Critique this recipe please

[Wino24]

Hi all....if you would, please tell me your thoughts on this recipe, Thx


Untitled Recipe
10-A American Pale Ale

Size: 5.25 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 168.71 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.051 (1.045 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.013 (1.010 - 1.015)
Color: 13.93 (5.0 - 14.0)
Alcohol: 4.99% (4.5% - 6.2%)
Bitterness: 43.2 (30.0 - 45.0)

Ingredients:
9 lb 2-Row Brewers Malt
.25 lb 2-Row Carapils® Malt
.25 lb 2-Row Caramel Malt 40L
0.19 lb 2-Row Chocolate Malt
.25 lb Victory® Malt
.25 lb Barley Flaked
.75 oz Galena (12.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.75 oz Amarillo (8%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
.75 oz Amarillo (8.0%) - added during boil, boiled 1 min

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.5.12

 

[alcibiades]

why the chocolate malt?

 

[Wino24]

Just for color

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

I would drop the chocolate malt and drop the flaked barley. An APA should be a showcase for the hops, I think your malt bill is too complex. I'd up your late hop additions to at least 1 oz each. You could also add .75 of another hop variety to the 15 and 1 min addition. Cascade or Centennial comes to mind to add a little hop complexity.

 

[heywatchthis]

I would do something like this, if all you have to work with is 1.5 ounces Amarillo for finishing.

.5 ounces at 2 minutes
.5 ounces at whirlpool
.5 ounces dry hop

If you can swing another 2-3 ounces of hops, I prefer my APAs to look something more like this:

1 ounce at 2 minutes
1.75 ounces at whirlpool
1.75 ounces dry hop


If you're goal is to go for a citrusy APA, you absolutely can't skimp on the hops or you won't get a satisfactory product. And the malt bill is too complex. I like 2 row, a little cara for color and some munich for a 1.050 ish gravity.

 

[Wino24]

Hey....cara-what? Would you use the munich in place of the 40L?

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

Hey....cara-what? Would you use the munich in place of the 40L?

2 row + munich + c40 is a good starting point.

2 row for the base, munich for a malty grainy backbone, and c40 for color and a background caramel sweetness to balance the bitterness.

I've made a some good beers with just those three malts.

 

[dcp27]

The flaked barley and chocolate malt are a little out of place, but otherwise it looks like it should have a good malt backbone with a solid hop presence. I'd ditch the flaked barley and consider lessening the chocolate to 1oz and using some darker crystal malts, more victory (or special roast), and/or munich to get most of your color, but keeping it as is would work as well.