Converting an Extract Recipe to All Grain and looking for recommendations

[Woodie]

After brewing quite a few extract beers I am now going to jump into the All Grain pool. I have a recipe for an Amarillo Session IPA that I have made (and really like) many times. I am thinking it would be a good learning experience to try and convert that to All Grain so I have something to compare it to (the extract version is on tap now). I am hoping someone can chime in and either confirm my choices or offer alternatives. The recipe calls for the following fermentables
3.3 lbs of Golden Light DME
3.3 lbs of Light DME
.5 lbs of Caramel/Crystal (20L)
12 oz of Corn Sugar

Based on a chart I found it seems like I need 5.5lbs of grain for every 3.3lbs of DME

After poking around I am thinking I need to use something like
11.25 lbs of Two Row
.25 lbs of Carapils
.5 lbs of Caramel/Crystal (20L)
12 oz of Corn Sugar

Does that seem right? Will that small amount of carapils do anything? Love to know what people think.

Thanks

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Does that seem right?

From a "mathematical" approach to recipe conversion, it looks correct.

Will that small amount of carapils do anything?

There are many good all-grain recipes that don't use carapils. I'd start by leaving it out.

Love to know what people think.

When I look at the "grain bill", it looks like a classic American Pale Ale recipe.

10% sugar in an extract recipe helps the beer finish with a lower FG. In the all-grain recipe, consider replacing the 12 oz of corn sugar with an equivalent amount of "Two Row" malt.

Maybe it's as simple as: 12 lb "Two Row", .5 lb Crystal 20?

Are you planning on mashing around 152* F?

 

[mongoose33]

When you say it's a "session" IPA, what kind of ABV are you getting?

What kind of "sessionability" you get will depend on the efficiency of your process. If I brewed a 5-gallon batch with what @BrewnWKopperKat suggests as equivalent in grains above (and I think he's about right with it), and including the sugar, I'd expect an ABV in the 5.5-6.0 range. That doesn't strike me as a "session" beer.

Now, if your efficiency is low, like 60 percent or so, maybe you'll hit that session target. But I don't think the grain bill suggests anything that low.

********

Here's an example from something I did recently, a California Common. Not the same beer, but look at the fermentables:

9.38# 2-row
1.75# Munich
1.17# Crystal 60L

My final ABV: 5.78 %.

That's 12.3 pounds of grain, i.e., pretty close to yours, and the sugar you have in yours is actually equivalent to even more grain than BrewnWKopperKat suggests above.

I overbuild my recipes by 10 percent to account for losses in the mash tun, trub cone, hoses, pump, etc. using 8.25 gallons of strike water (no sparge). If I was even more interested in efficiency I'd sparge, and get an even higher ABV as a result. I'm doing LODO stuff (don't ask) which is why I don't sparge.


So--unless you're going to intentionally limit your efficiency, or do so by accident, I can't see this being a session beer. Not even close. Perhaps you might start by indicating what ABV would constitute a session beer by whatever definition you're using.

 

[Woodie]

First off thanks to you both for the feedback!!!

I realize reading this that you are right. I am getting 5.5(ish) abv which you are right really falls out of the session range. I think I started with a session recipe a long time ago and have kicked it up over time and just never renamed it. So I guess I am not going for a session beer since I like this one so much. I will pay better attention to my styles and terminology going forward, I am sure that will help when I ask for advice.

As far as mash temp I was planning on being in that 152 range

Seems like I should go with the 12 lb "Two Row", .5 lb Crystal 20 grain bill. I am definitely not trying to over complicate this on my first pass.

Thanks again

 

[Steveruch]

After brewing quite a few extract beers I am now going to jump into the All Grain pool. I have a recipe for an Amarillo Session IPA that I have made (and really like) many times. I am thinking it would be a good learning experience to try and convert that to All Grain so I have something to compare it to (the extract version is on tap now). I am hoping someone can chime in and either confirm my choices or offer alternatives. The recipe calls for the following fermentables
3.3 lbs of Golden Light DME
3.3 lbs of Light DME
.5 lbs of Caramel/Crystal (20L)
12 oz of Corn Sugar

Based on a chart I found it seems like I need 5.5lbs of grain for every 3.3lbs of DME

After poking around I am thinking I need to use something like
11.25 lbs of Two Row
.25 lbs of Carapils
.5 lbs of Caramel/Crystal (20L)
12 oz of Corn Sugar

Does that seem right? Will that small amount of carapils do anything? Love to know what people think.

Thanks

Golden light from Briess has 1% carapils. Your all grain looks like about 2%: close enough for government work.

 

[IslandLizard]

Seems like I should go with the 12 lb "Two Row", .5 lb Crystal 20 grain bill. I am definitely not trying to over complicate this on my first pass.

That's a really good start! It lies down a good base while brewing a good beer you already know.
Try to preserve some of your extract batch for side by side comparisons. You may be surprised how different they can taste, aside from one being a month or more older.

If this recipe "conversion" is based on 75% mash efficiency it may come out with a bit higher or lower gravity (and/or volume) depending on your grain crush, mash/sparge process, mash equipment used, boil off, etc. Try to keep a close record of the various variables so you can refine the process and/or recipe with subsequent brews.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Maybe it's [the all grain recipe for the extract+steep recipe] as simple as: 12 lb "Two Row", .5 lb Crystal 20?

Seems like I should go with the 12 lb "Two Row", .5 lb Crystal 20 grain bill. I am definitely not trying to over complicate this on my first pass.

That's a really good start!

The grain bill for a SNPA clone recipe (Microbrewed Adventures) is 95% base malt, 5% Crystal 10.

The idea of "character malts" appears somewhere in homebrewing books (maybe Mosher's books?). Loosely, it would be any malt, in smaller percentages, that adds (yup) character to the beer. Munich and Vienna would be common examples. Rye would be another one. 5% not enough character? try 10%, maybe 20%.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...urnaround-pale-or-red-ale-biab-recipe.672965/

 

[Woodie]

Thanks all for the replies... Turns out I got a new Brewzilla (RoboBrew) for Christmas (I love my wife )... Gonna give this a shot in just a few hours. Will post back my results and what I finally landed on. Really appreciate it