Critique my AG Pale Ale Recipe

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daholl01

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Hey,
This is my first attempt at creating my own recipe, and I am going for an American Pale Ale. I kind of tried to make this with some of the characteristics of Sierra Nevada Pale ale, although I am not necessarily trying to clone it.

Any critiques would be greatly appreciated, as this is my first recipe.

Alright, pretty simple:

8 lb. 2-row
1 lb. Munich
1 lb. Crystal 20L

1 oz Perle (60 min)
.5 oz Cascade (30 min)
.5 oz Cascade (10 min)

Yeast: White Labs WLP001 California Ale



Here are the stats:

Est. OG: 1.054
Est. FG: 1.012
Est. ABV: 5.46%
IBU: 39.2

Est. SRM: 6.8

Just for reference the SNPA:

Est. OG: 1.053
Est. FG: 1.011
Est. ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 37


My main questions are with what you all think of the Crystal and Munich malts and the amount used in the recipe. I realize this is a pretty basic recipe but I would like to hear any input.
 
I think the color of the beer will be rather light. The 20L crystal will give some sweetness but not much other flavor, 40 or 60 might treat you better, but I also think it's good to use other ingredients out and get a feel for what they offer. 40 and 60 are VERY commonly used in APAs, so using 20 might be good thing to get a flavor for. I love some Munich in a pale ale. I really can't scoff about your grain bill too much.

I think the beer you are brewing will end up with 'low hop aroma' You might want to consider throwing another 0.5 or even 1.0 ounce of Cascade in at flame out. I say 'low hop aroma' b/c a BMC drinker will tell you it smells like bug spray. Just throwing that out there, if you're looking for a typical PA type aroma that will come up a bit short.

There's my $0.02.........get to brewin!
 
Well since it had been a few hours and I had no replies I started to put together the order on MoreBeer, and I noticed that they gave their current IBU rating for the hops and they differed quite a bit from what was programmed into BeerSmith, specifically the Perle. When I plugged in the AA rating that MoreBeer gave, I was down to only about 29 IBU so I made some hop adjustments.

I also tinkered with the recipes after reading over the pale ale section in How To Brew, and I am surprised to see your responses are exactly what I did. I did indeed change to 1/2 lb of the Crystal 40L and upped the Munich to 1.5 lb. to keep pretty much the same OG.

I will take you up on your suggestion to add some more finishing hops, here is my final recipe, ordering as we speak:

8 lb. 2-row
1.5 lb. Munich
.5 lb. Crystal 40L

1 oz Perle 5.5% (60 min)
.5 oz Cascade 6.7% (60 min)
.25 oz Cascade 6.7% (30 min)
.75 oz Cascade 6.7% (5 min)

Yeast: White Labs WLP001 California Ale


Est. OG: 1.054
Est. FG: 1.012
Est. ABV: 5.46%
IBU: 39.3
SRM: 7.3


I appreciate the input, I will let you know how it turns out!
 
Hey,
This is my first attempt at creating my own recipe, and I am going for an American Pale Ale. I kind of tried to make this with some of the characteristics of Sierra Nevada Pale ale, although I am not necessarily trying to clone it.

Any critiques would be greatly appreciated, as this is my first recipe.

Alright, pretty simple:

8 lb. 2-row
1 lb. Munich
1 lb. Crystal 20L

1 oz Perle (60 min)
.5 oz Cascade (30 min)
.5 oz Cascade (10 min)

Yeast: White Labs WLP001 California Ale



Here are the stats:

Est. OG: 1.054
Est. FG: 1.012
Est. ABV: 5.46%
IBU: 39.2

Est. SRM: 6.8

Just for reference the SNPA:

Est. OG: 1.053
Est. FG: 1.011
Est. ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 37


My main questions are with what you all think of the Crystal and Munich malts and the amount used in the recipe. I realize this is a pretty basic recipe but I would like to hear any input.

I say try it. If it isn't what you want when done change one thing then try again. Not only will you still have a drinkable beer, you will really be able to tell the difference one change can make. It may not help this beer, but will help you learn so it will help all future beers.:D
 
Well since it had been a few hours and I had no replies I started to put together the order on MoreBeer, and I noticed that they gave their current IBU rating for the hops and they differed quite a bit from what was programmed into BeerSmith, specifically the Perle. When I plugged in the AA rating that MoreBeer gave, I was down to only about 29 IBU so I made some hop adjustments.

I also tinkered with the recipes after reading over the pale ale section in How To Brew, and I am surprised to see your responses are exactly what I did. I did indeed change to 1/2 lb of the Crystal 40L and upped the Munich to 1.5 lb. to keep pretty much the same OG.

I will take you up on your suggestion to add some more finishing hops, here is my final recipe, ordering as we speak:

8 lb. 2-row
1.5 lb. Munich
.5 lb. Crystal 40L

1 oz Perle 5.5% (60 min)
.5 oz Cascade 6.7% (60 min)
.25 oz Cascade 6.7% (30 min)
.75 oz Cascade 6.7% (5 min)

Yeast: White Labs WLP001 California Ale


Est. OG: 1.054
Est. FG: 1.012
Est. ABV: 5.46%
IBU: 39.3
SRM: 7.3


I appreciate the input, I will let you know how it turns out!


Sounds like an awesome grain bill. I LOVE munich malt. Also if you wanted to step up the hoppiness toss 1oz of cascade into your 2nd for 2 weeks. (if you are a nutty hop head like me you could go with 3 or 4 oz... hehehe :D ) If you like hops ya gotta try dry hopping. You won't be disappointed. But be warned... It's a slippery slope... Once you go down that path you may be lost forever and be known by all as a hop head! :rockin:
 
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