American Amber recipe critique

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nowise

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Here is my idea for an American Amber. I welcome constructive criticism.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 22.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 26.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Amount Item Type % or IBU
8.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 66.67 %
2.00 lb Toasted Malt (27.0 SRM) Grain 16.67 %
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 4.17 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.17 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 4.17 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 4.17 %
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (90 min) Hops 21.7 IBU
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (20 min) Hops 5.0 IBU
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (0 min)
1 Pkgs American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272)

Mash at 154 for 60 minutes. I based my efficiency on what I reached last attempt. It will likely go up go up a bit.
 
This recipe seems similar to a nut brown/brown ale I was trying to put together a couple of days ago except with an english type yeast.

I kept my american amber to just base malt, a couple crystals, and american hops.

so maybe just change the name and you will be good!:mug:
 
Doughed in on this one about 10 minutes ago! I will update with a taste test in about a month :p

photo.jpg
 
Sorry I didn't see this before!

Looks like a lovely Brown Ale, but I wouldn't call it American Amber Ale. Read the Wiki entry on AAA for precisely why. Shortly, AAA is best thought of as American Pale Ale with a flavor emphasis on crystal/caramel malt and all recognizably American ingredients. If you add some 80L Crystal to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, you not only get a different beer, you get a different style of beer.

So this batch, call it Brown Ale. Next time you get the urge to brew AAA, read the Wiki entry referenced above before assembling ingredients. The beer you brewed is gonna be really good - I love the potential in that recipe - but it ain't AAA.

Cheers!

Bob
 
What color did the brew look like going into the ferementer? I was wondering about the chocolate malt in there, which will be downright tasty but is more appropriate in a brown. Amber Ales should be between 10-17 SRM, where your recipe indicates 23 SRM which is a little dark for an Amber. Recipe looks damn tasty tho! :mug:
 
Sorry about the delay in replying.
It was very dark going into the fermenter, as predicted by everyone here :)
When I formulated the recipe in Beersmith, I had all the 2-row lumped in together. I didn't realize that toasting 2 lbs of it in the oven would cause such a color shift.
Yep, brown ale it is!:mug:
 
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