Amber Ale - first recipe from scratch

[NHBrewgirl]

I'm about to try my first departure from recipes and make my own Amber Ale. It has to be partial mash because my stove can't get much more than 4 gallons to a full boil, but beersmith seems to think I'll be okay with the recipe below. Any thoughts about whether I'm in for a horrific experiment? The table sugar is actually going to be homemade candi syrup.

Type: Partial Mash
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 4.00 gal
Boil Time: 60 min

Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 28.6 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 2 17.1 %
1 lbs 4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3 14.3 %
8.0 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 4 5.7 %
8.0 oz Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (40.0 SRM) Sugar 5 5.7 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Amber Dry Extract [Boil for 60 min](12.5 SRM) Dry Extract 6 17.1 %
1 lbs Light Dry Extract [Boil for 60 min](8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 7 11.4 %
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 21.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Select Spalt [4.75 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 9 4.4 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [50.28 ml] Yeast 10 -

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.051 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.4 %
Bitterness: 25.9 IBUs Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 12.4 SRM

 

[reinstone]

I'd find a way to use your amarillo to finish a me use the spilt to bitter. Otherwise it looks good. The beer should be easy drinking......may want to up your ibus a little. Cheers

 

[Yooper]

I don't like the amber extract- it's got crystal in it (that's why it's amber colored) but I don't know how much, the fermentability, or the color or quantity of the crystal.

I'd switch that for light extract (always), and not use amber or dark extract in any PM beers.

With 14% of crystal as is, you're at the upper limit of crystal malt in an American amber anyway. What I like to do with American ambers is "layer" the crystal malt. I'd say, like .75 pound of 40L, and then .50 pound of 80L, as an example. Or 1 pound 40L and .25 pound of 120L. It makes a great complexity that I just love in ambers.

As far as hopping, usually ambers are bittered with a neutral hop, and then aromatic/flavorful hops added at 15 minutes and 5 minutes. I'd use something like magnum for bittering, and save the amarillo for 15 minutes or 5 minutes. Spalt is pretty neutral (and boring) but it's not "bad" in there.

 

[meltroha]

Yea, amaillo at 20 and 0, you can skip the bittering addition if you don't want hoppy, and want a lot of sweetness from the malt, or use 1/2 oz of simcoe or warrior at 60, those are not harshly bitter at all, especially at 1/2 oz. Amarillo is a gift to us from God, but has no place with anything more then 20 minutes left in the boil. Awesome dry hop hop as well.

 

[reinstone]

I don't like the amber extract- it's got crystal in it (that's why it's amber colored) but I don't know how much, the fermentability, or the color or quantity of the crystal.

I'd switch that for light extract (always), and not use amber or dark extract in any PM beers.

With 14% of crystal as is, you're at the upper limit of crystal malt in an American amber anyway. What I like to do with American ambers is "layer" the crystal malt. I'd say, like .75 pound of 40L, and then .50 pound of 80L, as an example. Or 1 pound 40L and .25 pound of 120L. It makes a great complexity that I just love in ambers.

As far as hopping, usually ambers are bittered with a neutral hop, and then aromatic/flavorful hops added at 15 minutes and 5 minutes. I'd use something like magnum for bittering, and save the amarillo for 15 minutes or 5 minutes. Spalt is pretty neutral (and boring) but it's not "bad" in there.

I don't use extract anymore but good information.....and yeah, listen to yooper....she's helped me a lot. Take it east on crystal.....I've made that mistake......never try to make it too interesting.

 

[meltroha]

I don't like the amber extract- it's got crystal in it (that's why it's amber colored) but I don't know how much, the fermentability, or the color or quantity of the crystal.

I'd switch that for light extract (always), and not use amber or dark extract in any PM beers.

I am a big fan of pilsner extract, I use the dry in all my starters, and used it exclusively as a base when I did extract brewing.

 

[NHBrewgirl]

I've heard that about amber extract, but I have a pound and a half leftover from a stout that's finishing up and I was hoping to find a reason to get rid of it. I think the Briess has 60L in it so maybe I can reduce the crystal a bit and split it between 40L and 80L. Thanks for the advice on the hops! I'm not brewing until next weekend so I'm going to do some research and reconsider my choice and amounts. I've been in an East Kent Goldings rut so pretty much anything would be a nice change.