recipe suggestion:- thoughts please

I wonder if any one light give me some feedback on this please. The idea is
for something fresh and crisp , hoppy but not overpowering.


19 L brew length

3480g Pale
250g Crystal
80g chocolate

20 g northdown for 60 mins
15 challenger for 15
20 crystal for 5

1045 og
33 IBU

how does this sound, can someone please tweak it for me.

i like challenger and Northdown and find they make a nice combo. Crystal just to freshen it a little. although i have never actually used it.


I understand that it is hard for people to make comment on this based just on the recipe.

From beersmith i used this as a form of " English pale ale" and the IBU and OG are inside of the scaIe that is set for the style. The grains are pretty standard although i might add around 80 grams or so of oatmeal in there too in the absence of wheat in order to aid head retention and bump the OG just a tiny bit. My biggest concern is that of the hopping for the beers.

In the past i have used Northdown and first gold together and the result was very nice, I also understand that Challenger and northdowns go well together. From what i have read these three go well together, and although the proof of the pudding is in the tasting its a lot of time and work if its going to taste crap.

Has anyone had experience of these three hops together?

I am hoping to make this a light alternative to the usual Christmas brews here, something that is fresh tasting rather than heavy and standard norwegian p*** water that tastes of nowt.( living in Norway i have first hand experience of the norwegian fizz.)

I was thinking of using Wyeast 1068 ( esb) as i have it at home, but also have standard safeale 4 as well. I know this is not an ESB by style or strength but was thinking that the yeast might add some extra character to the brew.

Can anyone shed some light on my hop choices?

I would like to plan this one onto the calender so i can get things sorted whilst the other half is at work!

, half term is in 10 days!!!

thanks in advance.,






looking to brew in a couple of weeks when stuff arrives

thanks

That recipe looks great to me. I've never used Northdown, but I love Northern Brewer and it's supposedly quite similar. I use it for bittering a large number of my beers. Crystal at the end will definitely soften it up a bit...it's like hallertau with a kick.

I made a mall mistake ( typo) it should have been 3840 pale malt.

Looks lik to run with this to see if it turns out as i hope.

might need to do it over 2 days though as te other half is pregnant and a little sensitive to smells right now.

I have an oatmeal stout that is really good though, fermenting ik a maniac as we speak.

looking forwards to kegging it so i have the fv free.

thanks

d