Advice on my recipe? First time brewer.

[TimVeal]

Hi folks - hoping to learn from your experience! I've roughed out a recipe for my first beer... I like to drink a medium-hopped IPA, and I also like some of the Belgians - especially Chimay. That was the inspiration for my recipe.

Your comments and advice APPRECIATED, as this is my first brew ever.

Fermentables

10 lb Pilsner Malt
2 lb Pale Ale Malt
1 lb Munich Malt
1 lb Carapils
0.75 lb Torrified Wheat
0.75 lb Rolled Oats
15.5 lb Total

Hops
Amt Variety Type AA Use Time IBU
1 oz Nugget Pellet 14 Boil 30 min 37.87
1 oz Cascade Pellet 7 Boil 30 min 18.93
0.5 ozHallertau Pellet 3.9 Boil 15 min 3.41
0.5 ozCascade Pellet 7 Boil 15 min 6.11
1 oz Hallertau Pellet 3.9 Boil 5 min 2.74

Trappist Ale Yeast (WLP-500)
90min Mash @ 154f
60min Boil
OG 1.065
FG 1.015
ABV 6.62%
IBU 69

 

[JPicasso]

Your first Brew ever? Have you brewed with anyone else before? Do you have all the necessary equipment ready to go? Have you watched ALL the you tube videos on brewing beer? (or maybe a few less)

My first thought, honestly, is that you're biting off more than maybe you should. I think jumping in as soon as you can, will force you to learn a lot, so I can respect that, but maybe your first beer ought to be a simpler recipe. Like a british mild or amber?

Also, picking up one of the more popular recipes in the database here might be a good idea too. The results of formulaing my own recipes early on was discouraging for me, they didn't turn out good. But tweaking recipes that have already been tested, worked out great. But maybe you're a natural, who knows.

Basically, I would dial it down a bit for your first brew or two, so that you get the process down. You will also not be out as much money for brews that might have gone better once you know how your equipment and procedures work.

Then go crazy.

My opinion.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a Belgian style expert. )

 

[m00ps]

I say go for it. I started right off the bat making my own all-grain recipes. Its a steep learning curve but im glad I did it

so you are going for a hoppy belgian? I would definitely mash lower. Like 150. What fermentation profile are you planning?

I might sub some sugar for teh pale malt to get it drier. I use sugar in every one of my IPAs and Belgians for this purpose. Plus, the 2lb of pale malt seems a bit out of place. Its not really going to add anything to the mix

 

[chudsonvt]

Are you doing BIAB or are you using a dedicated mash tun? If you are using a 5 gallon cooler as your mash tun, this will be pretty thick. You may have some serious lautering issues. You will likely want a mash thickness in the 1.5 to 1.8 quarts per pound range. That puts you in the 6 or 7 gallon range... But simultaneously that may have a negative effect on your extraction efficiency since you need less sparge water to hit your target volume. Not sure what others have done, but just something to consider. I use a 5 gallon cooler so I typically limit my grain bill to about 12 or 13 pounds. If I want a higher gravity, I through in a little DME in my kettle...

 

[TheMadKing]

If I were making this recipe, I would

• Cut the 2-row to 8lbs - it will make your lauter much easier and give you a thinner mash (but lower ABV in the finished beer)
• mash at 150 - it will make a cleaner dryer finish
• cut the carapils to 0.5lbs - that's plenty for head retention
• cut out the oats altogether - the carapils will take care of head retention
• split the nugget hops into 0.5 oz @ 60 min and 0.5 oz @ 30 mins - otherwise you're going to get more aroma than bitterness
• use the 1 oz of hallertau to dry hop (add it to the fermenter after the krausen drops and let it sit there for 10 days, then rack (siphon) it over to a secondary fermenter or bottle/keg it) - this will increase your aroma more than a 5 min addition and is more appropriate for an IPA

These are all just opinions, so take them as you will.

I do agree with some of the above comments, that it is generally better to follow a tried and true recipe for your first brew. It's a lot just to get the process down, and creating your own recipes can come later.

 

[Gavin C]

I see no redeeming features to this recipe I'm afraid

What yeast is planned?

What type of beer are you trying to make.

It reads like a hazy overly bitter pale unbalanced beer.

Noble hops, Nugget hops.

A real kitchen sink brew.

It would not be to my tastes.

I believe it to be a very poor choice/recipe for a first brew.

 

[TimVeal]

Much appreciated folks. This is exactly what I was hoping for - some solid advice from experienced brewers!

Here's the revised version, using your suggestions:

Fermentables

8 lb Organic Pilsner Malt
1 lb Munich Malt
0.5 lb Carapils
0.75 lb Torrified Wheat
2 lb Belgian Candi Syrup - Amber
12.25 lb Total

Hops
Amount Variety Type AA Use Time IBU
0.5 oz Nugget Pellet 14 Boil 60 min 25.77
0.5 oz Cascade Pellet 7 Boil 30 min 9.9
0.5 oz Nugget Pellet 14 Boil 30 min 19.81
0.5 oz Cascade Pellet 7 Boil 15 min 6.39
0.5 oz Hallertau Pellet 3.9 Boil 15 min 3.56
1 oz Hallertau Pellet 3.9 Dry Hop 10 days

Mash 31qt (1.75/lb) @ 150, 90 mins

Fermentation
White Labs Trappist Ale Yeast (WLP500) @ 68deg
Dry Hop addition (bagged) for 10 days
....then bottle it.

Thanks for the concerns about my equipment and abilities, being brand new. I'm fortunate enough to have some close friends who have been brewing for years who are generous enough to loan/give me some old equipment. It will end up being a 5-gallon system with two coolers (6 gallons each) and separate HLT and boil pots. These guys will be there to catch my mistakes, but I'm determined to learn by experience and not just look over somebody's shoulder!

I've been doing a lot of reading/videos/asking questions... and I'm confident enough now to try my first batch. I have no doubts that I'll mess up a few batches - that's learning.

I'll keep the recipe "tweaking" going for a couple weeks before brew day. More comment and suggestions welcome!

THANK-YOU folks,
Tim

 

[m00ps]

wait, are you bottling it after 10 days? That wont be nearly enough time for the yeast to finish their job on a big belgian

also, by fermenting at "68F" do you eman in a room with 68F ambient air? Because the heat from fermentation will likely put it into the mid to low 70s. Which is actually OK for a belgian, but not for most other ale yeasts

 

[TimVeal]

mOOps I think it was just the dry hops addition that was 10 days. I was told to wait till the krausen drops off and then add the hops and keep them in for 10 days. Then it goes to secondary fermentation for a while longer. Not sure how long till??

That's a good point about the ambient vs. container temperature. I think I have a spot in my basement that has a consistent temperature lower than 68f.... especially on the concrete floor. Good timing too, because that's where I normally keep the christmas decorations!

/tim

 

[m00ps]

definitely do not secondary an IPA. Secondaries aren't necessary for +95% of the beer youll make but it is especially important to not use them with IPAs. It will just increase the oxygen exposure and strip your hop character.

My schedule with IPAs is usualyl like this:
day 0: pitch
day 7: dry hop 1
day 10-11: dry hop 2 / gravity reading
day 14-15: verify FG reached / keg
for bottling id bump each one up 2-3 days to ensure it finishes