Need feedback on my (basic) Extract Recipes.

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Wigglyscuds

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I am still very much a beginner. I wanted to try and throw myself towards coming up with a few extract recipes. I just want to make sure these meet the style and sound good.

I've been using Brewmasters Warehouse Brew Builder and Brewtarget 1.2.2 to fiddle with things. Please critique them. Thanks :)

Wiggly Pale Ale (Extract)

OG: 1.045 - 1.060
FG: 1.010 - 1.015
ABV: 4.5 - 6.2
IBU: 30.0 - 45.0
SRM: 5.0 - 14.0


  • 6 lb Pale Liquid Extract
  • 2 lb Amber Liquid Extract
  • 1/2 oz Nugget [13.0% AA] 1 hour
  • 1/4 oz Nugget [13.0% AA] 45 minutes
  • 1/4 oz Nugget [13.0% AA] 15 minutes


Wiggly Amber Ale (Extract)

OG: 1.045 - 1.060
FG: 1.010 - 1.015
ABV: 4.5 - 6.2
IBU: 25.0 - 40.0
SRM: 10.0 - 17.0

  • 6 lb Amber Liquid Extract
  • 2 lb Dark Liquid Extract
  • 1/4 oz Nugget [13.0% AA] First Wort Hop
  • 1/4 oz Nugget [13.0% AA] 45 minutes
  • 1/4 oz Nugget [13.0% AA] 30 minutes
  • 1/4 oz Nugget [13.0% AA] 15 minutes

As you can see I'm favoring Nugget. I decided to stick with one hop until I can learn how the others really come into play. Hopefully this is a good type of hop to use.
All feedback is appreciated. Thanks :)
 
the pale looks good, but id move that 45min add to flameout. you won't get any flavor or aroma out of a 45min add. IMO, any adds between 20-60mins are useless as they add little to no aroma/flavor and are under utilized for bitterness. id consider upping the later adds too as those are pretty small for an APA.

id ditch the dark extract in the amber, its kinda out of place. also, you can't FWH without a mash.
 
I am still very much a beginner. I wanted to try and throw myself towards coming up with a few extract recipes. I just want to make sure these meet the style and sound good.
the great thing about beer is that it's very forgiving:) i would get a few books and look at recipes they have there. look at the differences between styles, mainly regarding hopping rates and grains (designing great beers is a great book for this), and make your own recipes with the proportions you see. don't worry about staying within style, my best creations are typically those beers where i use too many specialty grains and use non-traditional yeasts. that said, you do have some things i would change with your recipes based on a few rules of thumb.

*steeping grains - they will really help to contribute more complexity you otherwise won't get from extract recipes
*DME - liquid extract sucks. i used it for about 4 years before making to jump to DME only. the lighter the better for the extract will help make a more consistent product. try to stick with Extra Lite, Lite, Wheat or Pilsen for your extract and add colors with your steeping grains.
*late additions of DME or LME - always add about half of your extract @ ~15 min left in the boil and you will get much better results
*hop additions - flameout hop additions are GREAT!! use appropriate amount of hops & types for each style. don't be afraid to play around with different hops at different points of the boil to see how boil time & quantity can affect your end results. your hopping of 1/4oz looks very low, you don't typically see <.5 oz for hop additions. 45 min additions are somewhat unnecessary, but run with it. maybe it'll be your trademark? hell DFH continually hops so nothing wrong with that. experiment, experiment, experiment!
*YEAST - i see no mention of yeast in your post. this is the most important part of your beer, treat it well. again, don't be afraid to experiment. build a big yeast starter; bigger is better! use www.mrmalty.com. saison in an IPA was maybe my greatest realization. delicious:D hefe stout, strange:p
*primary fermentation - give it a minimum of 2 weeks. 3 is better;)

when in doubt, try it out. like i said, beer is very forgiving. happy brewing:mug:
 
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