Hoppy Amber

[mwjtennis]

My goal is a ~5-6% beer with IIPA hop flavor, but somehow not be too far out of balance.

My favorite IIPAs like Green Flash Palette Wrecker, Great divide hercules, lagunitas maximus / hop stupid....but much lower ABV.

So was thinking to add extra munich/crystal/victory to a IPA recipe with about a pound of hops in 10 gals. Anyone have a recipe like that?

Ive scanned thru recipes and gotten ideas but not decided a final list.

So far thinking something like
50% 2row
35% munich
5% Crystal 40L
5% Crystal 80L
5% Special B
couple oz chocolate malt

mostly C hops

 

[Calichusetts]

This malt bill still worries me even with the idea of balance in mind.

I would tone it down a bit (I would do lower than this, but I tried to meet you halfway)

70% 2-row
20% munich
5% special B
5% crystal total (do what you will)
Some flaked wheat for head retention

What is the chocolate for?

I'd say 75% or more of those hops should hit the wort post-boil if you want something crazy hoppy like the beers you mentioned. I'd do a 5-6 oz hop stand, some at flameout, a bit during FHW and late additions. Save a few ounces for a dry hop.

 

[Yooper]

If it was me, I'd ditch the special B. I just don't like it except for a very few cases plus you have enough crystal malt already. More crystal is a problem in downsizing the beer, as you don't want more sweetness and it can be cloying. Up to 15% crystal is generally ok for a well hopped red/amber but Id not do that in this beer. I'd want to increase the malt flavor, but not the crystal sweetness. I'd go with 8-10% crystal.

The munich malt is good, and Vienna would be great as well. One of the things I've been doing in my "session IPAs" is adding some aromatic malt to enhance the malt flavor and aroma without adding more malt to increase the gravity. About 1/2 pound of aromatic malt could really "malt up" the grainbill.

 

[Braufessor]

Here is a link to my "go-to" amber ale recipe. It also has some of the changes I have made to it..... I should go back in and update the original recipe....

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/red-wagon-oatmeal-amber-377368/

Bottom line - I thought my amber was a bit more on the "sweet" side/underattenuated than I liked. I scaled back the munich a bit and I also go with american caramel malt rather than british crystal..... the british crystal gave a much more pronounced flavor.

I agree on not using special B..... that is one funny grain and it can overpower a beer in a hurry. I think 5% is a lot (of that grain).

I routinely use an ounce or two of Carafa II or Chocolate or Roast Barley to tweak my color into the 13-14 SRM range. Just keep it low so you don't get any roast coming through.

I also like the idea of lots of late hops. I have been moving more and more in that direction. I have a couple recent hop variations I have used that I liked. I have one I just tapped that I bombed with hops late and some dry - I love it. It is more of an "imperial amber" - but, it is only 17 days from brew day, and I probably drank damn near a gallon of it already. I can try to post that hop schedule later - i don't have it with me. I do have at least one alternative hop schedule I used in the above link.

I think you are on the right track with what you have.

 

[mwjtennis]

If it was me, I'd ditch the special B. I just don't like it except for a very few cases plus you have enough crystal malt already. More crystal is a problem in downsizing the beer, as you don't want more sweetness and it can be cloying. Up to 15% crystal is generally ok for a well hopped red/amber but Id not do that in this beer. I'd want to increase the malt flavor, but not the crystal sweetness. I'd go with 8-10% crystal.

The munich malt is good, and Vienna would be great as well. One of the things I've been doing in my "session IPAs" is adding some aromatic malt to enhance the malt flavor and aroma without adding more malt to increase the gravity. About 1/2 pound of aromatic malt could really "malt up" the grainbill.

Thanks a lot for the feedback Yooper and Calichusetts. I did use aromatic once before in a lighter porter and that beer came out with a nice toasted flavor. I think that might be the better choice than the chocolate for the toasted flavor.

Is a pound of aromatic too much?

And would Vienna/Munich/Aromatic compliment each other all together in one recipe?

Maybe this? Brewing Saturday (10 gal):
10lb Pale
6lb Munich
4lb Vienna
1lb 40L
1lb 80L
1lb Aromatic

I have remaining 2oz cascade and 3oz chinook in my freezer that I opened 3 weeks ago. I also have unopened 6oz bags of Cascade and Centennial asking me to go into this beer.

Thinking
1oz Chinook FWH
2oz Centennial @ 30
2oz Centennial @ 15
2oz each Chinook, Cascade, Centennial hopstand.

Split the 6oz bag of cascade, throw 3oz in each bucket for dry hop, after two weeks in primary.

Typing that made me thirsty...

 

[Calichusetts]

Vienna and Munich fit quite well..aromatic? That is up to your taste. I'd personally cut the the aromatic in half, take a pound from the munich and the Vienna and add it to the base pale. Again, this is just my palette and I have become more a fan of a clean, crisp malt palette. Especially with a hop profile like that...

Why not move the 30 addition to a 20, and the 15 to a 10 or even 5. If this is pattern of hop additions you like, go for it. But a 30 addition for a hoppy beer seems diminishing IMO.

 

[mwjtennis]

Vienna and Munich fit quite well..aromatic? That is up to your taste. I'd personally cut the the aromatic in half, take a pound from the munich and the Vienna and add it to the base pale. Again, this is just my palette and I have become more a fan of a clean, crisp malt palette. Especially with a hop profile like that...

Why not move the 30 addition to a 20, and the 15 to a 10 or even 5. If this is pattern of hop additions you like, go for it. But a 30 addition for a hoppy beer seems diminishing IMO.

Was plugging in the addition times to get around 60 ibu. But yeah, I often cheat toward adding the hops later, and with hopstand probably can add the centennial at 15 and 5. Or just all 4oz at 10 or 15.

Goal is to replace the ABV with either sweetness/maltiness/both to stand up to hop schedule like the above, so its more balanced, not overly crisp that might end up like "hop tea"