First Recipe Attempt - what can be improved?

[Vedexent]

In the category of "making #%$ up as I go along" ...

I thought I'd take a stab at creating a recipe from "whole cloth" - but I thought I should probably get feedback from more experienced brewers (99.9999999% of you out there), in case I was about to do something horribly wrong.

My intensions with this receipie are:

• Fairly simply base.
• Medium body.
• Smoked malt, which is to be the "showcase" flavor.
• Black patent for color.
• Caramel to add a little sweetness (to counterbalance the patent?), add a little ABV, and add a little body.
• Carafoam to help with creating a head.
• Mangum hops (on hand) for needed bittering, but not really for showcasing the hop; this is all about smoke.

So after tinkering with some online recipe calculators, and finally Beersmith, I came up with the recipe idea below.

Any feedback / suggestions are more than welcome.

Thank you,

---------

Overview

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 10.00 l (2.6 gallons)
Boil Size: 12.42 l 13.17 (3.5 Gallons)
Boil Time: 60 min
Boil Loss: 2.75L/hr (.73 gal/hr)
End of Boil Vol: 10.42 l (2.75 gallons)
Final Bottling Vol: 8.00 l + (2.1 gallons - 16 x 500Ml bottles)
Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage
Efficiency: 60.00 % (BIAB, no sparge)

Est Original Gravity: 1.064 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.1 %
Bitterness: 44.7 30.7 IBUs
Est Color: 88.7 EBC (Black)
Calories: 427.1/l - 213.55/500 ml swing-top bottle.
​

Ingredients

Grains

1.50 kg (3.3 lbs) Munich Malt (41.7%)
1.50 kg (3.3 lbs) Smoked Malt (41.7%)
0.25 kg (0.5lbs) Black (Patent) Malt (6.9%)
0.25 kg (0.5lbs) Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (6.9%)
0.10 kg (0.2lbs) Carafoam (2.8 %)

Total Grain Weight: 3.60 kg (7.9 lbs)
​

Hops

10.00 g (.35 Oz) Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min - 29.8 IBUs 30.7 IBUs
10.00 g (.35 Oz) Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min - 14.8 IBUs
​

Yeast

1.0 pkg London Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1028) [124.21 ml]
​

Mash Steps

• Add 14.62 l 15.37l of water at 77.6 C (4.0 gallons @ 171.7F)
• Mash @ 68.9 C (156 F) for 60 min
• Heat to 75.6 C (168 F) over 7 mi
• Hold 75.6 C (168 F) for 10 min

​

 

[theowlman16]

You've done your homework. I've never brewed one myself, but most recipes of rauchbiers have a 2:1 base to smoked malt.

 

[Vedexent]

You've done your homework. I've never brewed one myself, but most recipes of rauchbiers have a 2:1 base to smoked malt.

Thanks

Yes, I know it's pretty heavy on the smoke, but seeing as I really like Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen, I was willing to "double down" on the smoke flavor.

 

[bajaedition]

2 things I see is that your ibus are higher than an IPA, that is a tad high for style

the other thing is the biol off, most 60 minute boils are going lose 6 to 8 percent of volume, yours is predicting close to a 20% loss of volumn

Might want to lower the bittering hops down to get a 25 to 26 IBU level and relook at the loss during boil.

 

[Vedexent]

2 things I see is that your ibus are higher than an IPA, that is a tad high for style

the other thing is the biol off, most 60 minute boils are going lose 6 to 8 percent of volume, yours is predicting close to a 20% loss of volumn

Might want to lower the bittering hops down to get a 25 to 26 IBU level and relook at the loss during boil.

Thanks for catching the IBUs - I've taken out the late hops addition to drop the IBUs.

As for the boil loss volume, I did a test run with my equipment after reading your comment. I put 8 cups of water into my kettle, boiled for an hour, and measured the post boil volume. I actually had been underestimating the boil loss, which came out at ~3/4 gallon per hour (2.75l/hour).

I think that it's such a high percentage because loss per hour is directly related to the surface area of the boiling water, so percentage loss is related to the ratio between surface area and volume in the kettle.

I am doing a small 2.5 gallon batch, so I suspect that I have a larger surface-to-volume ratio than if I was using a monster 15-gallon kettle.

Of course - I'm assuming that water and wort losses are the same; I'm not 100% sure this is true.


In any case - I appreciate the feedback, thanks!

 

[bajaedition]

Thanks for catching the IBUs - I've taken out the late hops addition to drop the IBUs.

As for the boil loss volume, I did a test run with my equipment after reading your comment. I put 8 cups of water into my kettle, boiled for an hour, and measured the post boil volume. I actually had been underestimating the boil loss, which came out at ~3/4 gallon per hour (2.75l/hour).

I think that it's such a high percentage because loss per hour is directly related to the surface area of the boiling water, so percentage loss is related to the ratio between surface area and volume in the kettle.

I am doing a small 2.5 gallon batch, so I suspect that I have a larger surface-to-volume ratio than if I was using a monster 15-gallon kettle.

Of course - I'm assuming that water and wort losses are the same; I'm not 100% sure this is true.


In any case - I appreciate the feedback, thanks!

one very important thing we must consider is that all of us have different equipment and get different results
the fact you did a test run to figure out your water loss in the pot means you are serious about doing it correct, I commend you. Looks like you are going have a great brew.