Advice on recipe formulation

[jmorter1]

I'm still pretty new to homebrewing having only done three batches so far. Still, after those three batches I already want to start experimenting and try to creat my own recipes. I'm still learning the specifics of measurements and the affects of different ingredients and techniques by reading John Palmer's "How to Brew." I'm just wondering if anybody has advice on recipe formulation for someone who has a good basic understanding of the brewing process. Specifically I would like to try and create a fruity springtime beer for my son's 1st birthday party in the end of March. I've seen different techniques like adding orange peel to the boil or just dumping fresh juice into the fermentor. Also what are some good beer for this type of addition besides wheat beers? Thanks for the help.

 

[dickproenneke]

I'm still pretty new to homebrewing having only done three batches so far. Still, after those three batches I already want to start experimenting and try to creat my own recipes. I'm still learning the specifics of measurements and the affects of different ingredients and techniques by reading John Palmer's "How to Brew." I'm just wondering if anybody has advice on recipe formulation for someone who has a good basic understanding of the brewing process. Specifically I would like to try and create a fruity springtime beer for my son's 1st birthday party in the end of March. I've seen different techniques like adding orange peel to the boil or just dumping fresh juice into the fermentor. Also what are some good beer for this type of addition besides wheat beers? Thanks for the help.

Why not try to create your recipe using free online resources like Hopville? That's what I use. It's pretty good for basic recipe formulation.

There's also tons of recipes here.
Wheat and blonde ales are probably the best styles for a relatively quick turnaround and fruit additions.

Have fun with it and good luck.

Cheers!

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

The best advice I can give you is to keep things simple and to limit your specialty malts. Most beginning brewers tend to go hog wild with the grain selection and end up with a muddled mess. Try to start with one base malt(or the basic extract) and one or two specialty malts. Learning your ingredients is critical to becoming good at writing recipes.

 

[DocScott]

I would highly recommend using "tried and true" recipes first. You will find tons of them on this site in the recipe forum, and from numerous other places. Maybe even start out with some kits from LHBS/online vendors and use them as a jumping off platform to try to adjust your end product. If you are looking to improve your recipe formulation of certain styles, a book like "Brewing Classic Styles" is a great resource. Start simple, then as you get more comfortable, try experimenting.

In regards to your request for a fruit addition or fruit beer, I think several styles lend themselves well to fruit additions. The thing that's fun about this hobby is that you can really be creative. I've used berries in belgian beers, pumpkin/yam is great in ambers/porters, peach would be good in a pale or other light ale, cherries in a stout, wheats are great for fruit additions. I think there's even a commercially available onion porter from Hawaii! To add the fruit flavor, I like to use real fruit (fresh/frozen/canned) and typically use a secondary for about a week. Using citrus peel as a late addition to the boil is also a common way to go. Some people use flavored extracts before bottling with good results (never done this myself). I guess what I'm getting at is you have lots of options to explore!

For your son's first bday, if you're planning on sharing your brews with other party goers, I'd suggest something more in the main stream - perhaps a strawberry or cherry wheat/pale. Maybe even throw in a little vanilla if you live somewhere like me where its still likely 30*F in March. Good luck, and happy 1st bday to your son!

 

[jmorter1]

For your son's first bday, if you're planning on sharing your brews with other party goers, I'd suggest something more in the main stream - perhaps a strawberry or cherry wheat/pale. Maybe even throw in a little vanilla if you live somewhere like me where its still likely 30*F in March. Good luck, and happy 1st bday to your son!

Thanks for the advice. We live in Hawaii and a lot of our family is coming to visit from Nevada where it is still cold. I thought it would be nice to have a warm weather fruity beer for them.

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

We live in Hawaii

You suck....

 

[Thakaz]

You could treat them to something with an island flavor. Pineapple Pale Ale, mango blonde ale, coconut porter, or if you're adventurous a Papaya wit. I might try the papaya brew myself, but use the seeds in the boil for spice and drop some of the fleshy fruit into the secondary.

 

[LobdellBrewer]

If you don't went to do a wheat beer, try using a British bitter as a base beer. I like adding a tsp of orange peel at 15 minutes and at flame-out. Use some of the exotic fruits at hand. My main advice is go in small increments. I'm not a huge fan of extracts. If you want to add fruit to a secondary, soak them in vodka for a couple of days, and add it all. The extra alcohol and flavor of vodka wont affect the flavor of a 5 gallon batch noticeably. But don't use the cheap vodka.

 

[C-Rider]

You suck....

Hahaha! Me too!

 

[Thakaz]

Or skip the vodka and drop a campden tablet in with the fruit