Frankenbeer help

bigcountrybrew · 12-11-2009, 02:57 AM

Ok so I am going to be assistant brewer for my buddy this weekend and he wants to do a frankenbeer. With the recipe he gave me It looks like we need to to Partial Mashing (which I have been wanting to try anyways). But I am a Noob, and have only followed recipes, so I am reaching out to you the experts for help here. I have read the"Easy partial Mash Brewing" thread from DeathBrewer and I think I have a pretty good Idea on how to do it (Thanks to him). Here is the recipe my buddy wants to do.

1 lb of wheat
1 lb of 2-Row
1lb of mild ale
1lb of Crystal 60L
8lbs of light LME

2 oz of sweet orange peel
1 oz of crushed Coroamder Seeds

1oz of Centennial Pellets added last 15 min
1oz of Cascade Pellets added last 15 min

Cailfornia Liquid Yeast (WLP001)

1. what is this going to be like (OF, FG, IBU)?
2. With Partial Mashing we will add all the grain, do the mashing, then add
the extract and boil as normal. Right?
3. If I am understanding the math right for the water
I have 4lbs of grain * 1.25 quarts = 5 quarts or 1.25 gallons
Grains will absorb .4 gallons of water (.10 * 4lbs)
That leaves me with .85 gallons, so if I want to do a 3 gallon boil I will
sparge with 2.15 gallons or so right?
4. Is there anything you would tweak to make this better?
5. Since I am a noob, I have no idea what this will be like, any guesses?

Thanks for helping me out. I love this site!

**Walker** · 12-11-2009, 03:12 AM

1. what is this going to be like (OF, FG, IBU)?

I can't claim to know what the FG would be. I don't concern myself with FG, but the other specs I get from ProMash are

OG: 1.077 (assuming 70% effiency on your mash)
IBU: 47 (assuming you add extract late in the boil for better hop utilization)
SRM: 13.2

2. With Partial Mashing we will add all the grain, do the mashing, then add
the extract and boil as normal. Right?

YES , except that I would add the extract in the last 15 minutes to get the most out of your hops in the partial boil.

3. If I am understanding the math right for the water
I have 4lbs of grain * 1.25 quarts = 5 quarts or 1.25 gallons

YES

Grains will absorb .4 gallons of water (.10 * 4lbs)
That leaves me with .85 gallons, so if I want to do a 3 gallon boil I will
sparge with 2.15 gallons or so right?

YES AND NO

In this case, sparging with 2.15 gallons is probably OK because of the amount of grain used, but you do not need to spage all the way up to your partial boil volume. You want to spage the "right amount" and then, if you need more water, just add water to the kettle.

You want to avoid over-sparging the grains.

I personally (and a million other people do it a million other ways) use 3 qts/lb of water when I brew. 1.25 of that for a mash, 1.75 qt for sparge. This is not a golden rule by any means.

4. Is there anything you would tweak to make this better?

Can't really comment on the recipe. As you say, it's kind of a mutt. Part Belgian Wit, part American Pale Ale.

5. Since I am a noob, I have no idea what this will be like, any guesses?

It's a pretty big beer at 1.077. I would pitch a lot of yeast (2 dry packets or a good starter of liquid).

I personally would up the IBUs a little with that big of a beer, but that's jusy preference.

The spices might work well, actually. They will kind of match the citrusy flavor of the hops.

Sithdad · 12-11-2009, 01:00 PM

I noticed that you have both hop additions at the last 15 minutes of the boil. If that's correct I don't believe you are going to get any bittering from the hops making this a pretty malty beer.

As for your FG. WLP001's attenuation ranges from 73-80% which means your actual FG will vary. 76% attenuation gives you a FG of 1.017 for 7.1% ABV.

**Walker** · 12-11-2009, 01:08 PM

Whoops. you are right. when I plugged this into ProMash I actually put the centennial in at 60 minutes (I assumed this is what he meant and didn't notice that is recipe had it at 15 minutes.)

bigcountrybrew · 12-11-2009, 05:16 PM

Thank you all for your help. I am trying to convince him to add one of hops @ 60 mins for bittering. I appreciate all the help. Pretty awsome that everytime I have asked a question less than an hour later someone has answered and helped out! Thanks again!

BarleyWater · 12-11-2009, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigcountrybrew

Thank you all for your help. I am trying to convince him to add one of hops @ 60 mins for bittering. I appreciate all the help. Pretty awsome that everytime I have asked a question less than an hour later someone has answered and helped out! Thanks again!

If you don't get some bitterness to balance out the sweetness from the malt in this big of a beer, you will have a very cloying hard to drink brew when you are done.

bigcountrybrew · 12-14-2009, 02:07 AM

I Just wanted to say thanks for the help. After some reconfiguring of the recipe, we ended up with a 1.064 OG Franken Beer. Also did PM tonight for the first time, using DeathBrewers method, easy as cheesy.
Thanks again.