A Little Help From My Friends?

Hey dudes, any chance I can get someone to run one of those Brewmaster programs for me? I brewed a Sam Adams Summer Ale clone from the North American Clone book last week. Whne I first checked the hydromiter it was in the 1.070's!! I panicked and then remembered I had become impatient and checked it when it was not completely done cooling. So I figured it was fine. The hydromiter was just off.

Today I checked it's gravity and progress and it was at 1.050! Once again I panicked. It had a very healthy krausen, as if it had just recently risen. Then I realized I had put it in a room which is currently 60 degrees as opposed to its usual 70. Damn climate craziness. So I figure it might have been at 1.055 originally or so and just very very very slowly come done.

Anyways, can someone check the grains and extract I used with Brewsmith or whatnot just to make sure I didn't use too much grain? The only change I made in the clone book recipe was using dry as opposed to liquid extract. I figured this might change at most a point of alcohol percentage.

I used the following:
1 pound of Pilsner Malt
.5 pound Carapils
1 pound Oats

3 pounds light DME
3 pounds wheat DME

I also used a very very small amount of grains of paradise and an ounce of lemon zest.
Am I nuts? Thanks for the help.
-Ben

PS If you can't tell I've been drinking... I brewed a SNPA clone and had a few homebrews in the process. Forgive my mistakes please.

You can go online and type it in here.

It's a pretty cool recipe calculator

Thanks so muh!
-Ben

Well, the verdict is in... 6.5 % potential alcohol. That's a little high I'd say, for a light Summer Ale... so what am I gonna do with this batch? I mean have you ever had a summer ale that strong? Something about it rubs me the wrong way. I guess I can only wait though. Anyone had this happen to them before?
-Ben

Well, it all depends on your finished gravity. I'd let it age a while and work on a lighter recipe next time if it turns our a wee heavy.

I should have known not to use DME.... I'll definatly do it lighter next time. I wonder what it will be like. This does seem like a classic mistake, but I don't know many other people who have made it.
-Ben

EdWort said:

You can go online and type it in here.

It's a pretty cool recipe calculator

Click to expand...

Nice link Ed, but dammit, I've been playing with that thing all day now!!!



The good news is, that all of my recipes, but one are within or very close to being within style guidlines(not that I care).

The IBU's on my Hefe are a little over the top, but hey, the 2 ounces of Cascades really make the beer.


I also had just recently converted all of my extract recipes to all grain (placed my grain order yesterday!) and they too were perfect.

Thanks again!

SkaBoneBenny said:

Well, the verdict is in... 6.5 % potential alcohol. That's a little high I'd say, for a light Summer Ale... so what am I gonna do with this batch? I mean have you ever had a summer ale that strong? Something about it rubs me the wrong way. I guess I can only wait though. Anyone had this happen to them before?
-Ben

Click to expand...

you cold always water it down a touch. I know it's not the ideal situation but . . .