Extract Amber Ale: Colour, clarity, & hop schedule advise please.

[ignition]

Hello all, I have a few questions for my next brew and first ever amber ale (details below).

Overall I'm aiming to produce an Amber Ale that's relatively clear and not too dark. Ideally, a light caramel like colour similar to the advertised "Morgan's Royal Oak Amber Ale".

All I have on hand and available are the ingredients listed so unfortunately I cannot change them.

So please I need your input regarding methodological practices which should prevent me from unintentionally darkening my brew and keeping it as clear as possible.

The recipe also instills similarities to the Little Creatures Pale Ale, although with reduced bitterness and more amber malts which I have theoretically balanced (bitterness:sweetness, see equation). Any input in balancing the taste and aroma of the hops with (hopefully) the amber/ toffee malt sweetness will also be great.

QUESTIONS:

1. How should I keep the beer as light/ caramel-like as possible?
- Should I boil the Amber LME/ will boiling it make it darker?

2. If I do boil the Amber LME, will whirlfloc finnings improve its clarity?
- Understandably it improves the clarity of all-grain, what about LME?

3. What hop schedule do you recommend?
- I was considering adding @ 2 min, with a 15 min steep. Thoughts?

CHEERS!

Troy

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Fermentables:
1.70 kg (3.75 lb) Cooper's Canadian Blonde LME (70 EBC/ 420 IBU).
1.50 kg (3.30 lb) Cooper's Amber LME
0.20 kg (0.44 lb) Briess Wheat DME
0.25 kg (0.55 lb) Briess Light DME
0.03 kg (0.06 lb) Dextrose

I might be able to substitute the DME for a 1 kg (2.2 lb) of grains (partial mash) so feel free to throw in any grain recommendations and why.

Hops:
5 g (0.18 oz) East Kent Golding (4.8% AA, pellets)
15 g (0.53 oz) Cascade (6.6% AA, pellets)
15 g (0.53 oz) Styrian Golding (5.2% AA, pellets)

All @ 2 min, with 15 min steep?

Final volume (pre. fermentation) = 22 L (5.8 gal). OG: 1.050, FG: 1.013
IBU (pre-fermentation): (420 IBU*1.7 L) + (~5 IBU) / 22 L = ~ 33 IBU
Bitterness:Sweetness balance (BU:GU) (33 IBU / 50)= 0.66

Yeast: Fermentis Safale US-05

Priming sugar: 160 g Dextrose (2.6 CO2 vol).

ABV = ~ 5.20%, IBU (post-fermentation) = ~ 26.

 

[Calder]

QUESTIONS:

1. How should I keep the beer as light/ caramel-like as possible?
- Should I boil the Amber LME/ will boiling it make it darker?

2. If I do boil the Amber LME, will whirlfloc finnings improve its clarity?
- Understandably it improves the clarity of all-grain, what about LME?

3. What hop schedule do you recommend?
- I was considering adding @ 2 min, with a 15 min steep. Thoughts?

CHEERS!

Troy

----

Fermentables:
1.70 kg (3.75 lb) Cooper's Canadian Blonde LME (70 EBC/ 420 IBU).
1.50 kg (3.30 lb) Cooper's Amber LME
0.20 kg (0.44 lb) Briess Wheat DME
0.25 kg (0.55 lb) Briess Light DME
0.03 kg (0.06 lb) Dextrose

I might be able to substitute the DME for a 1 kg (2.2 lb) of grains (partial mash) so feel free to throw in any grain recommendations and why.

Hops:
5 g (0.18 oz) East Kent Golding (4.8% AA, pellets)
15 g (0.53 oz) Cascade (6.6% AA, pellets)
15 g (0.53 oz) Styrian Golding (5.2% AA, pellets)

All @ 2 min, with 15 min steep?

I'd use half a pound of light Crystal (C20 or C40).

You need some hops in at the start of the boil (60) to get some bitterness. I've not run any numbers, but something like 1 ozs of 10AA at 60 will get you in the region of 35 IBUs, which is where you want to be.

All-extract will end up with a high FG. I think I'd use at least 1 lb of plain sugar to help lower the FG.