first time brew recipe

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
cholbrook1023

cholbrook1023

Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2012
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
Location
Tucson/El Paso
Grains
.5 lb Pils (Castle)
.5 lb Caramel 20L (Briess)
3 lbs Pale Ale (Briess)

extract
Munton & fison light DME

Hops
1 oz Horizon Pellet (at 35 mins)
2 oz German Spalt Pellet (1 oz at boil, 1 oz at 45 mins)
1/2 -1 oz German Hallertau Leaf ( at flame out)

Sugars
75 g Maltodextrin
¾ c Corn Sugar (Dextrose) for priming

I was looking for some thoughts on my first ever recipe. I didnt want to use a kit because im stubborn. im going for a hoppy ale but it will be my first brew. wondering if anyone thinks this looks like a horrible recipe or not. I added the malto because i have read that it should help with the head. i am planning on a 60 min boil.

also i didnt plan on using a secondary fermenter, is this necessary? and if it isnt should i use the glas carboy or a bucket for primary as i have both.

Any thoughts or criticisms will be appreciated by this noob.
 
mmm....HAve never done a extract brew before, but I would say the pils nad pale malt will not be of much use if you are not going to do a mini mash for atleast 30 min. And then they would only provide "yeast nutriants" at that. The DME would be the main fermentable. The Chrystal is good for soaking and would provide much of the flavour.
As for the hops, that screams "larger" to me. Spalt @ 45 ? i dont know about that one? (my opinion) if itas your first batch ever go for the recipe in Johns book:
Keep is simple at first, you are going to make some "wrong" turns down the road so keeping it simple makes it easy to see what went wrong.

AND ONLY USE BOTTLE WATER AT FIRST ( I wasted a 50kg bag of grain on bad town water, in my first year of brewing and almost gave up because i could not find out why my beer tasted crap )

Lady Liberty Ale - American Pale Ale
Malts Gravity Contribution

6 lbs. of Pale Malt Extract (syrup) 72
1/2 lb. of Crystal 60L Malt 3




BG for 3 Gallons 1.075
OG for 5 Gallons 1.045
Hops IBU Contribution

3/4 oz of Northern Brewer (9%) at 60 min. 19
3/4 oz of Cascade (7%) at 30 minutes 11
3/4 oz of Cascade (7%) at 15 minutes 7

Total IBUs 37
Yeast Fermentation Schedule

Ale yeast

Primary Ferment at 65°F for 2 weeks.
Or 1 wk Primary and 2 wk Secondary.
 
You may not want to, but you should do a kit. Your first few brews are about getting the process down, and you need something that is supposed to taste a specific way. That way any off flavor is easy to identify in the process and correct. By creating your own recipe, and not understanding how the ingredients interact or taste, you'll have a more difficult time figuring out what's wrong. The use of pils is a great example, because it isn't a steeping grain and would leave starch in your beer.
 
0.5lbs of pilsner isn't going to make any sort of appreciable impact on the beer. I would replace it with carapils and drop the maltodextrine, that will give you the body you need for a hoppy beer without resorting to adjuncts. (my general rule of thumb is ~1lb of caramel/crystal malts per 5 gallon batch of pale ale). (maltodextrine is basically the unfermentable sugar that gets extracted from crystal/caramel malts, so doing it with grain is always better IMO.) Also, with 3lbs of pale malt, you're going to need to do some sort of basic mash. Not that scary, just heat ~3 gallons of water to around 162*F, then put all your grain in the pot in a steeping bag and let it sit for 45min or so. Wrapping the pot in foil or towels/blankets will help keep the heat in. When you're done steeping, lift the bag out and let it drain as much as it can back into the pot (a strainer that fits over your kettle is a big plus here).

other than the pils/maltodextrine thing, it looks like a fine recipe. don't worry about secondary. I'm guessing you bought a kit with a 5.5gal bucket and a 5gal carboy as a secondary. If you put a 5 gallon batch of beer in a 5 gallon carboy, you're not leaving enough space at the top (known as head space) for the yeast to ferment up into and you'll end up with a sticky mess when it all blows out the top of your airlock. If your carboy is 5.5gal+, then you can use either one, but I still recommend the bucket for your first batch because it's easier to transfer your beer in and out.

Don't forget to clean and sanitize everything, and think through the logistics of moving and heating large quantities of water before you start your brew day. If you're brewing indoors, I recommend throwing an old towel on the floor to wipe up any spills (there will be spills).

Good luck on your first brew. Relax, don't worry, and make sure you have a beer or two on hand while brewing.
 
What yeast are you using?
I agree the hops schedule looks a little weird. I would think you would want to bitter with the Horizon and finish with the spalt and hallertauer. Personally I think additions between 30-45 min are a waste - don't get full bittering and lose too much aroma/flavor.
 
chickypad said:
What yeast are you using?
I agree the hops schedule looks a little weird. I would think you would want to bitter with the Horizon and finish with the spalt and hallertauer. Personally I think additions between 30-45 min are a waste - don't get full bittering and lose too much aroma/flavor.
Click to expand...

i bought Safale US-05. i could switch the first spalt with the horizon if you guys think that would be better.
 
