Crafting House Beer: Need Sugestions!

Hey guys! I currently have my 2nd ever batch of beer in primary right now, and this has given me some time to think about the next beer that I brew. I am wanting something that is going to be smokey, kind of sweet, and complex. I enjoy bourbon quite a bit, and I am looking to capture some of those characteristics in my next brew. I got the trail of beer smith and I have come up with this so far:

Grains:
5 lbs Maris Otter Pale Malt
2 lbs Smoked Malt
2 lbs Honey Malt
1 lb Rye Malt
1 lb Malted Oats
1 lb 120L Crystal

Hops:
2 oz Bullion 8% Alpha 60 mins
1 oz Saaz 4% 30 mins
1 oz Tettnang 15 mins

Yeast:
Irish Dry Stout Brewtek#CL-0240

I am thinking adding some oaks chips into secondary would probably do wonders for it!

Second of all, what kind of beer is this really? What suggestions could you guys lend to me in this en devour?

Thanks!

I have heard that Honey Malt can end up being very very sweet. Most suggestions I have seen say don't use more than a half pound. I used a half pound along with some actual honey in a blonde ale and it turned out very nice. If I was brewing this I would use a half pound since you are already using a pound of dark crystal, but its your beer and it looks like your going for sweet.

What smoked malt are you using? Peat smoked malt is very strong and a tiny amount of it goes a long way. I haven't used any others but 2oz of it was very noticable in a wee heavy I did last year.

SkiNuke said:

I have heard that Honey Malt can end up being very very sweet. Most suggestions I have seen say don't use more than a half pound. I used a half pound along with some actual honey in a blonde ale and it turned out very nice. If I was brewing this I would use a half pound since you are already using a pound of dark crystal, but its your beer and it looks like your going for sweet.

Click to expand...

.5 lb is sometimes to sweet for me liking.

I am looking for something that is a little bit sweeter than what most are used too, I am trying to capture kinda the mellow sweet slightly sour flavor that you get when you drink bourbon.

I revised it a bit as follows:

5 lbs Pale Malt
2 lbs Melanoiden Malt
1 lbs Rye Malt
1 lb Malted Oats
1 lb Honey Malt
1 lb Caraaroma
1/2 lb Peated Smoked Malt

What would you guys think about adding oak chips and 'nilla?

I'd drop the honey malt to 8 oz, never used smoked malt but it should probably be measured in oz also...probably skip the oats too.

That said, a good bourbon beer could be made by making a semi-sweet amber ale with some honey malt and putting some bourbon soaked oak chips in secondary.

If your going for bourbon flavors, I would use regular smoked malt instead of peat smoked. The peat smoked malt will make it taste more like scotch.

If you keep the peat malt, 8oz is going to be insanely intense. I use 4oz for my punch you in the face with peat Scotch Ale. I would recommend 2-4oz. I know it sounds like such a small amount that you'll never detect it but at 2-4oz the peat will be impossible to miss.

How about this: If you want bourbon flavors, drink bourbon. I like bourbon, too; had a touch of Maker's Mark last night. But when I want bourbon, or claret, or an interesting flavor combination, I go get that particular thing, not a beer that's been kitchen-sinked into vaguely resembling the thing I want.

I just don't get this desire. "I want a bacon-wrapped Reese's Peanut Butter Cup covered in raspberry jam...in a BEER!"



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Strambo has the right idea. Don't try to replicate the flavors of bourbon with mash ingredients. You can't. It's the process that makes the flavor of bourbon. So add bourbon flavor to a fairly neutrally-flavored beer. Bourbon-soaked oak chips is an excellent method.

Cheers,

Bob

If I were brewing this, I would sub out the oats for flaked corn to hint at a whiskey mash.

I have taken everyone's advice to heart from this thread, and I have reformulated the recipe. Instead of expecting it to taste like bourbon, I am instead trying to come up with something that will have a distinct yet pleasant flavor that will be pretty unique.

5 lbs Pale Malt
2 lbs Melanoiden Malt
2 lbs Rye Malt
1 lb Flaked Corn
1/2 lb Honey Malt
1 lb Caraaroma
1/4 lb Peated Smoked Malt

Any idea what profile that this could yield?

My 2 cents: simplify radically. My guess is that what you have now will get you a very muddy beer. May taste good, may not, but if you want to change something about it you have so many variables that determining _what_ needs to be changed will be well nigh impossible.

Take a look at the cybi thread. You'll see - many of the beers you really like (and find complex tasting) will have quite simple grain bills. If you start simple and add, say, _one_ interesting ingredient (like honey malt or smoked malt), you'll be far more able to approach the flavor profile you want. You'll know what that ingredient brings to a beer. And when you make it the next time you can modify again.

Think of it like cooking: if you wanted to create a recipe for something, you don't just open your spice rack and dump every spice you have into a dish. (Or maybe you, but then you're cooking blind. And it'll taste gross.)

I say find a style you like, find a well-reviewed recipe for it, then add one our two things to it. You'll be much happier with the result.

Aye, thanks!

I say use Briess Cherrywood Smoked malt; it's supposed to be sweet and smoky. Combined with some oak-cubes and some sort of toasty malt*, you'd have the makings of something interesting. A Kentucky Winter Warmer, if you will. If you make it a little bigger and age on oak cubes, you can probably skip flavoring/aroma hops, since they'll.

*For Deep Amber Malt (est. 65 L) that is nutty, toffee-like; with some crisp toastiness roast your base malt for 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.
For Copper Malt (est. 100 L)that has a strong toasted flavor with some nutlike notes roast your base malt for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F

2lbs of melanoidin is way too much.