have just to see exactly how the hop profile turns out but 30-45 additions seem frowned upon. I would at least get some of those in towards the end, i dont think it would hurt to do those 30-45 additions, just whatever you do check your ibu's first so you know where your at.
If you do keep your hop schedual, i would dry hop also- if you want aroma. Im thinking about trying no late additions to see how it works.I think it could give a more refined complex bittering.

+1 to everything smowveil said, plus cut the victory some. Repost your revisions for another look.

Thanks everyone! Here is the updated Recipe, let me know what you think. I raised the mash temp, adjusted the grain levels and hop schedule, and added the yeast strain i want to use.
:rockin:

Style: American IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 5.70 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.20 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.070 SG
Estimated Color: 8.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 62.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
12 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (6 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 89.3 %
1 lbs Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 3 7.1 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.6 %
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 44.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 8.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 9.3 IBUs
2.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 Yeast 8 -
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 9 0.0 IBUs


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 14 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperatur Step Time
Mash In Add 17.50 qt of water at 168.2 F 156.0 F 45 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (1.15gal, 3.85gal) of 168.0 F water

Yeast: Wyeast #1056 American Ale

looks great

second recipe looks much better! IMO, I like to mash around 152-154 for IPAs. 156 is gonna give you a heavier/maltier body. If that's what you're going for you should be good, but if you want it a little lighter and higher in fermentable sugars I'd lower your mash temp a few degrees :fro:

Thanks everyone! I will lower my mash temp to 154 and step for 60 min. I will post back and provide an update on how this brew turns out.

NIce! But i bet you get a higher OG. Are you getting those precrushed or do you have a crusher? This is just me,i would add more victory and less base malt. But this would give you a good strong simple ipa. Ive noticed cetain malts like pilsner are sweet and ive added crystal to them and have gotten a little sweet, i wonder if you get that from 2 row or not mashing higher?. Ive seen descriptions of some certain base malts described as having some sweetness also. the only strong beers ive made have been partials and have been too sweet,probably because of the malt extract.Looks like you could get a good 7%er,
Personally i would go with 10# 2row 1.5#victory and 1# crystal and do a 70 min boil,making shure you adjust for evaporation.Just a suggestion, but your recipe looks good, i personally with that much malt would try to get a little more bittering. I just bet you get a higher og than that.Its pretty solid though.

I get the grain crushed at my LHBS. I want kind of a toasty not too sweet IPA with a high ABV. Shooting for about 6.5% - 7%. If i add more victory and subtract the grain from my base and mash at 154-152 for 60min that sounds like i should get the what i want. you guys agree? The main thing i'm uncertain of the step time of the mash, 45 vs. 60 @ 152-154.

I would move the Cascade addition the end but that's just personal preference. Otherwise, your revised version looks great.

Step? do at least 60.Are you sparging? I just happen to notice your using 6 row. I think your going to get like a 8% beer here with your second recipe post. That stuff has higher diastatic power. Im curious as to how this turns out ive never used all 6 row, what temp do you usually ferment at?

ha! Steep yeah, i'm batch sparging at 168.

I'd move one of the late hops to 5 minutes, or even 1 minute. You have two at 15 minutes. I'd move the willamette to 1 minute. Otherwise, looks good!

I just noticed you have 6 row listed. Is that correct? I would use 2-row.

Yooper said:

I'd move one of the late hops to 5 minutes, or even 1 minute. You have two at 15 minutes. I'd move the willamette to 1 minute. Otherwise, looks good!

I just noticed you have 6 row listed. Is that correct? I would use 2-row.

Click to expand...

Thanks Yooper will do. That is a mistake, i want to use 2-row.

jonmohno said:

Step? do at least 60.Are you sparging? I just happen to notice your using 6 row. I think your going to get like a 8% beer here with your second recipe post. That stuff has higher diastatic power. Im curious as to how this turns out ive never used all 6 row, what temp do you usually ferment at?

Click to expand...

Ha! I did not intend to select 6-row, I updated to using 2-row. I usually ferment at 65-68. But on this batch i'm going to pitch at 60 and put it in a room that is ~65.

Thanks everyone for the advice! really looking forward to my first brew with an original recipe.



Here is the final recipe (unless i get more advice that warrants a change)
:rockin:

Style: American IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 5.70 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.20 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.073 SG
Estimated Color: 8.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 55.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
12 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 89.3 %
1 lbs Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 3 7.1 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.6 %
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 43.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 8.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 7 3.7 IBUs
2.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 Yeast 8 -
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 9 0.0 IBUs


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 14 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperatur Step Time
Mash In Add 17.50 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (1.15gal, 3.85gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------
Yeast: Wyeast American Ale 1056

YOur og keeps getting bigger and bigger, carefull, I havnt made that good strong ale yet, thats a big step kind of.but like i said i used partial mash also with extract. The stronger i go the more i think its better to go lower with mash temps. Im just giving you my experience, i think making a strong beer for your first is a bit in the less simple,experimental zone.
Although you can get some good advice, Ive just got some malty messes with some of my stronger beers. At least those are still currently condtioning and could change with time. They have finished too high for me.Making a bit of a cloying sweetness.
My suggestion would be to calculate for a 1.015 or less for that for final gravity finish. That o5 may do it though.maybe.
It just seemed like in the beginning you were looking for a light bodied or dry finish.

I want to say thanks to everyone who helped! Cracked the first 22 on Saturday night. THIS IS ONE MY MY FAVS! One of my best beers, thanks again everyone

Recipe sounds good.What was your actuall OG and FG?