Here's my ingredients.... What can I brew?

So I have a bunch of stuff on hand. Anyone care to help put together a recipe?

7lb light malt extreact
1lb muntons crushed crystal 2row 49-64 lovibond
1lb unmalted roast barley
8oz maltodextrin
8oz patent
1oz licorice root
2oz fuggles pellets
2oz Hallertau pellets
1oz irish moss
1oz burton salts
2oz gyspsum

These were some ingredients that were given to me by a neigbor who tried homebrewing and decided it wasn't for him.

Anyone care to help put together a extract recipe and a hopping schedule?


Thanks in advance.

Do you know the AA% on the hops? How long has the crystal been crushed for? Are the other grains milled? How old is the extract? I'd be happy to help but need a bit more info. I'm thinking something along the lines of a stout, leaving some things out of course. You could make something lighter but would have more leftovers.

+1 on making a stout provided the ingredients are fresh enough. Looks like that was probably the original intention for the ingredients and then some misc ingredients its good to have lying around.

it appears as though all ingredients were purchsed from the lhbs in January.

the crystal is brewcraft sealed crushed when packaged.
No other grains are milled.
the Extract is brewcraft purchased in january

The fuggles are alpha 4.6% 2007 hop pellets. sealed and refrigderated
The NZ Hallertau Aroma/o pellets are 7.6-8.6% and are 2007 as well.

Thanks for you help. I prefer Porters and Stouts.

Okay sounds good. The grain may be a bit stale but will be fine. Here's what I would do:

1. Crush the roast barley and black patent. Use a rolling pin or whatever you have to break the hulls. You could even give a small amount at a time a pulse or two in a food processor. You don't want to make flour, just crush it up a bit. Use the crushed crystal as a model
2. Add 1/2 teaspoon of gypsum to as much water as your pot will hold. I wouldn't add more gypsum or the burton salts unless you know exactly what your water has in it.
3. Combine the crystal, roast, and patent in a grain bag and steep at 155-160 for a half hour in as much water as your pot will hold without boiling over. Remove grain bag and turn up heat. If you don't have a grain bag add the grain straight to the pot and strain out with a strainer before you raise the temp.
3. Bring to a boil and add 2 oz Hallertau (1st addition full 60 minute boil)
4. Boil 40 minutes and add 1 teaspoon irish moss
5. Boil ten more minutes and add malt extract (Added with ten minutes left in the boil. Here are some resources on adding the extract later in the boil:
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter3.html[/url]
http://www.beersmith.com/blog/2008/02/20/better-beer-with-late-malt-extract-additions/
]http://baderbrewing.com/store/product.php?productid=22691&cat=396&page=1)
6. Bring back to a boil (there will be some foaming) and add 1 oz fuggles and boil for five more minutes (2nd addition, 10 minute boil)
7. Add the last ounce of fuggles and boil for 5 more minutes (3rd addition, 5 minute boil)
8. Flame out
9. Chill

If you want to get crazy add the licorice, I wouldn't. I would also leave out the maltodextrin unless you want to make a sweet stout. There will be plenty of unfermentable sugar from the steeping grain for body. Also, extract tends to have some unfermentable sugar in it to start. Good luck man, sounds tasty!

I'm somewhat of a fan of licorice. If I were to add it to the mix, when and about how much?

Any recomendation on Yeast. I have a 15g pack of Coopers Ale in the fridge.

Also, thanks alot for the advice.

I'm not a huge fan of licorice so I've never used it. If you think you can drink 5 gallons of licorice stout go for it. The Coopers will obviously ferment it but i would go with an English strain. If you like dry yeast go with Safale-04. That would work great. The Coops will leave a sort of effervescent quality which I don't think works so well for a stout. Glad I could help...

Let us know how it comes out.

I think the recipe above is on the right track but I would use 1/2 of the extract at the start of the boil for sure. 2 oz of hops with that little of malt might be bitter city but who knows. Also I wouldnt bother with the moss in a stout.. I would also use the fuggles instead. Both hops are "aroma" hops according to Palmer's book with Hallertau being used primarily for finishing German lagers (SA Boston Lager). Fuggles for finishing all ales, dark lagers.

Adding a bit of the extract at the beginning won't change the bitterness. See the links I posted in reference to adding the extract late. Yes Hallertau is usually a finishing hop but the hop character will be boiled off anyway. 2 oz of Fuggle is not enough for the whole batch so I would save it for the end for the flavor. For a smoother bitterness you could add 1 oz hallertau at the begnning and 1 oz after 20 mins. This will also lower ibu's. However, u don't really want ANY of the Hallertau character in a Stout. Idealy you would use a different bittering hop but the hallertau will work. It'd be a good idea to enter the recipe on something like Beer Calculus just to get the ibu's right. Just don't add any hallertau during the last 40 mins or so to prevent ghe noble hop character from coming through.

I'm going to be near a lhbs this morning. Should I pick up some different bittering hops or any other additions for this brew.

Brew day this afternoon.

Thanks for the help.

Some Northern Brewer would work better than the Hallertau. Go with some safale -04 also.