Recipe - What do you think?

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HomeBrewDan

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Give me your thoughts on this batch:

Water
4 gallon boil - 5 gallon batch - All Wisconsin Spring water

Yeast
Wyeast 1007 German Ale Yeast
Yeast Nutrient

Steeping Grains
1# Belgian Pilsner
1# German Munich
1/2# Crystal 10L

Extract
7# (1/2 Gal) Light Malt Extract Syrup
1/2# Corn Sugar

Hops
1oz Hallertauer (55min)
1oz Hallertauer (15min)
1oz Saaz (<3mins, or flame-out)

What would you call this beer?
Any advice, like hop schedule etc is much appreciated. This is my third batch and I came up with it on my own.

Thanks - Dan :drunk:
 
Are you mashing the steeping grains, i.e., holding them at ~150 for a longer period of time? The Pilsner and the Munich suggest you should.

Any idea of IBUs? I don't know the AA% of your Hallertauer. these are lager-ish hops, which I think works well with everything else.

I might go with a somewhat darker crystal to stand on top of the Munich, but I'm just guessing there. Also, I don't know about the corn sugar. It's not a lot, but I don't think this is a beer that needs to be 'lightened' at all.
 
McGarnigle said:
Are you mashing the steeping grains, i.e., holding them at ~150 for a longer period of time? The Pilsner and the Munich suggest you should.

Any idea of IBUs? I don't know the AA% of your Hallertauer. these are lager-ish hops, which I think works well with everything else.

I might go with a somewhat darker crystal to stand on top of the Munich, but I'm just guessing there. Also, I don't know about the corn sugar. It's not a lot, but I don't think this is a beer that needs to be 'lightened' at all.
Click to expand...

I already have the ingredients on hand, so that is what I will use...

4.5 on the Hall, 5.8 on the Sazz... AA%... I think... all that is marked on the package is "Hall. 4.5" so I assume that is what you are looking for. I realy know nothing about AA% and IBUs.

I was adding the cornsugar to boost the Alc% a little, but what do you mean by 'lighten'? Also, how long should I hold the grains at 150F? Any other temperature rests needed? The guy at the HBS 'cracked the grains', do I need to do more?
 
I'd mash a bit higher than 150, maybe 155.
If you've never done a partial mash read this

The sugar might make the beer have less mouth-feel. if you'd like more ABV, add more LME or grab another # of Pils instead.

I don't use brewing software, but the IBU's (bitterness measurement) may be low and make the beer unbalanced.
 
the pilsner and the munich are pointless. they are base malts. the only way you get anything from them is if you mash them. they are useless to be steeped. they have to be mashed to get fermentable sugars out of them. extract is dehydrated mashed pilsner or munich or 2 row malt, for example. dont even use them. unless you really want to. the crystal does not add fermentable sugar. it adds color and mild sweetness. use that. steep it as planned.

the yeast you are using is kind of a kolsch yeast. so you will have a kind of german pale ale. it will prob be pretty good if you like lighter beers.

here is what beersmith said..


Beer
American Pale Ale


Type: Extract
Date: 12/3/2009
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer: Jackson
Boil Size: 7.50 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: -
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 87.50 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 6.25 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (55 min) Hops 18.2 IBU
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (15 min) Hops 9.2 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (3 min) Hops 1.9 IBU
0.50 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 6.25 %
1 Pkgs German Ale (Wyeast Labs #1007) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.055 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.48 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 29.3 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 8.3 SRM Color: Color
 
You can mash the Munich and Pilsner malts (and put the Crystal in the same bag) the same way you'd steep, but hold the water temp as close to 150-155 as possible for 45-60 minutes. Use a gallon of water, maybe a little less. Sparge at the end if you'd like. You'll get some fermentables out of this. You can use a cooler for this, or your brewpot, maybe wrap it in a towel off the stove.

Maybe boil your Hallertauer for ~70 minutes instead of 55 to get a little more IBUs, but this still isn't a hoppy brew, which is fine.

Hugh is right about the sugar. I'd just leave it out (the mini-mash mentioned above will boost the ABV a bit). Sugar would help a big beer not feel too heavy, but yours won't feel heavy either way as you're using mostly lighter malts/grains.
 
Could you explain the "sparging" process for me? Everything I have read leaves me a bit confused as to what you are actually supposed to do once you remove the grain from the 155F water.
 
HomeBrewDan said:
I was adding the cornsugar to boost the Alc% a little, but what do you mean by 'lighten'?
Click to expand...

I'd keep the sugar but not to boost the alcohol. One of the complaints about extract is the residual sweetness so to add a little bit of sugar to lighten it up may not be a bad thing. I'm currently helping someone that just got started in brewing and his beer doesn't seem to be finishing low enough. I suggested adding about a half pound of sugar to help dry it up.

I haven't tried it first hand but maybe someone else has.
 
Don't worry about pH for mini-mash (well, at least I don't).

Sparging: put a colander or strainer on top of your pot, then pour ~175 degree water (~1 gallon) over it slowly. Let it drain so as to eke out as much flavor as possible. Stir the grains maybe. Gently squeeze the bag if you'd like (!). the fact that you're doing partial mash rather than all grain means you don't have to be quite as precise here.

Click on one of the PDFs below to see Midwest Supply's directions:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/RecipeKits.aspx?SubCat=1120

If your colander/strainer isn't large enough for this pot, you could probably sparge into a samller pot and then combine into your main wort. Or you could "dunk sparge"...
 
jackson_d said:
the pilsner and the munich are pointless. they are base malts. the only way you get anything from them is if you mash them. they are useless to be steeped. they have to be mashed to get fermentable sugars out of them. extract is dehydrated mashed pilsner or munich or 2 row malt, for example. dont even use them. unless you really want to. the crystal does not add fermentable sugar. it adds color and mild sweetness. use that. steep it as planned.

the yeast you are using is kind of a kolsch yeast. so you will have a kind of german pale ale. it will prob be pretty good if you like lighter beers.

here is what beersmith said..


Beer
American Pale Ale


Type: Extract
Date: 12/3/2009
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer: Jackson
Boil Size: 7.50 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: -
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 87.50 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 6.25 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (55 min) Hops 18.2 IBU
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (15 min) Hops 9.2 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (3 min) Hops 1.9 IBU
0.50 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 6.25 %
1 Pkgs German Ale (Wyeast Labs #1007) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.055 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.48 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 29.3 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 8.3 SRM Color: Color
Click to expand...
+1 These are useless unless mashed..I just did a kolsch with german pils and beyond better judgment did not mash, don't think I got the results I wanted!! If I were you and did not want to mash, I would follow these instructions.
 
My pilsner I steeped a small amount of munich. Who knows why.....

Anyways, how cold can you ferment? If you can get into the extreme lows 60s you might be able to "pseudo" lager with a kolsch yeast.
 
PT Ray said:
I'd keep the sugar but not to boost the alcohol. One of the complaints about extract is the residual sweetness so to add a little bit of sugar to lighten it up may not be a bad thing. I'm currently helping someone that just got started in brewing and his beer doesn't seem to be finishing low enough. I suggested adding about a half pound of sugar to help dry it up.

I haven't tried it first hand but maybe someone else has.
Click to expand...


I'd sure like to hear about techniques of getting the FG to finish lower! I've had a few big beer batches that have finished .008-.01 above where it should.
 

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