SimonHucko said:
0.5lbs of pilsner isn't going to make any sort of appreciable impact on the beer. I would replace it with carapils and drop the maltodextrine, that will give you the body you need for a hoppy beer without resorting to adjuncts. (my general rule of thumb is ~1lb of caramel/crystal malts per 5 gallon batch of pale ale). (maltodextrine is basically the unfermentable sugar that gets extracted from crystal/caramel malts, so doing it with grain is always better IMO.) Also, with 3lbs of pale malt, you're going to need to do some sort of basic mash. Not that scary, just heat ~3 gallons of water to around 162*F, then put all your grain in the pot in a steeping bag and let it sit for 45min or so. Wrapping the pot in foil or towels/blankets will help keep the heat in. When you're done steeping, lift the bag out and let it drain as much as it can back into the pot (a strainer that fits over your kettle is a big plus here).

other than the pils/maltodextrine thing, it looks like a fine recipe. don't worry about secondary. I'm guessing you bought a kit with a 5.5gal bucket and a 5gal carboy as a secondary. If you put a 5 gallon batch of beer in a 5 gallon carboy, you're not leaving enough space at the top (known as head space) for the yeast to ferment up into and you'll end up with a sticky mess when it all blows out the top of your airlock. If your carboy is 5.5gal+, then you can use either one, but I still recommend the bucket for your first batch because it's easier to transfer your beer in and out.

Don't forget to clean and sanitize everything, and think through the logistics of moving and heating large quantities of water before you start your brew day. If you're brewing indoors, I recommend throwing an old towel on the floor to wipe up any spills (there will be spills).

Good luck on your first brew. Relax, don't worry, and make sure you have a beer or two on hand while brewing.
Click to expand...

I got the intermediate kit from midwest that has two carboys and a 6.5g bucket. so ill just use the bucket and use the carboy when i decide to do a secondary down the road. i bought star san to help me with being sure everything is sanitized.
 
cholbrook1023 said:
i bought Safale US-05. i could switch the first spalt with the horizon if you guys think that would be better.
Click to expand...

So looks like you're going for a light pale ale with noble hop characteristics? I'd do something like:
Horizon at 60 min (titrate to amount of IBU's you want)
Spalt at 15 and 5
Hallertauer at flameout

I agree with everything Simon said about the grain bill. If you're not planning a partial mash just steep the crystal and make up the difference with more DME.
 
chickypad said:
So looks like you're going for a light pale ale with noble hop characteristics? I'd do something like:
Horizon at 60 min (titrate to amount of IBU's you want)
Spalt at 15 and 5
Hallertauer at flameout

I agree with everything Simon said about the grain bill. If you're not planning a partial mash just steep the crystal and make up the difference with more DME.
Click to expand...

Chicky your right I am going for a lighter hoppy pale.

Well i planned on steeping all the grains at about 155 for 20 minutes before starting the DME. I dont know if this constitutes a basic mash as Simon mentioned but im still not 100% on how to do a partial mash from what i have read online with a lauder tun etc. Should i step it up to 45 mins?

I really appreciate the feedback you all are giving.
 
Steeping for 20 min is probably not enough to get full conversion from your base grains (pale and pilsner). Check out DeathBrewer's sticky on this Beginner's forum for an explanation of partial mash if you want to go that way. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with using all DME for your base and just steeping the crystal alone - your choice.

Good luck!
:mug:
 
thanks for the tip on checking out DeathBrewers's. This looks like what i planned to do just for a little longer. THis partial mash is what ill do hopefully it turns out alright.

Ill be brewing on sunday so we shall see.

Thanks again all.
 
So....? how did it go? was it a pain to keep the mini-mash at temp? did you use the pale and pils?
 
I used all the original ingridients i listed because the facts i that is all I had and i didnt have the ability to get any more stuff. I know i was advised against this but thats all i could do. I did change the hop schedule as suggested.

it wasnt very hard for me to hold the tempt for the mini mash which surprised me. i got it to about 162F ish according to my kettle thermometer and took it off the heat, wrapped it in about three thick towels and steeped for 30 mins. At the end of the 30 it was still at 150F so i think it went alright.

I wasnt getting any activity in the air lop so i poped the lid off of the bucket and its got about 1 and half to 2 inches of krausen so i didnt really worry about the air lock.

now im just anxious hope it turns out like beer at least.
 
oh yeah and when i took the OG it was about 71F ish so i added 1 for 1.030.

problem is i didnt know about spinning the hyrdometer so i dont know how accurate that actually is.

any thoughts?
 
