First Attempt Recipe Making...

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Delaney

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I'm using the tastybrew calculator for this...

I entered my YEAST AA% as 75...is this correct? I also inted to add 2-3lbs of frozen raspberries into secondary...I assume this will raise my ABV considerably...


yeast to use: Fermentis Safale S-04






I want the color light...hence 6 SRM

Does this make sense? I changed it a little to account for the raspberries ABV %
 
72-75% is a good general rule of thumb for most yeast types. And, yes, the sugars added by the raspberries will probably kick your ABV 1.5-2% or so.
 
nice find on tastybrew! go newbie! I've done a few raspberry beers and i'd say go a bit lighter on final ABV 1-1.5% but they taste GREAT add to end of primary stage and for-go secondary and you'll be fine
 
Okay so I changed the plan up a little...

I just want to make sure, that Actual Attenuation % should be entered as 75% for most yeasts?
 
75% sounds right

what strain of yeast are you using.... unless it's some thing crazy like pacman 75% is about right
 
75% sounds right

what strain of yeast are you using.... unless it's some thing crazy like pacman 75% is about right

Fermentis Safale S-04

I'm going to make the wort this afternoon...and cross my fingers.

I decided to modify it a bit further to suit a 6 gallon (5 Imperial) Recipe, and for a less bitter taste

 
dont worry too much about figuring out the actual attenuation in your recipe calculation. A good rule of thumb is English yeasts - 60-70%, American - 70-80%, Belgian - 75-85%. Trying to pinpoint between 72 and 75 for recipe formulation is an exercise in futility...the yeast will do what they want. Unless you do a forced-fermentation test you wont know for sure until you make the beer....besides, it's not something that will make or break a recipe in any way, in my opinion.

I'd set your S-04 at 70% since it's an English yeast, but a pretty aggressive one.
 
dont worry too much about figuring out the actual attenuation in your recipe calculation. A good rule of thumb is English yeasts - 60-70%, American - 70-80%, Belgian - 75-85%. Trying to pinpoint between 72 and 75 for recipe formulation is an exercise in futility...the yeast will do what they want. Unless you do a forced-fermentation test you wont know for sure until you make the beer....besides, it's not something that will make or break a recipe in any way, in my opinion.

I'd set your S-04 at 70% since it's an English yeast, but a pretty aggressive one.

Not only that, but honey ferments fully while crystal malt does not. Extract is hard to predict also, depending on who the manufacturer is and the ingredients in the extract. Honey is nearly 100% fermentable (can ferment to .990!) but extract will be far less fermentable as will malt sugars.

So predicting attenuation is not as easy as just picking the average attenuation of a yeast strain. Your best guess will still be a wild guestimate.
 
Can I add the honey after the 60 minute boil, so that I can drop the temp to 150F and retain the honey aromas that might be lost at higher temps, or does it need to be added during the boil???

I also have some blackberries, would they affect the ABV to a similiar degree as the raspberries would?

Note: I'm actually using Hugh Baird LIGHT CARASTAN MALT (Lovibond 13 - 17), not crystal L20...I assume this is negligible to consider with calculations?
 
Can I add the honey after the 60 minute boil, so that I can drop the temp to 150F and retain the honey aromas that might be lost at higher temps, or does it need to be added during the boil???

I also have some blackberries, would they affect the ABV to a similiar degree as the raspberries would?

Note: I'm actually using Hugh Baird LIGHT CARASTAN MALT (Lovibond 13 - 17), not crystal L20...I assume this is negligible to consider with calculations?

Sure, you can add honey at flame out to preserve some of the flavor and aroma. It'll still ferment out completely.

Carastan is a crystal/caramel malt, so that's fine. You get flavor and color from crystal malt, but not much in the way of fermentable sugars.

I've never used fruit in a beer (yuck!) but I"m a winemaker. Any berries are very similar in the amounts of sugar.
 
I love fruit beers but not when it's overpowering...I'm thinking maybe 2.5 pounds instead of 3?
 
nice find on tastybrew! go newbie! I've done a few raspberry beers and i'd say go a bit lighter on final ABV 1-1.5% but they taste GREAT add to end of primary stage and for-go secondary and you'll be fine

I want to let the yeast clear stuff, and my primary to be available, so I think I will rack into secondary and leave that for ~two weeks after primary...

Why should I add the raspberries at end of primary and not beginning of secondary? Would it froth up again with the sugar from the berries?
 
This is what I've settled on...

Ended up using 22oz (1lb 6 0z) honey
77 oz (4lb 13 oz) Light Malt extract syrup.



I steeped the grain at 165F for 30 minutes
I added the honey at 155F after flame out, and held the temperature for 8-10 minutes
I added 2lbs 2 oz LME syrup at 60min
I added 2lbs 11 oz LME syrup at 10 min
OG 1.42

Pitched yeast at 85F, cooling temperature to 75F for primary and secondary.
 
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