Cream Ale Recipe, advice requested.

[tlazaroff]

Hi all,

I'm going to be entering a homebrew contest (my first) this spring and want a critique on this recipe. I make some mean IPAs, but I figure that most of their entries will be IPAs, so that's out. I wanted to do something that they won't get much of, and I thought Cream Ale was perfect. I have made one before (Weed, Feed, and Mow - from Brewing Classic Styles) and it came out very nice. I have written my own recipe for a Cream Ale based on my tastes and it needs a critique.

Besides a critique, do you think that I should change the hop bill to include Sorachi Ace? I have about 12oz of whole leaf that I need to use. Think it will work well with the Cascade?

Many thanks in advance.

For 2.5 gallons:
OG: 1.044
FG: 1.009
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 18
SRM: 2.5

Fermentables:
2lb 11oz Pilsner Malt
1lb 2oz 2-Row Malt
7.2oz Flaked Corn/Maize
3.6oz Sucrose (in boil)
Mash at 152°F for 60m

Hops:
.2oz Centennial 9.2%AA @FWH
.5oz Cascade 5.4%AA @5m
.5oz Cascade 5.4%AA @0m

Yeast:
WLP029 - German Ale/Kolsch

 

[ArrowheadAles]

I just made a blonde ale and dry hopped with .5 oz of sorachi and .5 oz of cascade. I think the combo was pretty good. The sorachi ace is really prominent over the cascade so if I did it again I would cut back on that or increase the cascade. However that was the amount with pellet and not whole leaf. Whole leaf you would need a little more of to get the same effect as pellets.

 

[tlazaroff]

Great, I think I might give this a try.