Need ez recipe for first AG

[lager-tija]

Hey all.. Ive been extract and partial mash brewing for a few years now and have decided its time to start AG.. got my cooler mash/lauter tun made and so now looking for a nice easy 5 gallon AG recipe to start with. Any ideas?

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

a simple Pale Ale always works.


8.75 lbs 2-Row Pale Malt
0.5 lbs Crystal 40L
0.25 lbs Carapils

Mash in 1.25 qt/lb (11.88 ~=~ 12 qts) at 150*F for 60 min

60 Minute boil:
1 oz Cascade @ 60 min
1 oz Cascade @ 20 min
1 oz Cascade @ 0 min
Optional:
1 oz Cascade @ secondary for 10-14 days

WLP001 California Ale yeast

 

[lager-tija]

Thanks that looks like it should be good too! Probably going to try it in the next week or so.

 

[Yooper]

Any AG recipe that doesn't involve step mashing should be fine. You could just consider what type of beer you'd like, and go from there. I made an IPA for my first AG, but if you like porters or brown ales, you may want to start there. Darker beers seem to hide chill haze, for example, so they might be a little bit "easier". Really, just about any recipe without a ton of adjuncts (you don't want a stuck mash or sparge for your first time!) or without multiple rests will be fine.

 

[MrNate]

10 lbs Maris Otter
1/2 lb Crystal 60

1/2 oz Magnum* @ 60
1 oz Fuggle @ 15
1 oz Fuggle @ 0

1pk Nottingham


*Or whatever gets you the IBUs as long as it's clean or appropriate (i.e. 1 oz Fuggle @ 60 would be just fine, though slightly more expensive). Just remember your efficiency is likely not to be so good your first time out.

 

[GIusedtoBe]

Darker beers seem to hide chill haze, for example, so they might be a little bit "easier".

I've noticed more clarity issues w/ AG. Is this due to grain selection or mash temps? I know undermodified malts need a protein rest but should'nt a single infusion brew done w/ fully modified malts clear as well as an extract brew?

I guess I know about protein rests and boil time etc. are there any other factors that can cause chill/protein haze?

Regards
Al

 

[Yooper]

I've noticed more clarity issues w/ AG. Is this due to grain selection or mash temps? I know undermodified malts need a protein rest but should'nt a single infusion brew done w/ fully modified malts clear as well as an extract brew?

I guess I know about protein rests and boil time etc. are there any other factors that can cause chill/protein haze?

Regards
Al

It should clear as well, but if you didn't get full conversion, you could have a starch haze. You also need a bigger/better hot break than you do with extract. If you don't get a nice hot break, those proteins can cause a protein haze.

Some of the keys are good conversion, appropriate temperatures, a good hot break, and a good cold break. Kettle finings like whirlfloc make a big difference in helping to coagulate those floating proteins.

 

[scinerd3000]

i did edworts haus pale ale and it was perfect...simple recipe and a mighty fine beer:https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/bee-cave-brewery-haus-pale-ale-31793/

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I have always seen two schools of thought on the first AG approach.

The first, do a RIS or even just a stout. The intent here is to have more of a focus on the process itself. To get a feel for it. Given that the big roasty character of said beer can hide some mistakes and yield a drinkable beer.

The other, is do a SmAsH or Single Malt and Single Hop to keep the recipe itself as basic as it can get.

I can't remember what I did for my first.

 

[thedude123]

What do you think is better for clarity whirlfloc or Irish moss?

 

[Yooper]

I find that whirlfloc works the best. I always used Irish moss with "meh" results. But the Whirlfloc worked fantastic the first time I used it, and now I always recommend it to others. I even convinced RichBrewer to try it because he was concerned about some clarity issues, and he was sold, too, I think.

 

[defenestrate]

ever think of trying your own recipe? im goign to start AG in the next two weeks and i decided to try my own... who knows!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

For proteins, Gelatin is fine. Bloom it per directions and add it to the secondary.

To drop yeast, Isinglass is the only thing really effective for that.

 

[MrNate]

I second the idea of trying your own recipe. Keep it simple and you'll be fine.

 

[Flic]

I'd also recommend Ed's Haus Pale Ale. I did this for my first AG 2 weeks ago. Just bottled it 2 nights ago and can't wait to try it. Very easy recipe...

 

[thedude123]

What is isinglass?

 

[Yooper]

What is isinglass?

It's a clarifier made from fish swim bladders. It's commonly used to fine wines that won't clear, and also for beer occasionally.

 

[niquejim]

Hey all.. Ive been extract and partial mash brewing for a few years now and have decided its time to start AG.. got my cooler mash/lauter tun made and so now looking for a nice easy 5 gallon AG recipe to start with. Any ideas?

Do you like stouts, APA's, Belgians, etc!!!!

The easiest I know is a Duvel clone
18C. Strong Belgian Ale, Belgian Strong Golden Ale Extract

Color

Stats
OG 1.072
FG 1.018
IBU 26
ABV 7.0 %
SRM 4

Specifics
Boil Volume 7 gallons
Batch Size 5 gallons
Yeast 75% AA

Style Comparison
Low High
OG 1.065 1.072 1.080
FG 1.014 1.018 1.020
IBU 25 26 35
SRM 3.5 4 5.5
ABV 7 7.0 9



Fermentables
% Weight Weight (lbs) Grain Gravity Points Color
84.6 % 11.00 Belgian Pils 57.8 4.0
15.4 % 2.00 Cane sugar 13.8 0.4
13.00 71.6

Hops
% Wt Weight (oz) Hop Form AA% AAU Boil Time Utilization IBU
100.0 % 1.50 (Continental hops) Whole/Plug 5.0 7.5 60 0.228 25.6
1.50 25.6

 

[thedude123]

Well I am a vegetarian so I would like to stay away from gelatin and islinglass. Anything besides whirlfloc and Irish moss that people would recommend?

Also what is whirlfloc? I know what they look like but what are the ingredients?

 

[steinsato]

I could be wrong but I want to say Whirlfloc is made of irish moss....

 

[joex444]

I don't get why a grain bill with fewer malts would be easier. You crush them all up together and dump them in at the same temp, if you do a single infusion. Who cares if you have one, two or five malts? It doesn't change what you actually do. Multiple steps or decoctions is where it gets tricky.

So, go with whatever you like. You can make pretty much any style with a single infusion and batch sparge so have at it. I'd suggest finding a clone of something you like. My first AG was a Nugget Nectar clone, four malts. Next up was an American Brown, also four malts. Then a RIS, six malts. And a Schwarzbier, five malts. None harder than any of the others as they're all single infusion.

That said, your other choice is a known-good recipe. EdWort's (any style here) would suffice.

 

[bctdi]

I would suggest a proven apa recipe because you won`t spend that much on ingredients and It`s a good beginner brew.I made the mistake of trying too many different styles too quickly which made it much harder for me to figure out if my recipe was at fault or my process.....or both.If I were you I`d keep brewing the same proven recipe over and over till you get a good brew and your process is dialed in.....then you will be able to move on to others and experiment with new recipes with confidence in your process....yeah it`s boring at first, but in the long run you`ll save money and you`ll be able to formulate recipes very accurately.