opinion on a recipe modification im doing

[djstaticburn]

Hello all so I got a little creative today and did a modification of a recipe I found in The Joy of Homebrewing (Very first extract recipe in the book in fact, I think its called Real American Ale). It’s a very simple recipe, I believe it is as follows (plz correct if wrong)
4.5lbs of amber dme
1 ½ oz of Willamette (hour boil)
½ oz of Cascade (15 min boil)
2tsp Irish Moss

Now my idea was to take that and expand it just a little bit, I would like some feedback on the idea please
s-05 yeast
3.3lbs Briess Golden LME
1lb Amber DME
1lb German Honey Malt (Bruhmalt)
1lb Brown Sugar
1lb local harvested honey
2tsp Irish moss (for clearing)
1oz Willamette (60min)
½ oz Fuggles (30 min)
½ oz Fuggles (15 min)
½ oz Cascade(5min)
3 days before bottling add ½ oz cascade for aroma.

Steep the bruhmalt @ 150 for 40 mins, sparge @ 170. Then boil 1oz Willamette (60min), add ½ oz fuggles (30min), add ½ oz fuggles (15 min), add ½ oz Cascade (5min). Flameout add LME / DME / Brown Sugar / Honey. mix really well, for good aeration. Chill down to 60f-66f, pitch and await the goodness.Any ideas, or mess-ups on my part with that, just need some advice.

Thanks, Jim

 

[Yooper]

Well, I'm not a fan of brown sugar once it's fermented. It has a great taste when used on grapefruit and things, but once the sugar ferments out it has a very odd molasses taste, but without the sweetness. It might be ok in a very dark beer like a wee heavy, but I wouldn't like it either way. I'd be cautious in using any at all, but definitely not a whole pound.

Honey malt is strongly honey flavored, so if you love it that would be fine. I'd definitely cut that to .25-.5 pound to not be so strong.

Both simple sugars like brown sugar and honey ferment completely so they do increase the alcohol of the beer but since they ferment out fully, they also produce no body or much flavor (except for the weird unsweet molasses flavor in brown sugar).

Some simple sugar is fine in most recipes, but in this case there are 2 pounds of simple sugar, and only 4 pounds of extract- that is a very high percentage of simple sugar and I wouldn't do that. The way it's written, simple sugars are about 30% of the recipe, and that's about 20-25% too much!

Beer is mostly malt, and that's because malt (extract in this case) provides maltose for fermentable sugar which is not completely fermentable and gives flavor and body to the beer- it's what makes beer actually "beer". Too much in the way of sweet things (honey malt) and simple sugars (honey and brown sugar) and it throws off the balance of the beer entirely.

It might be good if you want a lighter bodied beer with a higher ABV and a very strong honey flavor with a unsweet molasses note- but most people wouldn't like that very much.

The hops are ok, if you like fuggles hops. They have a very earthy flavor that comes across as dirt to some folks, but it mixes nicely with cascade and willamette.

 

[djstaticburn]

BTW, I'm on like my second brew, Im just trying to stick to basic stuff but kinda get a lil creative

Cool, thanks very much ill probably just drop the brown sugar, I’ll play around on brewfriend while I’m at work and see what I can work with. I want a 4.5-6.5% amber ale with a nice honey flavor, so I will def drop back to half a pound, due to the sweet of the dme and the honey I will be using. i was wondering about the fuggles actually, yea they smelled REALLY earthy, but the cascade.......... :rockin: soooooooooooooooooooooooooo goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood :fro:, that’s why I’m using them at the end. I may just hold on to the fuggles or use less of them.

Thanks
Jim

 

[Sailingeric]

Honey malt is strong stuff. I used 4oz in a blonde ale and when it was done the bucket smelled like a jug of honey. The beer has a slight honey taste but I think any more malt it would be to much.

 

[djstaticburn]

wow.......... that strong huh? think i may dial it back to 1/2oz or 1/4oz i want honey but damn.

 

[djstaticburn]

Okay went back to the drawing board a little bit and with the help of brewersfriend.com this is what i have come up with for this brew, any and all feedback appreciated.

Laughing Madder Brewing: Sons of Liberty Ale (American Brown Ale)
(Recipe made on Brewersfriend.com)
Method: Extract
Style: American Brown Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 4 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 1.5 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.142 (recipe based estimate)
Efficiency: 44.8% (steeping grains only)
Source: Jim Sitzler
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.015
ABV (standard): 5.04%
IBU (tinseth): 26.24
SRM (morey): 21.98



Fermentables
Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
3.3 lb Liquid Malt Extract - Light 35 4 42.3%
1 lb Dry Malt Extract - Amber 42 10 12.8%
4.3 lb Total



Steeping Grains
Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
1 lb American - Caramel / Crystal 60L 34 60 12.8%
0.5 lb Canadian - Honey Malt 37 25 6.4%
1.5 lb American - Pale 2-Row 37 1.8 19.2%
0.5 lb United Kingdom - Pale Chocolate 33 207 6.4%
Hops
Amount Variety Type AA Use Time IBU
1 oz Fuggles Pellet 4.5 Boil 60 min 9.34
0.5 oz Willamette Pellet 4.5 Boil 50 min 4.44
0.5 oz Cascade Pellet 7 Boil 40 min 6.37
0.5 oz Willamette Pellet 4.5 Boil 30 min 3.59
0.25 oz Cascade Pellet 7 Boil 20 min 2.2
0.25 oz Cascade Pellet 7 Boil 2 min 0.31


Yeast
Fermentis / Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05
Attenuation (avg): 72% Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 59 - 75 °F Starter: No
Fermentation Temp: 68 °F Pitch Rate: -


Steep 1.5lbs 2-row, 1lb Crystal 60, ½ lb Pale Chocolate, ½ lb German Bruhmalt in 1 ½ Gallons of water @ 150f for 1 hour, Sparge with ½ gal. Water @ 170f. Remove grains from wort and Remove from heat.


While off heat Mix 1lb Amber DME, (Mix thoroughly and make sure to get the bottom of the kettle to avoid burning DME.) Once DME is mixed well, Mix in 3.3lbs of Golden LME, same routine, be super thorough mixing the LME in AVOID BURNING AT ALL COSTS.
Once thoroughly mixed place wort back on heat and bring to a very light boil. Once the boil starts, set boil timer for 60min,
With 60 minutes left in the boil place 1oz Fuggles hops in the boil.
With 50 minutes left in the boil place 1/2oz of Willamette hops in the boil
With 40 minutes left in the boil place 1/2oz of Cascade hops in the boil
With 30 minutes left in the boil place 1/2oz Willamette hops in the boil
Take a measuring cup (Pyrex) or some container that can be nuked and get about 1 ½-2 cups of water to about 80-90 and pour yeast (Safale s-05) in to hydrate, cover and poke hole in the aluminum foil, and leave till pitch, don’t let water get too cold
With 20 minutes left in the boil place 1/4oz Cascade hops in the boil
With 15 minutes left in the boil place 2tsp of Irish moss in the boil (for clearing)
With 2 minutes left in the boil place 1/4oz Cascade in the boil
When the full hour has passed remove the wort from heat and stir thoroughly to aerate wort.
Place the kettle in Ice bath and bring it down to about 90-100f
Pour in primary and top off with 2.5 gallons cold tap water, stir once more and then let cool to about 65-70f and pitch yeast (Safale Fermentis s-05 Ale yeast), stir moderately to get yeasty beasties started, cover with lid/airlock.