Third batch -- a red amber experiment

Hi All,
Just brewed my third batch -- this time I am shooting for some sort of
amber.
Here's the recipe (5 gals),
(sort of based on the amber extract recipe from the Brew Hut site):

0.5 lb crystal 40
0.5 lb crystal 60
0.25 lb carared
3.3 lb can Briess golden light (I wanted to try this brand)
3.3 lb can Munton amber
1 oz galena (bittering, 60 mins)
1 oz cascade (flavor, 30 mins)
1 oz cascade (aroma, 3 mins)
1 packet Safale US-56
Gravity was 1.050 at pitching

If anyone run this through their software, I'd be interested in the results!
Thanks
-batch

batch said:

Hi All,
If anyone run this through their software, I'd be interested in the results!
Thanks
-batch

Click to expand...

I just ran this through promash, and based on a 2 gal boil with no conversion from the grains, I get an OG of 1.048, so it sounds like you're pretty much right on the money. With the Galena at 13% and the Cascade at 5.75%, assuming pellets, I get about 62 IBU...of course this will vary depending upon boil size, AAU's, and hop type (plug/pellet etc).

Sounds like you're going to have a pretty hoppy amber...let us know how it turns out.

You're in IPA hop range with those hops, but only in APA range for the gravity, so you BU:GU ratio is pretty far off for a conventional beer (which may not be what you're going for!). I'd probably shoot for ~40 IBU's if it were me and I wanted a nicely hopped amber ale.

Thanks JRGSPE73
for running the calculations and also to Baron von BeeGee
for the comments.

The "red amber" is bubbling away as the Safale US-56 does its work.

If it is hoppy that is good, though I'm not aware of what commercial
beer I might be thinking of at the IBU 62 level -- some Dogfish Head stuff?

All I know is it sure smelled good boiling! Whoa. (no smilie for drooling).
-batch

Hi,
The red amber is bottled -- tasted good, definitely hops in there!
At transfer to secondary it was a bit bitter, at bottling this had mellowed
already. :rockin:
-batch

Your recipe is just about exactly what I've been going for in my house beer. I go a notch paler and a notch more acid in my hops, but basically right there. Don't worry about whether it fits into a particular type or style unless you are planning to enter a contest. For now, you have Batch's Amber Ale, a one of a kind.

I've just started using Briess' extract also. According to my HBS guy, they have recently improved their packaging, which used to be retail-unfriendly, so he is giving it some shelf space. My experience is still limited as far as taste (my second batch with it is in the fermenter now), but I do like that they have a huge color range, from very pale to very dark.

Hi SteveM,
Thanks. The red amber (or whatever ) is carbonating on track.
There's a good malt taste (like Redhook IPA , strangely, I think), and the bitterness is fading.
Even in one day, the malt and bitterness came into better harmony.
This _might_ be a keeper, I'll have to wait a few weeks. I'll be shelving
it at 70 F or below (summer is coming here, even though we're soaked now).
This is supposed to be my transition brew, the American Wheat (1010) is in
the primary -- that I hope will be ready for summer!
-batch