American Amber Ale Caramel Amber Ale

,wowed
,2,#2

 

My buddy brewed this as his 2nd batch. We just drew the first pints today and damn!!!! One hell of a beer man!!!!

 

I have been wanting to brew this recipe for several months. I've had the ingredients on-hand, but this summer's weather has just been too hot to brew. Today, however, we received some blessed RAIN...and thunder! So, it quickly became a good time to brew.

I'm glad I started the dark amber candi syrup well in advance of the last 15 minutes of the boil! It sure did take its own good-natured time to get up to 290°F!!!

I put the beer into the fermenter about an hour ago. It sure did look and smell good!

And brewing the beer was a good way to celebrate our 43rd Wedding Anniversary! I think this batch will be called "Anniversary Amber Ale." Nice alliteration going, there!

glenn514

glenn514

 

As of 500am this morning, the "Anniversary Amber Ale" is merrily bubbling away in the blow-off container. The wort is a rick, dark amber. Once it clears, it should be a beautiful color in the glass. I'm eagerly looking forward to this one!

glenn514

 

5:00 am?! Are you so excited about it that you get up that early to watch it?

 

Nope. Just normally an early riser. Was up this morning at 430am. And it's still bubbling!

glenn514

 

This a great recipe ... I wonder if I could pick your collective brains on something.

I modified this to be an extract/grains version with some other small changes. I brewed my version for the second time last week and it is moving along nicely. I plan to enter it in a competition in Octboer and I don't think it is too rich to be considered out of style for 10B but the addition of the candi sugar means the ingredients are...and I tend to like richer, sweeter maltier examples of Ambers than others may. Am I better off entering it in 23A?

 

Seems like with 23A you will need to be very specific about what makes it a specialty beer. I would stick to 10B.
Edit: forgot to mention that the candi syrup will not make the final product sweeter, in fact I imagine it makes for a drier beer as it adds a dose of simple sugars that are easily fermentable. The point of the syrup is to get the caramelization compounds out of it that add to the depth of the flavor profile. Brian or others more experienced with this beer, feel free to correct me if im wrong on this.

 

Thanks. As far as the sweetness, not the best description...I meant more maltiness and caramel sweetness than "sweetness", coupled with the richness and depth that the syrup contributes. But I don't think it's over the too for the style, do I think I'll let it ride and go with 10B...just concerned that if I have to disclose the ingredients the syrup is not in line with the stated ingredients. We'll see....

 

Ah now I see the concern. You have two options. Enter it in some other category and have a clear conscience, or lie and almost certainly get away with it. Cant help much in that one.

 

Davcar I would like to have your version of this recipe. I'm not set up for all grain and would really like to try it.

 

Recipe Type: Extract with Grains
Yeast: US-05
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.0
Original Gravity: 1.48

Amount Item Type % or IBU
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (Reduced from original recipe to accomodate darker and richer syrup) - see below
4.66 lb Light Dry Malt Extract (Slighlty higher than the sub from original all grain recipe)
1.00 lb Dark Candi Syrup D2 (180 L - Darker and richer than the syrup in the original recipe)

0.75 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop)
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (2 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) (instead of flameout - little difference)
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] (1 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) (instead of flameout - little difference)

Comes out awesome props to KingBrianI!

1 Pkgs American Ale (Safale #S-05) Yeast-Ale

 

Thank you kind sir. I will be givin it a go in the near future.

 

I searched this thread but didn't see it anywhere... By chance is wyeast yeast nutrient the same as this DAP stuff? (as most everything else in brewing.....I'm sure what I already own won't work ).

Also, if I can't get the syrup made, would brown sugar be a terrible idea in its place? I respect the recipe and would like to make the syrup, but if I can't source DAP until my next NB or morebeer order then I'm SOL for making it.

 

I'd hold off until you can order the syrup or ingreedients for the syrup. Brown sugar, in my opinion, will change the beer and this beer is good and does not need to be changed...I have always liked ambers and this is one of the best I have had...seriously. I say wait - you will be rewarded.

 

The Wyeast Yeast Nutrient Blend and DAP are not the same thing. Wyeast Yeast Nutrient Blend and Fermaid K can be interchanged.

