Lateralus
Member
So I'm doing my first solo all-grain brew sometime soon (maybe this weekend). I've done one before with a friend and it was fairly straightforward, although the final beer isn't as good as I hoped. I'm going for something better this time.
I want to make an American-style pale ale - a nice coppery color, some caramelly sweetness up front leading to a dry finish with a bit of citrusy hoppiness. Something along the lines of Flying Dog's Pale Ale, perhaps. I heard they use just two-row and crystal 120, is that correct?
What I have sketched out so far:
10 lbs American two-row (Rahr)
12 oz crystal 120 (Briess)
4 oz crystal 20 (Briess)
3 oz carapils (Briess)
0.25oz simcoe @ 90
0.5oz amarillo @ 30
0.75 oz simcoe @ 10
0.5oz amarillo @ 5
American Ale 1056
What do you think of this?
I heard that if I'm using a pound of crystal malt already then I don't need to add carapils, is that true? And the purpose of carapils is to improve head retention and stability? What is meant by stability?
Anyone have any particular opinions of the malting companies? I work at my LHBS so I get a discount and I know all about the stuff we sell, but not much side-by-side as far as flavor and other characteristics. Would I notice a difference between maltsters with my two-row? We carry organic two-row from Briess, but our regular two-row is Rahr.
I used the calculator at byo and it gave me an SRM of 17 and 41 IBUs. Are those numbers realistic? 41 seems awfully high with only a quarter-ounce of simcoe at the start of the boil. Originally I had the simcoe split 50/50 but the IBUs were way high. I want 35-40 IBUs. Is that a good IBU for this style? I went a fairly prominent, but not intense, hop character. I'm thinking along the lines of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
What are the pros and cons of a 90 minute boil versus 60 minutes? My buddy who helped me brew my last batch is a professional brewer and he said to go for 90. I know pros aren't immune to error, but if it's worth it to go 90, I will.
What are the advantages of a thinner mash? The calculator assumed a default of 1.25 quarts per pound of grain, so it calls for 3.5 gallons. On my last batch we used quite a lot more than that (I think almost six gallons actually for 11lbs of grain). Is that too much? I think I read something about some homebrewers getting better results with 1.5 quarts per gallon. I'm mashing in my brew kettle (I know, ghetto-fied setup but worked fine last time) so the volume shouldn't be an issue, up to a point.
We didn't use any irish moss or other kettle coagulants in my last batch, but I want to for this one. At what point in the boil do I add that?
How useful is yeast nutrient? Is it worthwhile? At what point do I use it? I got a suggestion to use it in the last 10 minutes of the boil, is that OK? I'm talking about the vials of Wyeast yeast nutrient with the blue top.
I'm probably going to be asking a few more questions in this thread, but this is enough for now. Thanks in advance for anyone who offers any advice, suggestions, opinions, etc.
I want to make an American-style pale ale - a nice coppery color, some caramelly sweetness up front leading to a dry finish with a bit of citrusy hoppiness. Something along the lines of Flying Dog's Pale Ale, perhaps. I heard they use just two-row and crystal 120, is that correct?
What I have sketched out so far:
10 lbs American two-row (Rahr)
12 oz crystal 120 (Briess)
4 oz crystal 20 (Briess)
3 oz carapils (Briess)
0.25oz simcoe @ 90
0.5oz amarillo @ 30
0.75 oz simcoe @ 10
0.5oz amarillo @ 5
American Ale 1056
What do you think of this?
I heard that if I'm using a pound of crystal malt already then I don't need to add carapils, is that true? And the purpose of carapils is to improve head retention and stability? What is meant by stability?
Anyone have any particular opinions of the malting companies? I work at my LHBS so I get a discount and I know all about the stuff we sell, but not much side-by-side as far as flavor and other characteristics. Would I notice a difference between maltsters with my two-row? We carry organic two-row from Briess, but our regular two-row is Rahr.
I used the calculator at byo and it gave me an SRM of 17 and 41 IBUs. Are those numbers realistic? 41 seems awfully high with only a quarter-ounce of simcoe at the start of the boil. Originally I had the simcoe split 50/50 but the IBUs were way high. I want 35-40 IBUs. Is that a good IBU for this style? I went a fairly prominent, but not intense, hop character. I'm thinking along the lines of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
What are the pros and cons of a 90 minute boil versus 60 minutes? My buddy who helped me brew my last batch is a professional brewer and he said to go for 90. I know pros aren't immune to error, but if it's worth it to go 90, I will.
What are the advantages of a thinner mash? The calculator assumed a default of 1.25 quarts per pound of grain, so it calls for 3.5 gallons. On my last batch we used quite a lot more than that (I think almost six gallons actually for 11lbs of grain). Is that too much? I think I read something about some homebrewers getting better results with 1.5 quarts per gallon. I'm mashing in my brew kettle (I know, ghetto-fied setup but worked fine last time) so the volume shouldn't be an issue, up to a point.
We didn't use any irish moss or other kettle coagulants in my last batch, but I want to for this one. At what point in the boil do I add that?
How useful is yeast nutrient? Is it worthwhile? At what point do I use it? I got a suggestion to use it in the last 10 minutes of the boil, is that OK? I'm talking about the vials of Wyeast yeast nutrient with the blue top.
I'm probably going to be asking a few more questions in this thread, but this is enough for now. Thanks in advance for anyone who offers any advice, suggestions, opinions, etc.