Help developing first recipe

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mrmekon

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I'm playing around with developing my first recipe, also my first partial mash. I'm too nerdy for extract kits, there wasn't enough math involved.

Below is the recipe I came up with (thank you Brewtarget!). I was aiming for a balanced amber with moderate malty sweetness and some earthy/smoky hoppiness. After the fact I'm saying I hit 'Scottish Export' as the closest style, which is apt since I was dreaming of scotch at the time.

Let me know if I'm just completely off-base and about to make some undrinkable garbage, or if there are any improvements to be had:

Beam Me Up, Scotty Partial - Scottish Export 80/-
================================================================================
Batch Size: 5.500 gal
Boil Size: 3.000 gal
Boil Time: 0.000 s
Efficiency: 70%
OG: 1.057
FG: 1.016
ABV: 5.2%
Bitterness: 29.0 IBUs (Tinseth)
Color: 9 SRM (Mosher)

Fermentables
================================================================================
Name Type Amount Mashed Late Yield Color
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L Grain 16.000 oz Yes No 75% 20 L
Pale Malt (2 Row) US Grain 5.500 lb Yes No 79% 2 L
Peat Smoked Malt Grain 1.500 oz Yes No 74% 3 L
Amber Dry Extract Dry Extract 3.500 lb No Yes 95% 13 L

Hops
================================================================================
Name Alpha Amount Use Time IBU
Fuggles 4.5% 0.500 oz Boil 10.000 min 2.5
Kent Goldings 5.5% 1.500 oz Boil 1.000 hr 25.2
Fuggles 4.5% 0.500 oz Boil 5.000 min 1.4

Misc
================================================================================
Name Type Use Amount Time
Whirlfloc Fining Boil 1.000 tbsp 5.000 min
Oak Cubes Flavor Secondary 1.917 tbsp 14.000 min

Yeast
================================================================================
Name Type Form Amount Stage
Wyeast - Scottish Ale Ale Liquid 0.528 cup Primary

Mash
================================================================================
Name Type Amount Target Time
Conversion Step, 68C Infusion 2.000 gal 152.000 F 1.000 hr
Batch Sparge Infusion 2.000 gal 165.200 F 15.000 min


Pale 2-row for the bulk of the sugar, Crystal 20 for color and body, peat smoked for some scotchy deliciousness, and amber DME to get my OG up for 5.5 gallons. DME will be late addition at 5 minutes remaining, to increase hop extraction.

I'm going to get a 16 quart cooler for the mash. I figure 2 gallons for the mash, 2 gallons for the sparge, and at 0.15 gal/lb lost to absorption I should end up with 3 gallons for the boil. 3 gallons is the most I can fit in my enamel brew pot. I'm assuming low (70%) efficiency since I don't know what I'm doing.

I picked Kent Goldings and Fuggles by description, but I'm not familiar with them. They sound appropriate for the style.

Then a couple of oak cubes to complement the peat. Not sure if those should go in primary or secondary.

How does this sound? Is any of my math horribly wrong? Thanks in advance for any feedback!
 
Personally, I would tone down the hops a tad... maybe lose the late additions and just stick with the Goldings @60min? I would probably shoot for between 20 and 25 IBU's (30 is on the high end for the style, and 25 IBU's will give you a little more leeway in case you get higher utilization than planned), and traditionally Scottish ales don't have hop flavor or aroma. Also, unless you already have the amber extract on hand, I would just use extra light extract. If you want a little darker color add a touch of roast barley. In fact, I think I would add a little roast barley anyway. But that's just my two cents as somewhat of a Scottish ale purist. I'm sure your recipe will make a tasty brew either way.

EDIT: For the record, I say "somewhat of a Scottish ale purist" because if I were a complete purist, I would object to the peat-smoked malt. But I happen to like a touch of peat-smoked malt in my Scottish ales so don't let anybody else talk you out of it!
 
+1 on the extra light extract. I'd also swap the 2-row for golden promise if you can or MO. You could also try a common technique with some Scotch ales and remove some of the wort and boil it down separately and add it back in to add extra caramelization.
 
Immediately after posting I actually switched the DME to extra light, I never meant for it to be amber.

I'll drop the IBUs back to 25 (that's where I originally had it). Maybe I'll drop the fuggles at 15 mins and keep the last addition? I did want a bit of hop aroma.

Skipping the barley just because I'm trying to keep the first one simple. It wasn't intended to be a classic Scottish ale, so I don't feel bad deviating. I've read that peat smoked malt is really frowned upon when sticking to the style guidelines.

I'll see about swapping 2-row for Golden Promise. Sounds like it's more appropriate.
 
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