random beer recipe I made

ok, I need a little critique on my recipe please. Just made this on a whim and haven't tasted it yet just wondering if others think this is a good recipe.

9 lb 2 row
1/2 lb maris otter
1/2 lb munich
1/4 lb crystal 120

50 min at 158 degrees
10 min at 170

7/8 oz Columbus 60 min
1 oz cascade 15 min
1 oz citra 5 min
1 oz cascade flameout
1 oz mosaic dryhop 7 days

used BRY 97 West Coast yeast

just a random thing. I like the hop schedule, but I don't feel like I have my grain bills dialed in yet. any suggestions?

What are you going to do with the left over 1/8 oz of Columbus hops? The grain bill looks good. Might bump up the 2 row to 12lbs to better balance the hops. The MO seems a little out of place, but could be interesting if bumped up to a pound or two. Maybe keep the two row where its at and adjust the MO. Just a thought.

JayDubWill said:

What are you going to do with the left over 1/8 oz of Columbus hops?

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toss them. I made a beer recently that had a full ounce of hops in it and the bitter was too much. just tinkering with amounts.

Mash temp seems high - unless you are going for a very thick beer. The grist and hops look good. Personally, I'd mash in the 152ish range.

I don't think you're going to notice a 1/2 lb of marris otter

I generally use a 2 row or Maris Otter as my base grain. I have never used both in the same recipe. I think the MO would just get lost in the mix.

I'd switch and use all Marris Otter or toss it out. Like others have said, I don't think 1/2 lb will be noticeable at all. Also, mash temp seems high, I normally don't go over 154 even if I'm going for full body.

I would definitely agree that you need to bump up your base grain to balance out. Like others have said, you can do this in two ways...

1. Bump your 2row to 10-11 lbs (drop the .5 of MO)
2. Bump up the MO to 5 lb; drop the 2row to 5lbs.

The other option is to just go with it, but I would favor the halfing of the MO and 2row additions (option 2). However, if you are not sure about the flavor profiles of each grain, then go with one or the other for learning purposes.

Good luck!

Question: Have you used that yeast before? If so, then how is it different than Cal ale? Just curious.

MKBoitnott said:

I would definitely agree that you need to bump up your base grain to balance out. Like others have said, you can do this in two ways...

1. Bump your 2row to 10-11 lbs (drop the .5 of MO)
2. Bump up the MO to 5 lb; drop the 2row to 5lbs.

The other option is to just go with it, but I would favor the halfing of the MO and 2row additions (option 2). However, if you are not sure about the flavor profiles of each grain, then go with one or the other for learning purposes.

Good luck!

Question: Have you used that yeast before? If so, then how is it different than Cal ale? Just curious.

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Thanks for the excellent feedback.

I think I will try out a half 2 row/half maris otter on the next batch. I made a pure maris otter batch and thought it was somehow overpowering so maybe mixing it with two row would be a better balance. I'm really just experimenting with no clear idea how to make a decent grain bill at this point.

as far as the yeast goes, I've never used it before so that is an experiment too.

scutiger said:

I'd switch and use all Marris Otter or toss it out. Like others have said, I don't think 1/2 lb will be noticeable at all. Also, mash temp seems high, I normally don't go over 154 even if I'm going for full body.

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I appreciate the input about the mash temp. I had done some reading and was looking to improve the body in my beers so this is the first time I had mashed over 154. We'll see how it turns out I guess.

As for the Maris otter, it seems like everyone who has posted on this thread thinks Maris otter should be bumped up or tossed entirely. I have a lot of experimenting to do to find the right grain bill for me, it seems.

epistrummer said:

I appreciate the input about the mash temp. I had done some reading and was looking to improve the body in my beers so this is the first time I had mashed over 154. We'll see how it turns out I guess.

As for the Maris otter, it seems like everyone who has posted on this thread thinks Maris otter should be bumped up or tossed entirely. I have a lot of experimenting to do to find the right grain bill for me, it seems.

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I had misread the original post - I didn't realize you already brewed the recipe and thought you were looking for input on how to tweak it. Personally I have no problem with using the 1/2 pound of marris otter - perhaps it's not enough to stand out much, but it will add some character (just like the 1/2 lb of Munich will add character...though the Marris otter will be more subtle). Mashing at 158 will certainly give you more body to the beer and don't be surprised by a higher than expected FG - 1.018 or even 1.020. Lagunitas mashes at a high temp like this and makes excellent beers. As long as you don't end up with too much residual sweetness (and with only 1/4 lb of crystal malt, I don't think you will), I think you're going to have a very nice beer with this.