Sweet English Mild (Recipe Critique?)

Going for maltier/sweet flavor with elevated diacetyl for toffee flavors (hence ringwood ale yeast) and mild English hop aromas. My biggest question is: Is that too much molasses???


Recipe: Sweet English Mild
Brewer: mavandeh
Asst Brewer:
Style: Mild
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.67 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.25 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.55 gal
Estimated OG: 1.037 SG
Estimated Color: 9.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 23.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 86.6 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name
5 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
8.0 oz Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM)
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)
12.0 oz Molasses (80.0 SRM)
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 60.0
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 30.0
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 10.0
1.0 pkg Ringwood Ale (Wyeast Labs #1187) [124.21]


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 6 lbs 12.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 32.44 qt of water at 160.7 F 156.0 F 75 min
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 7 min 168.0 F 10 min

With the molasses, and your mash temp, i'd suspect a little drier beer than you're after. If you have 12 oz of molasses to get rid of, i'd raise the mash temp to 156 or even 158. I could be wrong here, but I think a 152 mash temp along with 3/4 lb of simple sugar wouldn't result in a full bodied beer.

mikeysab said:

With the molasses, and your mash temp, i'd suspect a little drier beer than you're after. If you have 12 oz of molasses to get rid of, i'd raise the mash temp to 156 or even 158. I could be wrong here, but I think a 152 mash temp along with 3/4 lb of simple sugar wouldn't result in a full bodied beer.

Click to expand...

Duly noted. Changes made. Thanks!

Good points. Check out this little blurb on Southern Browns, which is very similar to your brew with less color.

http://518124.cache1.evolutionhosting.com/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2008/AntHayes_SEBA.pdf

You can get some dark fruit and toffee flavors if you work in some extra dark uk crystal. I love that stuff.