4-Grain Blonde Ale

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Brewsmith

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I'm toying with the idea of making a blonde ale from 4 different grains - Barley, Wheat, Rye and Oats. Northern Brewer has the Thomas Faucett Oat malt available and I've never used it before. I want to keep it simple, and use both malted and flaked versions of all four grains.

90% base malts, 10% flaked grain, each split evenly between the four.

I'm thinking for a 5.5 gallon brew
2.25 lbs each of the malted and 0.25 lbs each of flaked
1.25 oz Willamette at 60 min

This should get me a beer with a light color, about 1.048 OG, and about 24 IBU's
 
Brewsmith said:
I'm toying with the idea of making a blonde ale from 4 different grains - Barley, Wheat, Rye and Oats. Northern Brewer has the Thomas Faucett Oat malt available and I've never used it before. I want to keep it simple, and use both malted and flaked versions of all four grains.

90% base malts, 10% flaked grain, each split evenly between the four.

I'm thinking for a 5.5 gallon brew
2.25 lbs each of the malted and 0.25 lbs each of flaked
1.25 oz Willamette at 60 min

This should get me a beer with a light color, about 1.048 OG, and about 24 IBU's

Sounds interesting, I'd like to try the malted oats. Wonder what would it be like at a high percentage of the grist?
 
As far as the yeast, something probably pretty clean, maybe a kolsch yeast. I'm curious about the whole thing. I'll see if I can scrape together a promash report.
 
Here's the recipe.

I'm throwing a Protein Rest in there from the extra protein in the Wheat and Oats.

The Quartet

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------
06-B Light Hybrid Beer, Blonde Ale
Min OG: 1.038 Max OG: 1.054
Min IBU: 15 Max IBU: 28
Min Clr: 2 Max Clr: 5 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 10.00
Anticipated OG: 1.049 Plato: 12.08
Anticipated SRM: 4.8
Anticipated IBU: 25.4
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------
Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 6.47 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.041 SG 10.33 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------
Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.
Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.5 2.25 lbs. Pale Malt (2-row) Northwester America 1.036 3
22.5 2.25 lbs. Wheat Malt America 1.038 2
22.5 2.25 lbs. Rye Malt America 1.030 4
22.5 2.25 lbs. Oat Malt Great Britain 1.030 4
2.5 0.25 lbs. Flaked Barley America 1.032 2
2.5 0.25 lbs. Flaked Soft White Wheat America 1.034 2
2.5 0.25 lbs. Flaked Rye America 1.034 2
2.5 0.25 lbs. Flaked Oats America 1.033 2

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.25 oz. Willamette Whole 5.00 25.4 60 min.

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kolsch

Mash Schedule
-------------
Mash Type: Multi Step
Grain Lbs: 10.00
Water Qts: 10.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 2.50 - Before Additional Infusions
Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Protein Rest Temp : 122 Time: 15
Saccharification Rest Temp : 150 Time: 60
Mash-out Rest Temp : 168 Time: 15
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 45

Total Mash Volume Gal: 3.30 - Dough-In Infusion Only
All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.
 
Brewsmith said:
Here's the recipe.

I'm throwing a Protein Rest in there from the extra protein in the Wheat and Oats.

The Quartet

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------
06-B Light Hybrid Beer, Blonde Ale
Min OG: 1.038 Max OG: 1.054
Min IBU: 15 Max IBU: 28
Min Clr: 2 Max Clr: 5 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 10.00
Anticipated OG: 1.049 Plato: 12.08
Anticipated SRM: 4.8
Anticipated IBU: 25.4
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------
Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 6.47 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.041 SG 10.33 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------
Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.
Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.5 2.25 lbs. Pale Malt (2-row) Northwester America 1.036 3
22.5 2.25 lbs. Wheat Malt America 1.038 2
22.5 2.25 lbs. Rye Malt America 1.030 4
22.5 2.25 lbs. Oat Malt Great Britain 1.030 4
2.5 0.25 lbs. Flaked Barley America 1.032 2
2.5 0.25 lbs. Flaked Soft White Wheat America 1.034 2
2.5 0.25 lbs. Flaked Rye America 1.034 2
2.5 0.25 lbs. Flaked Oats America 1.033 2

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.25 oz. Willamette Whole 5.00 25.4 60 min.

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kolsch

Mash Schedule
-------------
Mash Type: Multi Step
Grain Lbs: 10.00
Water Qts: 10.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 2.50 - Before Additional Infusions
Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Protein Rest Temp : 122 Time: 15
Saccharification Rest Temp : 150 Time: 60
Mash-out Rest Temp : 168 Time: 15
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 45

Total Mash Volume Gal: 3.30 - Dough-In Infusion Only
All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

Don't forget the rice hulls in this one. Better safe than sorry.

Looks good, only thing I would think about changing up a bit would be the 1.25 at 60 minutes. If it were me I would keep 1oz at 60 then consider a 15 or 20 minute addition of a .5 oz of willamettes
 
I would be curious to see what WLP400 would do to this wort also


Of course, I don't give a **** about guidelines either, but thats just me.............

:mug:
 
I don't really want a flavor or aroma hop in there. I want to leave the grain flavors as prominent as possible with still having the bitterness balanced. I agree, if it was a standard blonde, I'd add more late hops, but I want to keep this one simple. The yeast idea is a good one, but again, I want to keep it clean and simple.
 
I did something sort of similar that has been probably my favorite of the 4 batches I've brewed (in my current incarnation as a homebrewer). I started out going for something clean and simple and overdid it with the hops (only about 20 IBU, but significant late additions) -- but I was very happy with the hop character so don't want to change the recipe.

Grain bill was:
6 lb british two row
1 lb rye malt
2 lb white wheat malt
1 lb flaked corn
0.5 lb 20L Crystal

I did this with a single infusion mash at 150 -- no protein rest or cereal mash.

I used a combination of Saaz and Hallertauer throughout the boil and added the zest from 3 lemons at flameout (I used the juice in my mash water). OG was 1.053. California Ale Yeast.

Does not sound like what you're after, but this was a nice beer: light-bodied, but with a nicely balanced, slightly spicy bite from the hops and the rye, and with just a hint of lemony bitterness. I will definitely be making it again with the addition of 1 lb of flaked oats (my LHBS doesn't offer malted oats).
 
Sounds like it'll be a real interesting brew, 'Smith. I would probably talk myself into a five-minute hop addition, just like a half-ounce of something like EKG or Fuggles or Hallertau or something kinda earthy/spicy, but I understand completely where you're coming from.
 
That is similar to my idea for my next brew. I'm going to call it the 333 special because it will be 1/3 barley 1/3 wheat and 1/3 rye. I haven't formulated the exact recipe yet, but I'm thinking of adding some medium crystal in with the barley to make it an amber color. when the brews are finished we'll both have to post on how they taste.
 
I want to turn this into some sort of standard recipe, and want to know where to tweak the base malts. If it ends up being too chewy, I'll back off on the oats. Same thing with the rye. It might be too much, or not enough. Once the malt bill is pretty nailed down, I'll probably add in a flavor/aroma hop addition.
 
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