Beginner's Recipe Question

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balzern

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Hey everyone this is my second recipe and according to Beercalculus it looks good, I just wanted some seasoned brewers' opinions. :p

OG: 1.052
26.2 IBU
5.2 % ABV

Grains:

6 lbs Northern Brewer Dark Liquid Malt Extract (I know many of you don't like this but wanted to give it a try)

1# Simpsons Dark Crystal
4 oz Simpsons Black Malt
4 oz Simpsons Roasted Barley

Hops: (Pellet)

1st minute of boil (1 oz EK Goldings and 1oz Fuggles)

Yeast: (Wyeast 1332 Northwest Ale)
 
The OG:BU ratio, Roasted Barley, Fuggles and Yeast selection make it sound like a Balzern Stout in the making.

I will assume you will be doing a full 60 minute boil after the hops are added. just be sure to keep in mind that hop selection is very important in a beer.

The Fuggles is fine but you might rethink the Goldings hops for bittering. It is mainly used as an Aroma or flavor hop. Here is what Midwest says, “Intensely resiny, candy-like, sweet and slightly floral”. Not what you find in most Stouts.

You might select Chinook, Columbus or Willamette hops instead if you want a mix of hops fit for a Stout.

Have fun with it. Like I say in my profile, this one you can call YOURS.
 
The Fuggles is fine but you might rethink the Goldings hops for bittering. It is mainly used as an Aroma or flavor hop. Here is what Midwest says, “Intensely resiny, candy-like, sweet and slightly floral”. Not what you find in most Stouts.

You probably wont get any particular (or palatable) aroma or flavor from the goldings, since you are boiling it for 60 (or 90) minutes... (actually, it could be any length of boil, since the OP has not specified). So, I agree(just for a different reason).. Id skip the goldings and just do fuggles.


Have fun with it. Like I say in my profile, this one you can call YOURS.


I like that.. kinda why I skipped the kits. Good call beer_guy.
 
Between the dark extract and a pound of crystal malt, it seems a bit heavy to me. I'd lower the sweetness (less crystal, use light/pale extract), bump up the roasted barley a touch, and it would probably be a nice stout.
 
haha oops yes I am going for a stout. What if I changed the EK Goldings to Willamette and added those and the Goldings at the begining of the 60 minute boil. Also, if I changed the crystal to .5 lb and upped the barley to .5 lb would that do the stout better?

Thoughts?
 
Edit: according to beercalculus the specs with the changes I made above are:


OG: 1.050
34 SRM
26.7 IBU
4.5 ABV

thoughts?
 
sure.. give it a go.

Im not sure how that dark liquid rocks out as the lions share of the grain bill.. but Ive never personally used it.... there's one way to find out. ;)
 
not trying to be harsh, but i'd rethink the whole recipe. it's pretty harsh and dark. feel free to ignore me, though
 
not trying to be harsh, but i'd rethink the whole recipe. it's pretty harsh and dark. feel free to ignore me, though

yeah, I was kinda thinking the same thing...

like chocolate chip/swirl/chunk chocolate ice cream.

dark malt seems a little like an attempt to do too much with too little.


BUT, i also stand by what I said above.. Ive never used it, so it may be delicious.

balzern, do with that what you will. oh, and remember, they are all just opinions.. you wont know if you like it until you try.
 
Light/plain/gold Malt extract is basically 2-row malt. Amber is the same with some coloring, usually crystal, but who knows. Dark is well .... further colored. Do you have any idea what makes up the black? Do they color it, do they use dark crystal, do they use Chocolate, do they use Roasted Barley, do they use Black, or ....... what do they use??? That's the big problem with dark extract. You have it now, so use it, but in future buy the lightest you can find and add the specialty grains yourself. That way you will have more control of the beer and overall process, and gain a better understanding of what the grains do.

Back to your recipe:

1 lb dark Crystal seems like a lot especially since there is probably some crystal in the extract. Go down to .75 of even .5 lbs.

I hate Black Patent. Makes it way too bitter and roasty for me. I'd toss it and replace it with more roast barley or probably some chocolate.

Hops. Use whatever you have. They are bittering hops, most of their flavor and aroma properties will be gone, so use any. certainly in amongst the dark grains you will not notice any difference. Use fuggles, Goldings or Willamette, or any other.

Good luck. Whatever suggestions we give you, take them as just that, and brew what you really want to brew.
 
Light/plain/gold Malt extract is basically 2-row malt. Amber is the same with some coloring, usually crystal, but who knows. Dark is well .... further colored. Do you have any idea what makes up the black? Do they color it, do they use dark crystal, do they use Chocolate, do they use Roasted Barley, do they use Black, or ....... what do they use??? That's the big problem with dark extract. You have it now, so use it, but in future buy the lightest you can find and add the specialty grains yourself. That way you will have more control of the beer and overall process, and gain a better understanding of what the grains do.

Back to your recipe:

1 lb dark Crystal seems like a lot especially since there is probably some crystal in the extract. Go down to .75 of even .5 lbs.

I hate Black Patent. Makes it way too bitter and roasty for me. I'd toss it and replace it with more roast barley or probably some chocolate.

Hops. Use whatever you have. They are bittering hops, most of their flavor and aroma properties will be gone, so use any. certainly in amongst the dark grains you will not notice any difference. Use fuggles, Goldings or Willamette, or any other.

Good luck. Whatever suggestions we give you, take them as just that, and brew what you really want to brew.

yep, dark is just darker 2-row :drunk:
Amber is the same with some coloring, usually crystal, but who knows :rockin:
Dark is well .... further colored :cross:
certainly in amongst the dark grains you will not notice any difference :cross:

wow.. finally an all-grain expert
 
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