First recipe: looking for criticism

I needed a study break earlier and decided to make up a recipe in iBrewMaster. I used my limited knowledge on the flavors of the grain, and the even more limited knowledge on hops. This is what I came up with,

4.5lbs White Wheat Malt
4lbs Crystal Malt
2lbs Munich Malt

1 oz Cascade (60 mins)
1 oz Simcoe (60 mins)
0.5 oz Hallertauer (15 mins)
1.25 oz Cascade (5mins)

0.50 oz ginger root (5 mins)
0.75 coriander seed (5 mins)

Yeast: WL0060 American Ale Blend
Mash at 154* F for 60 mins and sparge with 14.7 qts.

Again, this is the first recipe I have ever decided to write. I have only two brews under my belt, only one is all grain. Looking for any kind of feedback, so please don't hold back. Constructive feedback, especially negative, is welcomed. I can only hope to improve from trial and error and the wisdom gained from more experienced brewers.

What are you trying to make? 4 lbs of crystal is a LOT.

So far as the ginger and coriander go...well I suggest making a tea or something using those quantities to see how you like it. You would be surprised how little it takes of either one to completely dominate the flavors in a batch of beer.

Also, Crystal comes in a wide range of SRM, which will make a huge difference on how the beer looks and tastes.


THe mash profile is missing some information, like strike volume and temp, that you would need on brew day, but which tends to vary based on the system and ambient temperatures.

That is way to much crystal malt. It's almost half of the grainbill and I wouldn't use both the Cascade/Simcoe at 60 minutes, I would use the Cascade and move the Simcoe to 10 or something. Also the hallertau is going to get swallowed up big time with those strong American hops in the mix.

What exactly are you trying to make? It looks like a wheat beer but it's really overly hopped.

You guys are out... Simon didn't say reply... :cross:

But if he would have, I would have agreed that is way too much crystal malt, I would limit it to 10% of the grain bill max., also I would be careful with the miscellaneous additions. The tea idea is a great suggestion.

thanks for the info. I'll cut back the crystal and maybe add in some pilsner and pull out the Hallertauer.

I made a backbone for a good wheat beer by using 40/40/20 Wheat, pilsner, and munich.

If you want to make this a hoppy American Wheat, I would add maybe 0.5-1 lb crystal 40. I would bring Cascade and Simcoe to the fore. Use them as the flavor hops and dry hop with them, too if you like. If you're looking to make the coriander and ginger stand out, then you would want to go with less aggressively-flavored hops and Maybe do a 60M and 30M addition. Stay away from the Pacific Northwest hops.