Amarillo Amber Ale

[arrup85]

Hi there!

It's been a while since I've posted, but I really want get some feedback on this recipe before I brew this weekend. I've been brewing for just about a year, and I've been playing around with making my own one gallon extract recipes lately (some simple porters and a pumpkin ale).

I tasted a delicious Amber a few weeks ago at a local brewery and talking to the brew master he said that it was dry hopped with Amarillo. Thus, I'm going to try to shoot for something similar, or at least find out about dry hopping, this is my first time doing so. Here is the recipe I've come up with for a one gallon Amarillo Amber Ale:

1 gal batch - 1.25 gallon boil
OG: 1.054
IBUs: 20.6
SRM: 14.7
ABV: 5.2%

1lbs 4oz Amber DME (64.4%)
4oz Pilsen DME (12.9%)

5oz Caramel 60L (16.1%)
2oz Carapils (6.5%)

0.12oz Amarillo (8.9% - 45mins - 14.3 IBUs)
0.07oz Amarillo (8.9% - 15mins - 4.5 IBUs)
0.07oz Amarillo (8.9% - 5mins - 1.8 IBUs)
0.24oz Amarillo (Dry hopped in secondary - 4 days)​

Scaled to 5 gallons batch - 5.5 gallon boil:
OG: 1.054
IBUs: 20.6
SRM: 14.7
ABV: 5.2%

7lbs 1.4oz Amber DME (64.5%)
1lb 6.7oz Pilsen DME (12.9%)

1lb 12.4oz Caramel 60L (16.2%)
11.3oz Carapils (6.4%)

0.64oz Amarillo (8.9% - 45mins - 14.3 IBUs)
0.37oz Amarillo (8.9% - 15mins - 4.5 IBUs)
0.37oz Amarillo (8.9% - 5mins - 1.8 IBUs)
1.17oz Amarillo (Dry hopped in secondary - 4 days)​

My primary grain concern is whether or not I've overdone it on the percentages of caramel and carapils.

My primary hop concern is whether I have too much dry hopped!

Let me know what you think, and I'll let you know what changes I make and how it comes out!

 

[Quaker]

Depending whose Amber DME you're using, I wouldn't add any crystal or CaraPils. Or if you wanted to control the crystal amount, I'd go all Pilsner or pale extract and then steep the grains you want to control the color. For ease, I'd probably just drop your steeping grains and start with the extracts to see what you get. Considering the Amber DME has crystal malts already, I think you're overdoing it.

Regarding dry hops, 1.17oz won't be excessive and seems like an ok place to start with an amber. That's a small batch, so easy to drink and adjust from there if you want more or less on the next batch. It'll be relatively subtle, but noticeable.

 

[arrup85]

I am using Briess Sparkling Amber.

http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Assets/PDFs/Briess_PISB_CBWSparklingAmberDME.pdf

Looking at this sheet, it doesn't say whether they using caramel malts in making the DME. Is there someplace else I should look?

 

[arrup85]

Can I bump in this forum?

 

[Quaker]

This surely has caramel malts in it or it wouldn't be amber. I am surprised they give no hint at the blend used. You can always mix that into your water, check color and taste, then decide if you want to steep some grains for more color or flavors.

 

[12thHoleBrewer]

If you're trying for more malty character & like using specialty grains, adding some caramel wouldn't hurt. I personally would drop the quantity to 8oz or 12oz in the 5.5 gal recipe. Adding 8oz of carapils would give you extra mouthfeel but you may not need it. Adding 2oz of chocolate malt could be interesting, depending on the profile of the beer your trying to replicate.

Amarillo is one of my favorite hops and worked really well is a wheat I brewed last summer. Much hoppier than your recipe though, 2oz WP and 2.5oz dry hop.

 

[Yooper]

I am using Briess Sparkling Amber.

http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Assets/PDFs/Briess_PISB_CBWSparklingAmberDME.pdf

Looking at this sheet, it doesn't say whether they using caramel malts in making the DME. Is there someplace else I should look?

It does say that it's 110L (pretty dark, from dark crystal malts) and describes itself as caramelly and sweet. I wouldn't use it, as I'd rather use a light extract and add my own caramel/crystal malts. If the extract is already quite sweetened, adding more caramel/crystal malt might be a big problem.

 

[jimmywalker55]

"A proprietary blend of base, Munich, and 60L crystal malts. Amber color and malty flavor with caramelly overtones." I copied this from northern brewers website.

 

[IslandLizard]

It does say that it's 110L (pretty dark, from dark crystal malts) and describes itself as caramelly and sweet. I wouldn't use it, as I'd rather use a light extract and add my own caramel/crystal malts. If the extract is already quite sweetened, adding more caramel/crystal malt might be a big problem.

I never looked at DME "malt" analysis closely, but that sheet is a bit puzzling. 110°L? How is that measured? at 1.040? Sounds very high to me!

There is 19% of higher saccharides (=unfermentables) in the dry basis analysis, which seems a lot. There's also 8% not accounted for (they all add up to only 92%). Anti caking agents perhaps? Sawdust?

I think these numbers may explain why people experience lower attenuation when using extracts. The situation may be better with Pilsner or Extra Light DME. So look at those numbers and see if that would offer a better alternative using steeping malts.

In my early brewing days, when I didn't understand as much about brewing, malts, extracts, etc., I made an Amber beer with 100% Sparkling Amber DME. I also used a pound or so of steeping grains, probably half being Carapils. It actually came out quite fine, alas a bit sweet.

 

[IslandLizard]

Obviously in this day and age no-one proofreads anything anymore and it shows. That causes confusion:

That 110°L should be 10°L!​

Here's the Briess Extract overview and the color numbers there make more sense and coincide with the 2014 specs I'd downloaded before.

The color apparently is measured at 8°P (1.032), per 2009 specs. That info has been omitted from the current ones.