Altbier(ish) Recipe Critique Wanted

[williamelvin]

Been working on a recipe for something along the lines of an Altbier and was hoping to get some feedback. I've only been brewing a few months, but I've put together a few recipes that I've been happy with in that time - just looking to get some opinions from people with more experience than I have before moving forward with this one.

I'm brewing stovetop partial mash and then partial boil topped up with filtered water.

5.5 gal to fermentor

3 lbs Briess Pilsen DME
4 lbs Avanzgard Munich
14 oz Dingemans Special B
6 oz Midnight Wheat
2 oz Dingemans DeBittered Black

1.25 oz Perle @ 60
2 oz Tettnang @ 4
2 oz Saaz @ 4
2 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh @ 4
.75 oz Perle @ 4

Whirlfloc @ 15
Servomyces @ 10

Planning to mash at 150 for 60 minutes. My plan was to ferment with either Wyeast 1007 or 1028 depending on which is freshest at the LHBS.

According to Brewer's Friend this should get me:

OG 1.049
FG 1.011
IBU ~36
SRM 28.67

Any advice is appreciated (even if I don't end up following it because, hey, you've got to make your own mistakes sometimes right?).

 

[solbes]

The only thing I see that I would probably omit is the Special B. I would save that for a Belgian Dubbel or something along that line. You want a malty brew with some pretty up front bitterness and hop flavor. I think the sweet, burnt raisin taste of the Special B would not work real well with what the rest of the recipe is going towards.

4 lbs of Munich may be a tad too malty, but keep it all in if thats what your going for. I used 2 lbs of dark munich and thought the malt/hop balance was good. I had maybe 2.5 oz of late addition Spalt and Tettnang, so your additional late hops (almost 7 oz) may balance the 4 lbs of Munich well.

 

[williamelvin]

Thanks, solbes. Here's where I ended up going with this recipe for anyone who's interested.

3 lbs Briess Pilsen DME
3.75 lbs Avangard Munich
1 lb Avangard Pilsen
8 oz CaraMunich I
6 oz Midnight Wheat

1.5 oz Perle (7.5AA) @ 60
.5 oz Perle @ 15
2 oz Tettnang (3.9AA) @ 7
2 oz Spalt (2.4AA) @ 3

Whirlfloc @ 15
Servomyces @ 10

Mash at 148 for 60. After a little research and going to the LHBS, wound up going with WLP029 as opposed to the original yeast options.

Starter today, brew tomorrow.

 

[solbes]

Your changes look excellent. I think you will really be happy with the results. Also kudos on the yeast choice. I have only ever used the WYeast 2565 Kolsch yeast and not the white labs version, but I hear they are both excellent. Both of the Alts I made I used Kolsch yeast also.

If you haven't ever made a Kolsch before, I strongly encourage you to wash the yeast from your Alt to either store or pitch directly into a Kolsch batch. I have a killer recipe if you need one, I can send it in a PM if interested.