All-extract without steeping grains?

[Zwerg]

This is an experimental beer that I plan to bottle in a few days. Recipe is all extract with no steeped grains.

This is my first recipe using Kveik yeast, and although I normally brew German styles with noble hops I decided to use Amarillo here hoping it will complement the fruitiness of the Kveik yeast. I also added heather tips, which may or may not come through (and which may or may not clash with the Amarillo).

I don't have temperature control, but I pitched the kveik at about 80 F and fermentation kept it up around 75 F for the first several days. Now that fermentation has slowed it's back down into ambient range (mid-60s) but I'm hoping that I got some good ester expression during the intense phase.

Questions I have:

1) Should I have steeped some grain?
2) With the FG projected to be 1.007, is it going to be excessively dry? And would this problem have been helped by steeping some specialty grains?
3) Will the heather come through at all/will it clash with the other flavors?

I'm pretty much a novice brewer so I welcome any feedback.

 

[MaxStout]

1) Not necessarily. Steeping specialty grains is needed if you are adding a particular flavor and/or color to the beer. Pilsen + wheat should give the beer enough flavor to stand on its own.
2) It will be light-bodied, but it might not taste "dry." Lots of beer styles finish that low. If you want more body without altering flavor, you could add some maltodextrine in the fermenter.
3) Never brewed with heather, so can't comment on that.

 

[davidabcd]

1. That's subjective though I think you get more nuance with steeping grains.
2. I steep 3# of grains and get my FG down to 1.004 for my triples. It's about the sugar. In other words, you can dry out a beer with sugar even with steeping grains creating a higher FG. The FG might not appear to reflect that (higher OG) but it still can be dry.
3. Unknown.

 

[Zwerg]

Thanks for your replies, that's reassuring. I'll report back once I've sampled it.

 

[Zwerg]

Update:

Beer has been in bottle for five days, couldn't resist cracking one to get an early sample.

Actual FG was 1.010. It's fully carbed. Beautiful color, subtle orange aroma, I assume from the kveik and also the amarillo. Light body, very refreshing. Flavors are pretty understated. Some hop aroma from the amarillo hops, but subtle. Would be a great summer beer.

My only complaint is that it's slightly too bitter, and could use a bit more sweetness to balance it. The hops supposedly bring it to 35 IBU, plus whatever is added by 2 ounces of heather tips. Can't really pick out the flavor of the heather (though I don't really know what it's supposed to taste like), and based on its current profile it might've been better to leave them out, but it's probably too early to say. Overall a nice beer, hoping that it'll mellow out a little bit over time.