 

BTW - By using the darker syrup in mine, the color shifts more towards the brown ale side, but damn if it doesn't taste like everything an Amber Ale should be...

 

I assume one could also just use Candi Syrup...?

http://www.candisyrup.com/

 

Of course! I'd go with the D-45 for this recipe. But you'll be paying much more for it than if you made it.

 

Gotcha...yeah, it's about $10.00 for similar stuff at my LHBS. But compared to sourcing DAP, buying a candy thermometer, and time to cook it up, I may go the 'buy' rather than 'build' route, at least for the first batch.

 

I'll probably pay for the prepared stuff at the LHBS as well, but was also wondering on your thoughts about steeping or doing a hop stand on the flameout addition.

I normally do a 30 min stand of the flameout addition prior to chilling, but record the addition as a 20 min boil addition in Brewpal to account for some of the bitterness gained by steeping for the 30 min, and then of course I back of the bittering charge to keep the total IBU the same..... Is this something you do with this recipe as written or no?

 

No, I recommend adding the hops at the listed times and chilling at flameout.

 

Thanks for the quick reply, and as you have it written, it will be done. Thanks again. This IS my next amber ale, right after NB's Single Hop Unkolsch and Denny's Rye IPA. So much to brew, so little time.

 

I logged in to ask the exact same question! Its boiling away now!

 

Well, I whipped up a batch of this about three weeks ago and am taking my first sips now. THe beer has been in the bottle for a couple days now so I know that it will mature some more, but my first impressions are holding up. I told the guys at work that if this beer tastes half as good cold and carbed as it did warm and flat, it is going to be a damned good beer. So far, this may be one of the best beers that I have ever made, and I've made many a fine HBT recipes over the years. It is incredibly hard to explain the taste of this one, but it is very good, not cloying, not bitter, and the hops really play well with the caramelized sugar. I'll give a better review in a few weeks after this one has had some time to mature, but I'll be submitting this one to competition soon because it is so good.

Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!

 

If you think it's good now, wait until it's been in the bottle for a couple more weeks!

 

Holy Crap! Thanks for posting this recipe KING... a few hours and several brews later, I think I've found my Labor Day Weekend project. Looks like a beautiful pint.

 

I want to chime in and say this has become a regular on tap at my house! I even bottled a batch last week that was requested by my friend's fioncee for their wedding next month!

 

Funny you say that, because I am brewing this on Saturday for a friend's wedding mid-October! 6 weeks should be long enough yes???

 

Keep your ferment temps in the right range and it will be great at 6 weeks. Good luck!

 

I don't know how many people in my homebrew club brewed this beer. It's always funny when they say it's a carmel amber ale and I ask if it's the same one from HBT. Thanks, King, for sharing a kick butt recipe. I always enjoy it, even if I didn't brew it.

 

I am brewing a variation of this tomorrow.

7 lbs 2-row
1.75 lbs 75L
~1 lb of dark amber syrup
.75 oz Chinook (60 min)
1 oz Chinook (flameout)
1 oz Willamette (flameout)

wyeast 1056 (because that is what have)

I may throw the other .25 oz of Chinook in the carboy, haven't made up my mind yet.

I will let you know how it turns out

 

Well, the girlfriend transferred while I was at work. Said the finishing gravity was 1.006, we've been having issues with beer drying out, might need one of those nice thermometers for the mash.

Any who, figured the beer was ruined because when I went to clean everything I saw scorching on the kettle where my chiller sits, maybe some of the syrup got trapped and burned. She said it tastes good so can't wait to try it myself.

 

Did you add the syrup w/15 left I the boil or right after you lautered? Just curious. I have been finishing at 1.008 and 1.010for the most part with this one and it's been great so a little drier should still be pretty good.

 

I just found this, and my mouth is watering. GOTTA BREW IT!!

 

Sugar added 15 minutes left. Really kind of a dumb move on my part, as I was experimenting with making my immersion chiller permanently affixed in the kettle, and doing so didn't allow me to stir as I wanted to. I think that's why it scorched.

