First recipe question

Hi everyone. I’m soon to start my first batch of beer, and I wondered if I could run the recipe past you before I start, in case there’s anything obvious that I’m doing wrong. The style I’m aiming for is an IPA, though as it’s my first go I’d be delighted with producing anything drinkable. I’m aiming to steep (and remove) the grains first, then add the extract and hops.

Batch size: 5 gallons
Boiling time: 60 minutes

1 lb Crushed Pale Malt (Maris Otter) – for steeping
0.5 lb Crushed Amber Malt – for steeping
6.6 lbs Muntons hopped IPA LME
0.5 lb spray dried light malt extract
1 lb Munton’s beer enhancer (dextrose / DME mixture)
1 oz Northern Brewer hops @ 60 minutes
0.5 oz Cascade hops @ 60 minutes
0.5 oz Cascade hops @ 10 minutes
0.5 oz Cascade hops @ 2 minutes
0.5 oz Cascade hops – for dry hopping

I have the yeast that came with the Munton’s kit and assume it'll be OK to use that, even with the added malt content, though my LHBS also stocks DCL Safale yeast – would I be better using that instead?

Also, the LME is pre-hopped and the instructions suggest I shouldn’t boil it. But given that I'd like to add the hops, I'd like to boil it anyway - I assume that won't be a big problem, and all that boiling will do will be to lose the flavour and aroma. Does that sound right?

I’m aiming for a week in primary, two in secondary, and then if I can wait that long, three weeks in bottles. Does this sound a reasonable recipe to attempt? Thanks for any help you guys can give!

The first two ingredients have to be mashed to be converted. For your first batch, leave them out. Steeping won't work for them and mashing will be too much new stuff for your first. The grains you are planning on steeping could be changed to caramel 40L (half lb-1lb. and maybe half lb. carapils.). Other than that, sounds good. This recipe will make more of an APA than an IPA. After your first batch (and correct, if it is a no-boil kit, no need to boil) let us know what type of beer style you like and we can suggest some recipe's. Or look at the recipe link and try one. That way you can get away from the kits and add some fresh hops. Here is a link to find which grains you need to mash and which can be steeped. Check the Wiki for procedure on steeping. Have fun.....good luck!!!

http://www.brewsupplies.com/grain_profiles.htm

Thanks Kayos, I appreciate that. I had no idea about the different type of grains that were suitable for steeping, but the link's really helpful.

To make it more of an IPA, would I just need to increase the boiling hops? I was originally going to use 2oz of Northern Brewer, but I wasn't sure if that would make it too bitter.

I agree with Kayos. Go with some sort of crystal malt for steeping, and his suggestions are good.

I also recommend skipping the hopped malt extract kit and going with all DME or unhopped syrup. You already want to do the bittering hops, yourself, so go ahead and do all of it. Here's a free, web based IBU calculator that should get you in the ballpark of where you want to be: http://www.rooftopbrew.net/ibu.php Check with your LHBS about the alpha acid content on those hops. In any case, I would expect that the amount of hops you are adding, in themselves, is pretty close to what you would add to unhopped extract. With a hopped extract, your beer will probably be too bitter.

I also don't like no-boil kits, but that's because I don't trust them. I've never used one in nearly fifteen years of brewing, and I just don't see how you can get the quality product and the control you obviously want with a no-boil kit.

It looks like you are shooting for an American IPA and that your expect OG is around 1.060. That's on the lower end of the style, but quite fine. That's more an FYI than a comment.

I don't know what that Munton's beer enhancer is, so I can't comment on that. I've never used anything like that, and that gives me a little case of the willies.

Don't bother with Cascade hops for bittering. Save that for aroma and dry hopping. If you are willing to spend the money on hops and you want more hop flavor and aroma, consider doubling your 2 minute (and maybe your 10), as well as your dry hopping addition. That'll get you something more along the line of an American IPA.

Deeply, deeply consider using liquid yeast. Dry yeast, and especially that stuff with the kits, can be unreliable. That stuff with the kits is better as a supplement for your dog than for fermenting beer. Yes, liquid yeast is expensive, but I find it worth it. Beer is just like any other cooking - bad ingredients make a bad beer, no matter how good a brewer you are.

Your fermentation timing sounds just right. If you go longer in the primary, due to some unforseen circumstance (and they happen), don't sweat it.

Have fun with it! Let us know when you pitch, and how it turns out afterward!


TL

great advice so far. I'll only add that you should stay calm and relaxed on your first batch. you'll probably make a mistake or two, but the good news is you have to try pretty hard, and ignore sanitation completely, to really 'ruin' your beer.

you'll see a lot more people state they just didn't like a particular batch (too bitter, not bitter enough, etc) and relatively few "I had to pour all 5 gallons down the drain" posts.

the few beers I had turn out horrible were all my fault. a couple that i just didn't care for...well they usually end up in my chili all winter long. cooking is always an option.

