New brewer and recipe idea(s)

I've got my first batch in the secondary and will probably bottle this weekend.

After that I'm going to start experimenting with 1 gal batches so I can figure out what does what to the taste, etc.

What I'm going for is an amber. I like most, but not some, hence getting into brewing my own.

So as I'm deciding what I want to try first, I have a couple questions:

1. There is a taste in Moose Drool at the start that just rocks my socks. Can't quite figure it out, but thinking it might be the flaked oats? The middle and finish are deffinetly brown ale, which is ok, but I'm going for an amber

2. Flaked oats in an amber? I have to wonder what that will ad.? I believe this will add a creamy smooth taste.

3. Since I'm going for a smooth taste, less bitter, clean finish, maybe a little sweet or honey... What should I be looking for?

Here's the basic outline (not a recipe yet)

I'm comfortable with an extract and steeping the specialty grains at this point. Might consider a mini-mash if I use flaked oats.

Pale malt DME
40l Crystal
60l Crystal
(Skip the carapils believe it or not)
Honey malt?
Flaked oats?

Hops at 60 and 15 mins (Used Willamette 4.99% in 1st batch, mild and seem ok. I'd like to find a hop that's not too bitter but adds small citrusy aroma)

Basic brewers yeast from the BYOB store for now, might change that later.

Thats the basic idea I have so far, and any help would be appreciated!

I have brewed many batches with oats just to see what they add. A lot of it is mouth feel, kinda of oily and slick. Flavor wise they are mild and earthy. For me their flavor is about as subtle as the flavor left with 60 minute bittering hops. If there's not a lot of other flavors to compete with it's detectable.

If you want a sweeter amber you can add some crystal 120 for some color and sweetness. You can work the color with a small percentage of a roasted grain and the crystal malts. Sweeter would be less roasted malt more crystal.

Thanks for the reply.

So roasted malt would be the pale DME, or the other steeped grains? In other words, something like 5# of pale DME and 1.5# crystal 120L or whatever?

Twofox said:

Thanks for the reply.

So roasted malt would be the pale DME, or the other steeped grains? In other words, something like 5# of pale DME and 1.5# crystal 120L or whatever?

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Roasted malt generally refers to steeping grains that are very dark. Like chocolate malt, black patten, etc... They add roasted burnt flavor that can also come off as bitter. These are used quite a bit in porters and stouts. If your making an amber you should not use these or use just a tiny bit. A tiny bit can make a red color and add some grainy / bready malt character.

Crystal has sugars that can't be fermented and will add sweetness to beer. Low roast crystal like 10 - 20 will add just sweetness. crystal 40 adds a toffee flavor crystal 60-80 adds caramel. Highly roasted crystal like 120 adds a raisin and prune flavor.

An amber is like a pale ale with a lot of flavor from crystal malts added. What color crystal can be adjusted to suit your taste. If you add a dark roasted malt other then crystal then use very little or it will overwhelm the style guidelines for an amber.

Wow, awesome info on the different crustal malt L numbers! Some great info, and now I can shoot towards more exact flavoring.

I have to chuckle tho. By the time I'm done I may be breaking all style guidelines

Now to find out if honey malt is a roasted malt.

Edit: Found a profile online that says honey malt is about 20-30L and lacks caramel malt flavor. Adds malt sweetness and hint of honey flavor (Which I'm looking for).

So is it recommended to NOT use Carapils? Not sure how much body I want in the brew, but don't want a light beer feel.

If you want a caramel, dried fruit sweet type amber you can throw in something like 1.5 lbs crystal in a 5 gallons batch. Instead of just using one lovibond you can blend several together. I might start with .75 lb crystal-40, .25 lbs crystal-80 and .25 lbs crystal-120. This will give you a good dose of color to make it an amber and has some darker crystal that has that dried fruit notes.

If you want sweet but not raisin/plum sweet you can blend some lighter crystal. Such as .75 lbs crystal-20, .25 lb crystal-40, .25 crystal-80. To help push the color to an amber you use an ounce or two of a roasted malt like chocolate or roasted barley.

I would say a traditional amber achieves most of it's character/color from crystal with maybe a little help from a dash of a roasted grain.

I was thinking something like this for a base amber, then just add some honey malt in another batch for a honey amber.

6# pale extract
.5# crystal 40
.5# crystal 60

So far thinking without any carapils. But I'm not sure what that will do to the mouthfeel, etc. I like fat tire for example just fine.

Hops on the other hand are another can of worms. Thinking maybe Mt hood or Liberty for aroma. Not too sure on the bittering hops yet tho.

Twofox said:

I was thinking something like this for a base amber, then just add some honey malt in another batch for a honey amber.

6# pale extract
.5# crystal 40
.5# crystal 60

So far thinking without any carapils. But I'm not sure what that will do to the mouthfeel, etc. I like fat tire for example just fine.

Hops on the other hand are another can of worms. Thinking maybe Mt hood or Liberty for aroma. Not too sure on the bittering hops yet tho.

Click to expand...

That base look more like a pale ale. I think you'd need another 1/5lb of crystal to make sure you get that malt sweetness of an amber.

Fat tire to me has a grainy, bready flavor. I think that comes from victory malt.

Ok, ,so something more like this then?

6# pale extract
.75# crystal 40
.75# crystal 60

Edit:

Actually I should have mentioned that one thing I like about fat tire is probably the hop taste (I think). Next thing I need to figure out is what hops to use, etc. I bottled my first batch today, and could just tell that the aroma was from the hops I used (Willamette, amber waves of grain kit). Now do hops create that clean finish to a beer?