Need advice on first recipe

[Clonefarmer]

For my first recipe I want to try something simple. In the general area of pale ales. But with a single malt and no adjuncts. I am looking for something fairly hoppy with balanced hop and malt flavor. Let me know what you think.

5# Light DME
2# Marris Otter
.5# Crystal 20

.5 oz Chinook (60 min)
1 oz Cascade (20 min)
1 oz Cascade (5 min)
1 oz Cascade (dry-hop)

Safale US-05

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

Marris Otter is a base malt and really needs to be mashed. That hop schedule is also going to put you at over 60 IBUs (based upon a 2.5 gallon boil, and default average AA of the hops), which will be pretty bitter based upon the starting gravity of this beer. Since this is your first beer why not choose one of the already proven recipes from the recipe DB here on HBT?? If you are dead set on something similar to that recipe I would do something like

5 lbs light DME
8 oz aromatic malt

1/2 oz chinook (60 min)
1 oz cascade (20 min)
1 oz cascade (5 min)
1 oz cascade (dry hop)

Go with a fairly neutral yeast (I like Safale US-05) to really let the hop flavor stand out.

 

[Clonefarmer]

Sorry I should have been more specific this is not my first beer but my first recipe not from a kit . I wanted to make something I could call my own . I was planning on partial mash and have a small round cooler for mlt.

I used Safale US-05 on the IPA I made so will definitely use that for this recipe.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

Okay, that makes a bit more sense then. Your recipe should work with the malts you listed, but I would still cut your 60 min hop addition of Chinook down to 1/2 oz

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

Where are earth are you getting your hops from, man? Cascades! I've only heard tales of such vegetation!

 

[Clonefarmer]

I will cut back the 60 min to .5 oz

5# light DME
2# Maris Otter

.5 oz Chinook (60 min)
1 oz Cascade (20 min)
1 oz Cascade (5 min)
1 oz Cascade (dry-hop)

Safale US-05

I am planning on ordering the cascades from http://www.austinhomebrew.com

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

As someone else has said, if you want to use 2 pounds of Maris Otter, you'll need to mash it. If you're prepared for that (it's not that hard), go for it.

The only pale ales I brew are English style Bitters... to that end, I'd recommend some crystal malt (maybe half a pound). I'm also a big fan of Victory or Biscuit malt.

 

[TheJadedDog]

Why no other grains? I'd highly recommend some crystal malt in there (not much, maybe 1/4 pound or so), otherwise you are going to have a fairly flat, boring beer when it comes to flavor.

 

[Clonefarmer]

I definitely don't want flat and boring. Crystal sounds good, I'm not too sure which though. I don't mind a darker beer as long as the malt balances with the hops.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

This is a lighter beer, I'd just keep it light. Go with 8 oz crystal 20.

 

[TheJadedDog]

This is a lighter beer, I'd just keep it light. Go with 8 oz crystal 20.

Yep, any of the lighter crystal malts will give you some body and a bit of flavor without making your beer too dark. Just don't overdo it, 8oz sounds about right to me.

 

[Clonefarmer]

I'll go with 8 oz of crystal 20 than.