 

Hey everyone,

This is my first post but I've been lurking on here for weeks. I'm quite impressed with the level of knowledge and helpfulness on here so thanks to TxBrew and all of you for making such a vibrant community.

Ok, enough sycophancy-- onto the brass tacks. I'm itching to try the extract version of this recipe because it's getting nothing but rave reviews. Unfortunately my LHBS was out of DAP and willamette hops. I think I remember reading that Willamettes are an American version of Fuggle, but since this is an AMERICAN amber I couldn't bring myself to introducing a seditious Limey influence . Being admittedly indecisive and given the lack of critical ingredients I re-charted course and opted to make an APA until I noticed the shop had some Dark Candi brand Belgian candi syrup so I ended up leaving the shop with the following hodgepodge of ingredients:

6.6 lbs Briess CBW Golden Light DME
1 lb generic golden light DME
1 lb 10* Lovibond crystal
1 lb 80* Lov crystal
1 lb of the clear Belgian candi syrup
2 oz of 6.4% AA Cascade bittering plug hops
1 oz of 10.5% AA Centennial for dry hopping
Wyeast American Ale 1056

I'm not sure how/why I ended up with the extra lb of generic golden light DME, I can't imagine needing all that for a 5 gallon batch. Do you think I could end up with something close to KB's recipe with this (like between an APA and an AA) or should I stick with the APA recipe and save the candi syrup for another batch? I'm thinking I should have gone for the dark candi syrup instead of the clear so I think I'm gonna head back to the shop to swap that. While there I could obviously pick up some different hops if you guys think that's in order. I was thinking something like this might work:

4.2 lbs Golden Light DME
1 lb 80* crystal
0.5 lb 10* crystal
1 lb dark candi syrup (or can I stick with the clear?)
2 oz cascade (any input on the schedule? i.e. FWH the whole thing, or break up into two additions?)
1 oz centennial dry hop

Thoughts? Is this heresy? Also, will the one wyeast smack-pack be enough or should I make a starter or buy a second pack? This seems like a lot of sugar to me and I don't want a cloying brew. I realize this is a little off topic because it's not totally about KB's recipe, but it still seemed relevant enough to be in this page. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

Welcome!!! I'll start off saying there's instructions in the beginning of the thread on how to make your own candi syrup. For the recipe you posted that looks more like an amber than an APA. If your going for the amber Id still consider cutting down on some of the C80..maybe half. For an APA the clear candi sugar is fine, I add a # to most my APA's/ IPAs. Though I'd probably drop the C80. In either case I'd go get another oz of centennial, if you want to dry hop, and go with a schedule like this.... 1oz centennial @ 15 mins, 1oz cascade @ 10 mins, and 1oz cascade @ 5 mins. Then use the other oz of centennial to dry hop. Always make a starter with liquid yeast to make sure it's still alive and well, you can skip that with dry yeast. The yeast will turn the majority of the sugar into alcohol but the non fermentables in the Crystal malt will leave residual sugars that will sweeten up the beer. Ambers are supposed to be sweet and malty, while an APA would be hoppier, so what you do there is your call. Best of luck, hope this helps!!!

 

Thanks for such a speedy reply! I should have elaborated a little. My original intention was to make the candi syrup cause I'm interested in the amateur chemistry of the Maillard reactions but unfortunately my LHBS was out of DAP. If I'm not mistaken KB's original recipe actually calls for 1.5# of 80* whereas I was only planning to use 1# of 80* and 0.5# of 10* to still arrive at a total of 1.5# of crystal malts. Were you suggesting cutting down on 80* out of personal preference or is there something I'm not considering? And thanks for the tip on the extra dry hops, 1oz didn't seem like enough to me either from what I've read about dry hopping. From the reviews of the recipe it seems like I'm trying to fix something that isn't broken, but since I ended up with the ingredients I thought I might try dry hopping it anyway. Do y'all think dry hopping will work with this beer or am I trying to blend styles with clashing flavors? In other words, is dry hopping an amber unheard of? Good point on the yeast starter too, I'll be sure to do that from now on.

 

As close as you can get to the original will still give you a good beer, this one was put together well. I've had dry hopped ambers before and their nice.