I'd go to a local home brew store (if there's one in your area) and try to find an employee who's not too big a prick and tell them you're new, you want in, and you don't want a "no boil" kit or a kit that's been sitting on their shelves since they opened.

Talking hops is a bit technical, so tell him to make a recommendation for you and you'll trust him. Or go for a proven combination like Amarillo and Simcoe, or Cascade, or any of the other citrusy aroma hops.

Since it's your first, let's go through some rules:

1. Don't trivialize sanitation. Over sanitize.
2. Wait 3 full days before saying that there's no activity in your wort.
3. Don't open the bucket before 10 days.
4. Don't poke the krausen.
5. Use a secondary for 2 weeks. Don't open it until 2 full weeks are up.
6. Add the priming sugar to the bottling bucket BEFORE the beer, then give it a gentle stir after the beer is in there.
7. Three weeks in the bottle. Any less and you'll think it's flat and horrible.
8. By the time it's ready to drink, you should have at least 1 more beer brewed and ready to go into your secondary.

Cheesefood said:

I'd go to a local home brew store (if there's one in your area) and try to find an employee who's not too big a prick and tell them you're new, you want in, and you don't want a "no boil" kit or a kit that's been sitting on their shelves since they opened.

Talking hops is a bit technical, so tell him to make a recommendation for you and you'll trust him. Or go for a proven combination like Amarillo and Simcoe, or Cascade, or any of the other citrusy aroma hops.

Since it's your first, let's go through some rules:

1. Don't trivialize sanitation. Over sanitize.
2. Wait 3 full days before saying that there's no activity in your wort.
3. Don't open the bucket before 10 days.
4. Don't poke the krausen.
5. Use a secondary for 2 weeks. Don't open it until 2 full weeks are up.
6. Add the priming sugar to the bottling bucket BEFORE the beer, then give it a gentle stir after the beer is in there.
7. Three weeks in the bottle. Any less and you'll think it's flat and horrible.
8. By the time it's ready to drink, you should have at least 1 more beer brewed and ready to go into your secondary.

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Those 8 rules need to be posted somewhere for every new brewer to read. That pretty much covers most first brew "OMG, I ruined my beer!!" thoughts.

I just realized I used "OMG" and I am not a 13 year old girl. Wow. I need slapped.

EDIT: I asked three of those questions when I first found this board. I'm talking from experience, not being a smart alec.


Cheers,

IndyPABrewGuy said:

Those 8 rules need to be posted somewhere for every new brewer to read. That pretty much covers most first brew "OMG, I ruined my beer!!" thoughts.

I just realized I used "OMG" and I am not a 13 year old girl. Wow. I need slapped.

EDIT: I asked three of those questions when I first found this board. I'm talking from experience, not being a smart alec.


Cheers,

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then may I also add:

9. Leave the grommit in there. Wrap your airlock in electrical tape until you get a new grommit.
10. Wait a full 6 months before tossing it.

New idea for Danuk:

Do you have ingredients already? If yes, post what you have and what you are trying to make. Maybe list a favorite beer of yours that is that style.

No ingredients yet? Let us make a recipe for you that is the kind of beer you like. Again, post a few of your favorite beers and we will magically whip one up!~

Also, I recommend getting on morebeer.com, then on midwestsupplies.com, then on northernbrewer.com

request a catalog from each. It is amazing how much new stuff I learned from those pron mags. They walk you through the brewing process as well.

Kayos said:

New idea for Danek:

Do you have ingredients already? If yes, post what you have and what you are trying to make. Maybe list a favorite beer of yours that is that style.

No ingredients yet? Let us make a recipe for you that is the kind of beer you like. Again, post a few of your favorite beers and we will magically whip one up!~

Click to expand...

Wow, thanks. I do have some ingredients already, as follows:

6.6 lbs Muntons hopped LME
0.5 lb spray dried light malt extract
1 lb Munton’s beer enhancer (a mixture of DME and dextrose)
2 oz Northern Brewer hops
2 oz Cascade hops

(Next time I'll get the unhopped LME, but as I have this stuff already I'll brew with it just this once.)

I'd be happy to pick up more ingredients, and following the excellent suggestions on here, I'm going to get some crystal malt for steeping with my first batch. What I'm aiming for is an American-style IPA. I liked pretty much every one I tried in the US, though I can't remember many names - though Tracktown IPA was good. As my LHBS tends to stock European hops rather than North American ones, I might have to aim for an approximation, rather than a proper clone. Still, experimenting is one of the things I'm looking forward to most, so bring it on!

I can get the following hops - Brambling Cross, Cascade, Challenger, Cluster, East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, Galena, Halletauer, Northdown, Northern Brewer, Pride of Ringwood, Progress, Saaz, Styrian Goldings, Target and Tettnanger. If anyone wanted to suggest a recipe from scratch, that'd be great. I do anticipate starting my second brew a couple of weeks after my first, so I'm open to ideas.

Thanks again to everyone for all your comments.

Well, to me, cascades are the ultimate US IPA/APA hops so if you can get those, you'll have a "real" IPA.

