Brewing with what I have: please help me make a serviceable 3 gallon batch

[Ollie8000]

Before I next go to the LHBS, it looks like I'll have a window to make a 3 gallon batch with what I have on hand.

The problem is that it isn't much: 3lb golden DME (could go up to 4, maybe 4.5, by tweaking a big stout downwards a little), 1oz each of ekuanot, cascade and amarillo, 0.33oz of fuggles, and s-04 and us-05 yeasts. Also around the house I have corn and table sugar, maple syrup, rolled oats,... probably some other stuff that could plausibly be thrown in.

I'd like to do a 30min boil (or less?) as, much as I love a 5+hr brewing session, being able to use a smaller timeslot occasionally will be useful. (Indeed, possibly the main reason for doing this is to get a good sense for how long the method will take, so that if I /have/ to be done in a limited time in the future I'll know that I can be.)

Here's what I came up with:

4lb golden DME, 0.5oz Ekuanot (30mins), 1oz Cascade (10mins), 0.5oz Ekuanot (0min), with the us-05 yeast. 30min boil.

Beersmith says that'll be 1.054SG, 5.4% ABV, 48IBU, which are all numbers I'm happy with (but not set on). But there's more to beer than these numbers. In this case, the hop schedule is really a shot in the dark; I have very little understanding of which hops do what and which ones complement each other well.

So, any advice?

 

[ericbw]

You might miss some of the "normal" bitterness with only a 30 minute boil. It might calculate right, but it could also be a little nasty. Like imagine if you put all your hops at 5 minutes. You could calculate it so the bitterness is right, but it might be really strong tasting of the hops.

 

[chezhed]

30 Minute boil is fine. But I would change the hop schedule. Use Cascade for bittering and add the Ekuanout as your aroma. It has less farnesene (very, very little) and is more suitable for late or even dry hop.

 

[Ollie8000]

Thanks both.

Revised version: 3lb golden DME, 4oz corn sugar, 1oz Cascade (30mins), 0.5oz Ekuanot (10mins), 0.5oz Ekuanot (0min), with the us-05 yeast. 30min boil.

Beersmith says 1.044 OG, 4.6% ABV and 37IBU, which still all seems reasonable.

I know/hear very little about ekuanot. Might it be worth using the ounce of amarillo instead for the flavour/aroma hop? Or as well, in some combination?

 

[MaxStout]

Use the Amarillo as dry hop. Would give it some complexity.

 

[Ollie8000]

Sounds like a plan.