Long Trail Ale Clone Help

Going on Long Trail's Website I got their ingredients for their flagship ale: Long Trail Ale. It is an Altbier and I have questions on the amount of each type of grain, especially the wheat (I haven't brewed with wheat that much) and what kind of yeast I should use. I've had good luck with Danstar-Nottingham and it is readily available here so I just through that in there. I understand that the clearing vessel should be cooled in order to get a crisp taste.

Thoughts?

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Long Trail Clone

Selected Style and BJCP Guidelines
7C-Amber Hybrid Beer-Dusseldorf Altbier

Minimum OG: 1.046 SG Maximum OG: 1.054 SG
Minimum FG: 1.010 SG Maximum FG: 1.015 SG
Minimum IBU: 35 IBU Maximum IBU: 50 IBU
Minimum Color: 11.0 SRM Maximum Color: 17.0 SRM


Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.040 SG Expected OG: 1.051 SG
Expected FG: 1.012 SG Apparent Attenuation: 74.9 %
Expected ABV: 5.1 % Expected ABW: 4.0 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 45.5 IBU Expected Color (using Morey): 14.5 SRM
BU:GU ratio: 0.89 Approx Color:
Mash Efficiency: 60.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 64 degF


Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
German Pilsner Malt 9.50 lb 79.2 % 2.3 In Mash/Steeped
German Wheat Malt 1.50 lb 12.5 % 0.4 In Mash/Steeped
German Caramel Malt Light 0.75 lb 6.3 % 3.5 In Mash/Steeped
UK Chocolate Malt 0.25 lb 2.1 % 21.3 In Mash/Steeped


Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
German Northern Brewer 7.0 % 1.00 oz 25.1 Bagged Pellet Hops 60 Min From End
US Willamette 4.5 % 1.00 oz 12.4 Bagged Pellet Hops 30 Min From End
US Mount Hood 4.5 % 1.00 oz 8.0 Bagged Pellet Hops 15 Min From End

Yeast
Danstar-Nottingham

Anyone? How about how much wheat is in the recipe compared to an average altbier recipe?

I ended up brewing this in October and it came out alright--not as close as I would have hoped. The malt character just wasn't there and I think mine was a tad bit too bitter. I'm brewing it again right now with a little more crystal 40 and scaling back the hops to .7 oz of NB at 60 and 1 oz Mt Hood at 30. We'll see how it comes out.

I'm curious, how did the next batch turn out?

To be honest I can't remember. It was before I started using beer smith and it was 4 years ago. I do remember one of them was very tasty, just not quite right. I think getting an alt yeast is a must to get it close. I think the grain bill is pretty much there.

You could try Wyeast 1007 (German Ale). I think that Long Trail's "Double Bag" ale is their altbier.

I was thinking of using this as a base for a raspberry fruit beer, since I happen to have all the ingredients already. Do you think that would go good with this recipe? I would probably change the hop regiment completely, but this actually looks like it would be a nice, slightly maltier base then straight up 50/50 Pilsen wheat.

In Altbier, Dornst writes the following:

"Westphalian Att

This alt is unusual for its large portion of malted wheat, which gives the beer a slightly sour, refreshing taste. Try this beer mit schufs, the German practice of mixing about a tablespoon of fruit syrup, such as raspberry, strawberry, or boysenberry, with the beer in the glass."

OP, the recipe for Westphalian Alt calls for 40% malted wheat, 50% two-row, and 10% Munich; I would think that you could use less wheat if you wanted to, but as the previous poster noted, it would be maltier and not as sour. I interpret the Dornst's recipe as meaning that 40% malted wheat is a plausible limit. He also recommends WY 1007, and in another part of the book, states that WY 1007, WG Kent AO6 or their equivalent should be used. He categorically states that British or American Ale yeasts, and German lager yeasts, should NOT be used, as they will not provide an authentic flavor. Of course, you are attempting to brew an American alt, so you are not held to these choices in yeasts (as well as hops).

Most of the alt recipes in the book favor Hallertau Mittlefruh, Mt. Hood, Perle, or Spalt as the bittering hops; Tettnanger for aroma.

This is starting to get off topic, so I talk about the fruit beer I'm making in this other thread,
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/how-get-most-flavor-out-your-fruit-additions-509600/#post6590132

sorry to hijack your thread OP!

OP, if you remember recipe of the version that tasted good, please post! I'm going with another recipe for my raspberry wheat, but this is definitely next on my list!

Like I said before I don't have notes or a recipe from that beer besides what I posted in the first post. I would go with the second version though, cutting back the bitterness but also upping the late hops a tad and moving the mount hood to a flameout addition. You definitely want the alt yeast though.