Well......... one thing is sure, IT WILL BE BEER, (now only time will tell if its any good :rockin:)

You never said how much DME you are going to use? 1.030 is a bit on the "mellow" side. Might be a bit out of ballance if the SG was right and considering the hops. But it could have been the bubles also??
ow are you going to handle the fermenting time?
 
I did a little more research and what I have seen that others with this low gravity have done is not properly mix the wort with top up water. I think this may have got me as well since I really didn't stir after I added the top up. Point is I think the reading was wrong. The guide I was going by said 2 weeks in primary then bottle for two weeks before refrigeration. I'm going to have to do 18 days in primary as that is the only day I'll be able to do bottling. I used the 3.3 lb. bag of DME
 
I may be wrong because I did it quickly, but I plugged your original recipe into Beer Smith and I got an OG of 1.031, which is basically what you ended up with. I would expect a lowish OG using only 3.3 lbs of extract.
 
It really depends on how high of a gravity you are going for - which can depend on beer style and personal preference. It also depends on how you decide to proceed with your brewing. If you want to continue doing extract beer with steeped specialty grains, I would suspect that using two 3.3 lb cans of extract would be your best bet. If you want to do partial mashes, you will be mashing anywhere from about 3-10 lbs of a base grain, so you won't need to use as much extract to hit your target gravity.

I would suggest getting Beer Smith. There are similar programs out there that are free, but I have never used them so I can't comment. Al I know is that Beer Smith has been a big help to me.

You set up an equipment profile based on the gear that you are brewing with and punch in all of your ingredients. You specify whether you are doing an extract/partial/all grain brew. Beer Smith estimates gravity, IBUs, color, and ABV. The program has a learning curve that can be tough for new brewers to get a handle on, especially if your equipment profile isn't set up properly, but once you figure it out it is a big help.

Either way, keep coming to HBT and try and soak up as much info as you can. Try the recipe section, the guys who post in there know what they are doing.
 
cholbrook1023 said:
I used all the original ingridients i listed because the facts i that is all I had and i didnt have the ability to get any more stuff. I know i was advised against this but thats all i could do. I did change the hop schedule as suggested.

it wasnt very hard for me to hold the tempt for the mini mash which surprised me. i got it to about 162F ish according to my kettle thermometer and took it off the heat, wrapped it in about three thick towels and steeped for 30 mins. At the end of the 30 it was still at 150F so i think it went alright.

now im just anxious hope it turns out like beer at least.
Click to expand...

Your recipe will work fine I suspect. Remember a lot comments in a thread like this are just suggestions, certainly makes sense to use what you have on hand sometimes. It will definitely be beer!

For the mini mash you can try putting your oven on the lowest setting and put the pot in there while you mash. If you have an old 2 or 3 gallon drink cooler laying around those work great too (just use a paint strainer bag inside).

edit - I just re-read your post. I thought you said it was hard to hold the temp, but sounds like it was fine. Too many homebrews tonight!

:mug:
 
Thanks I think spending the extra on a decent pot helped out with maintaining the temp.

You guys don't think 18 days in primary is too long? I'm just goin off the guide I used which said 2 weeks so I was wonderin if this matters.
 
18 days is definitely not too long. Gravity readings will tell you when it's done but it doesn't hurt to let the yeast clean up a little and let the beer clear. My routine for average beers is 3 wk in primary then into the keg.
 
If you liked the mini-mash, why not just jump in and do all grain? It is real easy and only takes a bit longer (I never even tried extract) and I LOVE ALL-GRAIN BREWING!!
 
Well I can't take regular readings because the fermenter is in el paso and I work in Tucson. I'm just hoping the 18 days will be good because thats when I can be back to bottle.

And I don't think in ready for all grain though I think ill probably go to that eventually
 
I used brewersfriend.com's recipe builder and added this recipe. i think this is a free version of beersmith type software. it says at best my alcohol content is going to be 3.8 or 3.9. this is less than bud light which kinda disappoints me. I was wondering if i should do a late addition. and if so of what sugar? how much?

what do you all think.
 
I would suggest if you don't want to do a kit,look in the recipes on here and brew some of them until you get a few brew sessions under your belt. Nothing wrong with kits Midwest has some dang good ones.

18 days will not hurt anything I have left some for months without any problems.
 

Similar threads

PashMaddle
Brew day #2 is done.
Replies
22
Views
1K
lumpher
lumpher
Beernoob88
Adding fruit or flavoring to a sour beer...
Replies
6
Views
2K
Drewch
Drewch
D
First Recipe: 1 Gallon Maris Otter / Goldings SMaSH (Comments, suggestions?)
Replies
6
Views
434
Northern_Brewer
Northern_Brewer
rkhanso
My first SMaSH recipe. Opinions appreciated
Replies
8
Views
499
Genuine
Genuine
Zippy123
Feedback on recipe to split mash for two different beers
Replies
2
Views
478
Zippy123
Zippy123

Latest posts

Back
Top