Create-Your-Own Recipe!

I have been lurking in the dark reading many-a-thread here on HBT and learning a ton. I decided it was a good time to join.

My dad and I picked up homebrewing around christmas and I really got hooked, especially this summer when I started trying to make my own recipes instead of using others'

Unfortunately, we've come to realize that we're being pretty wasteful and picking recipes based on a style we want to make instead of what we have available. So, we obviously have a lot of stuff to use!

The problem is I haven't ever tried making a recipe based on what I have to use, only on what I could buy! I have a ton of stuff, especially hops. We are still rookies so stick to extract/steeping recipes.

If anyone has at least a style of beer, or even better, a full-blown recipe for us to use we'd love to try it out!!

Here's what we have:

Steeping Malts:
• Vienna malt: 0.85lb
• Cara 20 Belgian: 0.5lb
• Light Munich: 0.75lb
• Belgian Biscuit: 0.5lb
• Briess 80L Crystal: 0.9lb
• Special B: 0.25lb

Hops:
• Willamette- 1oz
• Cascade- .25 oz
• Centennial- 1oz
• German Tettnang- 1.25oz
• German Hallertau- 1.5oz
• Galena- 1.5oz
• Hersbrucker- 1oz
• Kent Goldings- .75oz
• Columbus- 1.25oz


Who's got some creative thoughts flowing??!

Myself, I would mini mash the munich and vienna with maybe 4 or 5 lbs extract. Bitter with the oz of hersbrucker and .5 oz tettnang at 30. It'll make a tasty session beer. If you want it sweeter, add 4-6 oz of the 80L Crystal.
Keep in mind munich and vienna should really be mashed, not steeped, though, I'm sure you could get away with it if you really wanted to. Mashing them wouldn't be that hard though, just "steep" at 155 for 45-60 minutes and you'll be good.

Thanks for the advice!!

I've seen the term "mini-mashing" used quite a bit and most seem to find it really easy, I just haven't ever seen a single proper way of "mini-mashing." I'm assuming the extended steep you mention utilizes more of the starches I want? More flavor comes with it, too?

Can I steep for an hour at 155 in a grain bag all of my specialties and achieve best results? Do some taste best only steeped as opposed to mini-mashed?

alot of malts have no recoverable starches, crystal malts and roasted malts, they can be steeped. Munich, vienna, sometimes even biscuit and others need to be mashed otherwise, all you'll add to your beer is starch haze. The mash allows the enzymes in the malt to convert the starches to sugars that yeast can eat....

Off the top of my head.

Crystal 80 with columbus and centennial/cascade for a American Pale Ale- WLP001

Biscuit, Speical B and munich with tettnang and hallertau for a nice session belgian-belgian pale ale yeast or maybe an abbey Ale yeast

the vienna and cara20 with the Galena and Hersbrucker- German Ale yeast or WLP023 Burtons Ale yeast.

I think that gives you three solid beers with fundamental differences that could help expand your tastes.

Most of those ingredients came from making an Marzen/Octoberfest ale and an IPA. I've also made a Chimay clone, a Summer Ale and a Brown Ale of my own concoction, and several kits (Golden, Scottish and Blonde).

So I might consider the Pale Ale and a German Ale for new tastes. Thanks!

Swaves said:

Steeping Malts:
• Vienna malt: 0.85lb
• Light Munich: 0.75lb
• Belgian Biscuit: 0.5lb

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Unfortunately, these are not steeping malts. While you can steep them and gain some effective imparting of flavor and color, that effect is quite small. The good news is a mash is not terribly difficult; you can think of it as a steep with controlled temperatures and liquor volumes. If you "steep" with 1.5 quarts of liquor per pound of grain (in a bag) at 155F for at least a half hour, then remove the bag, suspend it in a colander and rinse the grains with another 1-2 quarts of 170F liquor per pound of grain, you've just mashed and sparged. You've already got the technology; all you need is a dial thermometer you can get at the grocery store: Look for a thermometer with a spear, used for gauging the internal temperature of a roast.

• Briess 80L Crystal: 0.9lb
• Special B: 0.25lb
• Cara 20 Belgian: 0.5lb

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These can all be simply steeped with 100% effectiveness.

Cheers,

Bob