First time making a recipe

I am still very new to this brewing thing and I have been having some problems with a tea bag taste in my extract beers with specialty grains, so to combat this problem I have decided to create my own recipe. I know this wont be a really full flavored beer, but I wanted something simple and easy drinking so here goes:
My recipe:

3# extra light DME
3# Light DME
1# rice syrup solids
1oz cascade hops for 60 min
1oz cascade hops for aroma
11 grams nottingham dry yeast

Does this sound like a decent recipe??? The only reason for the two types of DME is the LHBS only had 3# of each. Also what would be recommended for a fermentation temp? Dont know whether to leave up stairs at 62-65 F or in the basement at 58 F?

Thanks for any help.

Why the rice syrup? That'll dry the beer out, which would probably be a bad thing. I'd say go with S-04 instead of notty, it has more character.

That recipe is fine for an easy-drinking, light beer. You may want to add only a small portion of the DME at the beginning of the boil, and the rest in the last 5 minutes or so. This will keep the beer light in color (since you won't have excessive carmelization and/or mallaird reactions in the kettle from boiling all the extract the total boil-time).

58 is the lower range of nottingham, but will result in a very crisp, clean beer. If you ferment at this temperature it may take an extra week or so to ferment to your final gravity. Otherwise, 62 is still on the cool enough range of nottingham where you will still get a nice clean fermentation, and your beer will be ready a few days sooner.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Just thought it might make a cleaner tasting beer from what i have read, plus more alcohol so if it turns out crappy I wont notice it faster! I was hoping for the S-04 but the LHBS didnt have any so I figured the notty would be ok.

I had already planned the late addition trick as I am looking for a light colored brew for once, Thanks for the help!

The first thing i think when you say tea bag taste is you are steeping your grains to hot or way too long. Are you regulating your steeping temp with specialty grains to below 170* (probably closer to 155*) and around 30 min, removing the grains before you boil?
Anyway, have fun making your own recipes. They may turn out exactly how you imagine they will, but do a few batches and you will learn what works and what doesnt so you understand why people use the ingredients they do and amounts. Think mad scientist...

I was steeping my grains at about 160 for 30 min and still getting the tea flavor, the last batch I have cut back to 15 min so we'll see how that turns out, if it helps any this flavor wasnt noticable until after carbonation. Right out of the fermenter it tasted great, but after conditioning and carbonation It definitley had a tea taste to it that didnt go away with time it only got worse.

If you have a tannin issue I wouldn't cut steep time, I'd cut the temp (150-155.) Also, "steep small" (a gallon or less per pound of grain.) Depending on your water, if you steep in your full boil amount can cause the PH to be out of optimum range & cause tannins to pull out of the grain. Steeping in a small quantity of H20 will generally keep you in an acceptable PH range.

I like your proposed recipe but agree I'd leave out the rice syrup. IMO drop the rice syrup and add a specialty grain back in. Cheers!

Oh, PS - I like Notty. I'd use it (or S-05) @ your "upstair" temp range. Should be a tasty brew!

ILuvIPA said:

If you have a tannin issue I wouldn't cut steep time, I'd cut the temp (150-155.) Also, "steep small" (a gallon or less per pound of grain.) Depending on your water, if you steep in your full boil amount can cause the PH to be out of optimum range & cause tannins to pull out of the grain. Steeping in a small quantity of H20 will generally keep you in an acceptable PH range.

I like your proposed recipe but agree I'd leave out the rice syrup. IMO drop the rice syrup and add a specialty grain back in. Cheers!

Oh, PS - I like Notty. I'd use it (or S-05) @ your "upstair" temp range. Should be a tasty brew!

Click to expand...

^ This is what i was thinking

Above suggestions are all good. One thing worries me, though. If the tea taste gets stronger over time and you've noticed it in all your brews, you may have an infection. Really clean and sanitize everything that touches your beer. If you have any plastic or tubing that's scratched, throw it out and replace it.

I guess I was probably over exagerating the tea taste getting worse, perhaps I was just hoping it would get better, I am going to try and idophor solution with the next batch as well. My equipment all looks good as it has only been used 3 times thus far. (no visible scratches in anything) I was only using the one step that was included in my kit for sanitizing which I now know isnt a great sanitizer. so time will tell.

If you've had the same off flavor over multiple brews it might be your water. Maybe try bottled for one batch and see if that makes a difference.

I have been using bottled water, tried spring and purified, different brands too. any other ideas?