Decided...

Ok, the decision has been made... To get my feet wet again after all this time I'm going first with NB's Irish Red Ale...

Specialty Grains
0.5 lbs. Dingemans Caramel Pils
0.25 lbs. Briess Special Roast
0.125 lbs. Dingemans Biscuit
0.125 lbs. Simpson's Chocolate

Fermentables
6 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup

Boil Additions
1 oz. Kent Goldings (60 min)
1 oz. Willamette (1 min)

Yeast
Wyeast #1272 American Ale Yeast II. Fruitier and more flocculant than 1056, slightly nutty, soft, clean, slightly tart finish. Flocculation: high. Apparent attenuation: 72-76%. Optimum temperature: 60-72.


Any additions/subtractions you guys can think of? Something to keep an eye out for? Something to change? It looks awesome to me...


Ize

I hear the Irish Red is a good tasting kit...good luck to you.

I've been brewing AG for years and still like to do clone kits some of the time, generally mini-mashes. I brew a kit exactly to the directions to achieve the intended ale. If I'm winging it, I'll start from scratch. Haven't done a NB kit for a while, but when working with specialty grains and extract, I think mixing the extract completely before reapplying the heat is very important.

david_42 said:

I've been brewing AG for years and still like to do clone kits some of the time, generally mini-mashes. I brew a kit exactly to the directions to achieve the intended ale. If I'm winging it, I'll start from scratch. Haven't done a NB kit for a while, but when working with specialty grains and extract, I think mixing the extract completely before reapplying the heat is very important.

Click to expand...

I agree, with one minor exception..

Most instructions want the extract added at the begining of the boil.

I prefer adding about a pound of extract at the begining for hop extraction,
the rest at 20 - 30 min.

It helps reduce any extract "twang"or over caramalization.

Mudd said:

I agree, with one minor exception..

Most instructions want the extract added at the begining of the boil.

I prefer adding about a pound of extract at the begining for hop extraction,
the rest at 20 - 30 min.

It helps reduce any extract "twang"or over caramalization.

Click to expand...

Is that something you do for every batch? Or just for specific recipe's? Because I see the logic in that. I also am anal enuf to see Davids point of making sure the extract is mixed completely before reapplying the fire. It's splitting the dosage up that had me wondering....


Ize

I do it for every extract batch.
Lighter ales that were good and good enough to pass around just got better!!

I do turn down the flame before I add the rest of the DME to avoid boilovers ,
and stir the heck out of it before going back to full flame.

Mudd said:

I do turn down the flame before I add the rest of the DME to avoid boilovers ,
and stir the heck out of it before going back to full flame.

Click to expand...

Yeah SWMBO would give me the eye goin' "WTF are you doing?" if I slopped up the new stove. Never mind that I'm more of a freak about it than she is...

Thanks!

Ize