Caramel Amber Ale
 

Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (1.8 SRM) Grain 73.68 %
1.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 15.79 %
1.00 lb Candi Syrup Amber* (40.0 SRM) Sugar 10.53 %

0.78 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 40.2 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -

1 Pkgs American Ale (Safale #S-05) Yeast-Ale

Mash at 150 for 60 minutes.

Ferment at 62-65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Carb to 2.5 volumes

*Candi syrup added with 15 minutes left in boil. Use the dark amber recipe in this thread: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/20-lb-sugar-jar-yeast-nutrient-114837/, but only make a half batch (use one pound of sugar). Add the entire batch to the boil. This stuff is super easy to make and imperative to the recipe. The syrup it makes has a smooth decadent caramel flavor that is deeply rich and complex. The flavor and aroma make it through to the final beer and blend with the malt and hops to make a spectacular beer.

Amber ales seem severely under appreciated on the forum and that's something I cannot abide. It's my hope to lead a revolution that will bring this darker, maltier cousin of the self-important pale ale to the forefront of homebrewers' "to brew lists". No longer will overpowering bitterness and over-the-top hops rule these lands. For now is a time to sing the praises of balance. I have a dream! A dream where malts and hops are equal! Help me make this dream come true and brew an amber ale today!

I created this recipe hoping to make a beer that emphasized a rich caramel flavor, but that wasn't cloying or overwhelming. The candi syrup was key here, since it adds a wonderfully complex caramel flavor and aroma, but ferments out almost completely so that the final beer is relatively dry. Combined with the firm bitterness from the hops, the low final gravity balances the sweetness from the caramel flavors and gives the beer great drinkability. The rich caramel hits your tongue first, followed immediately by the unique bitterness of the chinook hops. An everpresent maltiness holds everything together while the sip makes it's way to a dry, lingering finish. A distinct clementine aroma from the hops accompanies the sweet, inviting caramel and malt aromas. The overall impression is one of perfect balance. Malt and bitterness, hops and caramel, all joining together to dance merrily on the tongue. I can say without a doubt, this is one of the best recipes I've made.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/...SC_3496NEF.jpg

I brewed up 10 gallons of this today. Hit my numbers across the board too. How long did you go from grain to glass?

Nice, be sure to report back. I let it go a month in primary then racked to secondary with some gelatin and left it there for a week before kegging.

Here are a couple more pics I took tonight. This is a really nice looking beer. It almost looks as good as it tastes! :) The head has fallen down a little bit here, but notice how creamy it is and the lace it leaves.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/...SC_3650NEF.jpg

And here is a kind of artsy picture showing the color more accurately. Excuse the condensation on the pics. The beer is actually crystal clear.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/...SC_3640NEF.jpg

adding to my must brew

+1. Sounds awesome. I've been dying for something like this since the last caramel flavored beer I had was from Saranac in 1999.

How important is the yeast for this recipe? I have some left from the Kolsch I made last (WLP029) and was curious if I could sub it in with this recipe. Those pics are beautiful!

Carrot, the kolsch yeast should work great. It should be clean and let the malt and hops shine through just like the chico yeast. If you brew it be sure to report back. :mug:

Sorry I forgot to report back earlier. Had this tapped for a few weeks now and its great. My dad who I sometimes give a kegs to came by and tasted it the other day and promptly took the second keg back for his kegerator.

Thanks for the recipe its been awhile since I had a quality Amber

this looks absolutely exquisite. a must brew for me..

EDIT: after reading the candi syrup thread and listening to the podcast posted, i was wondering why it was you chose to use the Mahogany?

it seems like the 290F candi has the most flavor complexity and is SnickaSaurusRex's choice for brewing...

do you think if i opted for the 290 instead of the 300 (for more flavor complexity), i would get a much lighter colored beer?