Custom stout... Is it right?

[mciaio]

So I am new to homebrewing, did one batch of American Amber Ale extraxt which is still in the primary. I have done so much reading here, I am converting my old cooler to a mash tun and want to try a custom AG recipe. I have a copy of beersmith and just kinda threw this recipe together, but with my lack of experience I don't know if it's the right combos for ingredients. I tried to follow the suggestions in beersmith. Anyway, do these ingredients look right, or will this taste like liquid garbage? How do you guys pick ingredients to use when making a custom recipe?

8 lbs 12.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 77.8 %
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 8.9 %
1 lbs Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 8.9 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 4.4 %
0.75 oz Chinook [13.00%] (60 min) Hops 33.8 IBU
5.00 lb Cherry Puree (Boil 60.0 min) Misc
8.00 oz Bakers Chocolate (Boil 60.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs GF All American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1272) Yeast-Ale

 

[KYB]

Looks good as far as I can tell, although I wouldn't know about the Cherry and Bakers Chocolate.

 

[Donthoseme]

personally i like using flaked barley better than carpills. I think it's less astringent and more to style. Either one will work though. Either way you do it IT'S A STOUT!

 

[Alemental]

My suggestion would be to drop the cherry and the chocolate until you get a stout recipe that you are happy with. You should always have an established base recipe before trying to fruit/chocolate/spice/ whatever additives. A common failing of new brewers is to try to conquer the world before honing the basic skills (been there).
Get to know the base ingredients and how to balance them before you pile odd flavors on top of each other. Look for established recipes online or in print.

(Award Winning Recipes)

Consider what ingredients and, just as importantly, the quantities that are used there are, and adjust your own recipes as you learn.

 

[mciaio]

That makes good sense. This will probably be my 4th batch anyway. I am proabably going to wait until Sept or October to start it. The Strawberry Blonde and the Witbier are more for summer IMHO.