With a fairly decent supply of hops and malt like that, you can make just about any style of beer you want. What I like to do is to make totally different batches back to back, to compare the results and to be interesting! I've got a Nut Brown in primary now, and then next I'm making an Imperial IPA and I'm currently drinking an Octoberfest and American Pale Ale.

Making beer is an addictive hobby and part of the fun is thinking about what to make next. I consider all beer I drink to be "research"!

Excellent post, Cheese. The one other thing I would add (#11) is to be sure to stir your (cooled) wort before taking a gravity reading; I can't tell you how many times someone has posted after doing an extract batch wondering how they ended up with a 1.030 or a 1.090 batch after using six pounds of extract. When you top off, the heavier, sugar-laden wort sinks, so to get a proper reading you need to stir.

IndyPABrewGuy said:

I just realized I used "OMG" and I am not a 13 year old girl. Wow. I need slapped.

Click to expand...

You're a homebrewer. Show some respect. It's "OMFG!"

Yooper Chick said:

Well, to me, cascades are the ultimate US IPA/APA hops so if you can get those, you'll have a "real" IPA.

Click to expand...

Woo hoo! I'm delighted to hear that. Do you ever use Cascade for bittering, or are they better just used for flavour, aroma and dry hopping?

I've used them for bittering at times. (See Edwort's Haus pale ale recipe for a good one with cascade hops!) They are very versatile. Really, for bittering, most of the flavor is gone from the hops and all that is left is the bitterness so the bittering hops are not so crucial for flavor. Some hops can have kind of a harsh bitterness, but most don't.

Use your can of muntons, get a pound of light DME, half a pound of crystal 40 or 60, 2 oz of cascade hops, an ounce of nugget hops a steeping bag, and some Safale 05.

Bring 2 gallons of water to 150 degrees. Steep crystal for half an hour. Remove crystal and bag but do not squeeze bag. Add .5 oz nugget hops to water and the DME. Thirty min into it, add 1 oz cascade hops. 45 min into it add Muntons can. 55min into it, add 1 oz cascade. Turn off heat at 60 min.

Cool with ice bath, put into fermenter, shake the crap outta it to get some aeration. Pitch yeast on top. Then the tough part....wait 3 weeks. Bottle with a cup of dextrose and wait 3 more weeks at room temp. Fridge...drink. Waalaa. Bingo Bango.


There are many variations on this, just thought this would be easy and tasty for you. Good Luck!!

O...download Q brew for your next recipe. It is fun and free. Google it and you can use it until you want to buy a program.

Woo hoo - finally this is on the boil. The grains are a-steepin' as I write this. Thanks again to everyone for your help. I'll post back to let you know how I get on.

[UPDATE: I pitched the yeast eleven seconds ago and THERE'S NO FERMENTATION. Does this mean my beer is RUINED? Should I throw it away? I think I will, just to be on the safe side. Also, do you think it's ready for bottling yet? If I added a pound of sugar to each bottle would that affect the flavor?]

Ho ho ho. So far, so good. The boil was really straightforward, thanks in no small part to all the advice from everyone on here. The wort cooled off really quickly to 74 degrees, so I've just pitched the yeast. I have five gallons of nice-smelling hoppy wort (OG: 1062) sitting in my cupboard with lots of little yeasties. That was fun - I remembered to RDW, but as it's a little early to HAHB, I HA cup of tea instead. RDWHACOT!

[UPDATE 2: After a week, the hydrometer is reading 1025, and the airlock is still bubbling, so I'll give it a few more days before taking another reading. I chilled the contents of the hydrometer before drinking it - it was flat, but otherwise it tasted like beer! And quite nice beer, too. I think waiting five weeks for secondary and bottle conditioning is going to be a big ask!]

Update - I bottled this yesterday after two weeks in primary and two in secondary. I chilled a shot glass of the beer just to see how it was coming on. It was actually pretty good! I'm looking forward to how it tastes after three weeks of bottle conditioning.

Another note for your collection:

Edit #9: Get an extra grommet or two...

11. If your finished brew is too sweet or too bitter DO NOT POUR DOWN THE DRAIN! You can save 2 "bad" batches by blending it with a beer of the same style, but opposite hop rate. Mix a sweet beer with an overhopped beer to balance them both out. . For a sweet beer you can always make a "hop tea" and add it to make the beer more bitter before bottling/kegging.

Here's one question/answer I've seen bouncing around:

12. Dry hopping is for aroma only. They do not add bitterness to beer.

Danek said:

Update - I bottled this yesterday after two weeks in primary and two in secondary. I chilled a shot glass of the beer just to see how it was coming on. It was actually pretty good! I'm looking forward to how it tastes after three weeks of bottle conditioning.

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Congratulations! It sounds like a really good beer. Leave the bottled beer at room temperature to allow the yeast to convert the priming sugar to CO2. Of course, strictly in the interests of scientific experimentation and quality control, you should chill and taste a bottle after one week, then again after two. You're going to do it anyway, so you might as well call it something official .

Chad