Blondeish coconut ale. Opinions please!

[surgical_ass]

Looking to see if this recipe is worth trying to brew or will it clash somewhere along the line? Am I missing something grain wise? Will do 1 lb toasted coconut at FO and 10oz toasted in secondary. Thanks!

Blonde Ale
All Grain (3.50 gal) ABV: 5.62 %
OG: 1.056 SG FG: 1.013 SG
IBUs: 25.1 IBUs Color: 12.3 SRM
By:
Ingredients

7 lb - Pale Malt (2 Row) US
Mash addition (91.0%) - 2.0 SRM

7.0 oz - Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L
Mash addition (5.7%) - 20.0 SRM

4.0 oz - choc pale malt
Mash addition (3.3%) - 250.0 SRM

0.90 oz - Willamette
Boil 60 min (25.1 IBUs)

1 pkg - American Ale
Wyeast Labs #1056

 

[Build]

The chocolate malt should mix well with the coconut. Willamette is usually a good match as well. It seems a little dark for a blonde, but looks like it's going to be all about the coconut. I say brew it.

 

[surgical_ass]

The chocolate malt should mix well with the coconut. Willamette is usually a good match as well. It seems a little dark for a blonde, but looks like it's going to be all about the coconut. I say brew it.

Awesome! I agree it is too dark but I'm not sure what to call it. Too light for a porter to dark for a blonde. Blondeish! Going to do it. Will post results.

 

[surgical_ass]

The chocolate malt should mix well with the coconut. Willamette is usually a good match as well. It seems a little dark for a blonde, but looks like it's going to be all about the coconut. I say brew it.

Do you think the choc malt will show much at that %? Think it will be smooth or give a bite? Haven't used it in anything other than dark beers where it was hidden somewhat. It sounds good in theory but real world is usually different from expectations.

 

[Vandulus]

My 2 cents worth:
I've made a coconut key lime pale ale and never used any grain above 60 Lovibond. In fact there's a batch in secondary right now. I'd ditch the chocolate malt for something lighter, possibly Caramel 40, Victory or if you want something sweeter the new Honey Biscuit.

If you're going to use a chocolate malt, why not go full out for chocolate and coconut porter or stout?

 

[nutty_gnome]

Pale chocolate malt is pretty smooth tasting in small amounts. This sounds like an interesting experimental beer and I'm curious about the results. If it were me, I would drop the IBUS to around 18 (calculated by the Rager method) to ensure that the hops would not clash with the coconut. I would probably split the ounce of willamette at half oz at 60 and half oz at 5 mins (assuming the IBUS would work out).

 

[sfrisby]

I do a toasted coconut blonde (actually on tap right now) with the above poster's recommendation of honey malt. Chocolate, at that level, would likely effect color but not much else. Sounds great. Good luck!

 

[surgical_ass]

I do a toasted coconut blonde (actually on tap right now) with the above poster's recommendation of honey malt. Chocolate, at that level, would likely effect color but not much else. Sounds great. Good luck!

I too was wondering if I would get anything out of that amount of choc malt but I had read somewhere that paired with crystal malt it would bring out the chocolate a bit better. Don't know if that holds any truth or not tho. How is your coconut addituons compared to mine? Do you toast everything? Saw somewhere that if you didn't toast some of the coconut it would help flavor. Again don't know if there is any merit to that.

 

[surgical_ass]

Pale chocolate malt is pretty smooth tasting in small amounts. This sounds like an interesting experimental beer and I'm curious about the results. If it were me, I would drop the IBUS to around 18 (calculated by the Rager method) to ensure that the hops would not clash with the coconut. I would probably split the ounce of willamette at half oz at 60 and half oz at 5 mins (assuming the IBUS would work out).

I went back and forth about the ibus for awhile. I was afraid it would be a bit sweeter than I was thinking, but I suppose in this case a bit of sweetness would compliment it much better than bitterness would.

 

[surgical_ass]

Ok I dropped the ibus a touch to 22. Afraid to go lower. .8oz at 60 min. Think a .2oz 5 min charge is something this beer needs? Don't want it competing with the coconut since I hear it can be difficult to get it to show. Hummm decisions decisions

 

[nutty_gnome]

Firestone walkers great blonde ale (named 805) is late hopped with willamette. I did the recipe put out by BYO a few months ago which features early bittering with willamette and then late hopping with willamette. It was definetly not too much - willamette is so mellow and clean. Good luck with your efforts!