What do you think about this recipe? - (amber ale?)

6.00 lb Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 85.71 %
1.00 oz Mt. Hood [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 21.0 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 14.8 IBU
1.00 lb Alcohol Boost (0.0 SRM) Sugar 14.29 %
5.00 gal New York, NY Water
1 Pkgs European Ale (Wyeast Labs #1338) Yeast-Ale


How does it sound? Any suggestions?

what style is it supposed to be? looks like an Amber Ale (I am NOT an expert, I just enjoy beer).

honestly I'd ditch the sugar. if you want to boost the alcohol, add more malt extract. sugar thins the beer and could give it a funny cidery off-flavor.

I too am not an expert, but I'd go with 6 lbs. DME instead of the liquid and drop the sugar like malkore suggested. I'd also throw in an aroma hop addition towards the end of the boil. Some steeping grains wouldn't hurt either (maybe 1 lb. of crystal 20L or something like that). I used Wyeast 1338 for my Alt but I won't know for a while what the result will be.

Drop the sugar and add your Cascade hops at 5 mins (remaining).

Sounds like a nice Amber Ale.

+2 on what Malkore and Hooter said. You can make a good beer with what you got, but why not make a better, complex beer by adding some crystal grains.

Thanks for the input guys! I am definitely a newbie at this, so I need all the help I can get. It is supposed to be an amber ale. I'll stop by my LHBS tomorrow and pick up some crystal grains. I already have the LME and I need to use it, but next time I will go with DME. In general, is DME favored over LME?

Ben25 said:

Thanks for the input guys! I am definitely a newbie at this, so I need all the help I can get. It is supposed to be an amber ale. I'll stop by my LHBS tomorrow and pick up some crystal grains. I already have the LME and I need to use it, but next time I will go with DME. In general, is DME favored over LME?

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Yup. It stores better and produces a lighter color. You might also be interested in Late Extract Addition, plenty of discussion of it here in the forum.

FishinDave07 said:

Yup. It stores better and produces a lighter color. You might also be interested in Late Extract Addition, plenty of discussion of it here in the forum.

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And there's more fermentable sugars in DME. The late extract addition is a great idea for an amber ale. Do about 1 lb. extract at the beginning of the boil, then the remaining (off the heat) with around 10 minutes remaining in the boil.

Sounds good! My last amber ale is very dark because I put everything in right at the start of the boil. I should get better hops utilization this time around as well, I just got a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer and burner so I can do full boils.

I would change a couple of things;

• Drop the alcohol boost. If you want a stronger beer, just use a bit more extract.
• Either do another hop addition at 5 min, or move the Cascade from 30 min to 5 min. The aroma addition really makes the beer IMHO.
• Steep .5# of Dextrine Malt along with .5# of 20-40L Crystal. For head retention and to give some fresh flavor to the beer.

I hope you have a plan for cooling that full boil. It takes a lot longer to cool 5 than 3. Might be time to invest in a chiller .

Also... be real careful boiling in that 7.5G pot. You can boil 6 gallons in there if you use foam control OR are extra diligent and quick on the regulator. I would not try to boil more than 5.5 in there.

New and improved recipe:



1.00 lb Amber Dry Extract (12.5 SRM) Dry Extract 12.50 %
6.00 lb Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 75.00 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 6.25 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 6.25 %
1.00 oz Mt. Hood [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 21.0 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 3.8 IBU
5.00 gal New York, NY Water
1 Pkgs European Ale (Wyeast Labs #1338) Yeast-Ale

I have a big cooler that my pot fits into. Eventually I will get a wort chiller, but I'll stick to this for now. I am going to start the boil at 5.5 and put a mark on the pot, that way if too much boils off, I can add some as needed.


*Edit:

I have a big cooler that I ASSUMED my pot fit into, as it is almost the same diameter as my last pot, which fit in the cooler. I guess assumptions can be dangerous, and I'm getting a wort chiller.

Looks tasty. I'd say go for it.

The new recipe looks real good.

Time to get a brewin'! :rockin:

I'm going to stop by the LHBS first thing in the morning, then its time to brew.

Ben25 said:

I'm going to stop by the LHBS first thing in the morning, then its time to brew.

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Sweet!

The perfect Saturday!

That sounds good. It looks a lot like my amber ale recipe. I, too, put all my extract in at once, and it turned out quite dark for an amber.

I just built the counterflow wort chiller today, so NOW its time to start brewin' !!!

Excuse my newbiness, but does it change the flavor if the beer is darker? I noticed that people really emphasis having a lighter looking beer so is it a cosmetic thing, or is it something that I should be concerned about? I like dark beers, so if it is a cosmetic thing then I really wont mind.

DutchK9 said:

Excuse my newbiness, but does it change the flavor if the beer is darker? I noticed that people really emphasis having a lighter looking beer so is it a cosmetic thing, or is it something that I should be concerned about? I like dark beers, so if it is a cosmetic thing then I really wont mind.

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It is basically a caramelization of the sugars. It may and will be more noticeable in less hopped and/or malty beers. Save for any scorching of the wort itself though it is very subtle and IMHO not unpleasant. Mostly the issue is throwing the SRM out of whack for style issues.

DutchK9 said:

I like dark beers, so if it is a cosmetic thing then I really wont mind.

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If your looking to make an amber ale, then a late extract addition will actually give you a properly colored amber ale. The appearance of the beer is part of the overall beer drinking experience, and if you can make a beer look like it's supposed to with a simple late extract addition, why wouldn't you?

Okay thanks for the tips. I guess I am just at the point of making a good tasting beer, while you guys are at the point of making the perfect beer. I will try the late addition on the next brew.