Decent recipe for first brew?

[JakeSparrow]

Ok so I haven't bought all my equipment yet, still working on learning everything I can. Though I'd love nothing more than to five head first, I'm preparing a bit. I've decided to play it safe and brew an American Amber Ale as my first batch, but rather than completely follow a recipe or buy a kit, I wanted to try to pick my own ingredients where I could. I used Beersmith to come up with this recipe. Any advice?
1 pkg of Wyeast Labs American Ale yeast
1 pkg of Wyeast British Ale yeast
1 oz of Centennial hops
1 oz of Crystal hops
1 oz of Williamette hops
1 tsp Irish Moss
1 lb Extra Light Dry Extract
5 lbs Amber Dry Extract
1.5 lbs Caramel Malt 40L

 

[bcmeyer]

Any reasons for using two different yeast?

 

[JakeSparrow]

Just to be experimental I suppose? Haha i dont know if it would make things worse or not, maybe to begin with I should stick with one for now.

 

[bcmeyer]

Hahaha nothing wrong with that. I was just curious. I don't think it would detract from the beer, but I'm not an expert in mixing yeast. You'll get beer either way! If you do stick with one, I'd stick with the American ale yeast.

 

[JakeSparrow]

Thanks! I'll do some research on it, just in case. Now that I think about it, maybe ill try it with one then try the same recipe again with the two yeasts and see if the difference is very noticeable

 

[NewWestBrewer]

Thanks! I'll do some research on it, just in case. Now that I think about it, maybe ill try it with one then try the same recipe again with the two yeasts and see if the difference is very noticeable

I am by no means an expert but I believe I have read on here that if you pitch two different yeasts one tends to dominate the other and can lead to bad things.

There are a lot more informed people on here than myself but just thought I would throw that out there.

 

[Jipper]

That is certainly possible. Some yeast have a longer lag time, and when one of the strains takes off and starts eating the sugar / depleting the sugar supply, the other struggles and can become stressed. This can lead to off flavors, so I tend to stick with one strain.

Pitching WLP001 and Wyeast 1056 (Both Cal/American Ale) together shouldn't be a problem, but pitching an WLP001 and WLP029 (Kolsch) might be.

I'd stick to the American Ale on your first batch. It's more neutral and will allow you to taste the flavors of your extract and hops. Also, don't use the entire 1.5lbs of Crystal 40L on 5 gallons! That will be too overpowering...

Good luck and have fun! Let us know if you have more questions.

 

[JakeSparrow]

Thanks all of you for your insight and replies. I can see it being a bad thing now. Maybe combining two similar yeasts in the future will be a fun experiment. And thanks for the tip on cutting down on the crystal malt, I just wanted a nice color but I guess I don't need that much

 

[Jipper]

Yeah 8-12oz. in 5 gallons should be just fine. My first batch I used 1.5lbs of Honey Malt and 1lb. of Crystal 40L and it was a liiiitttlle over the top. I just recently pitched a combination of WLP090 and WLP099 and the results were pretty good. Mixing can work out well, just not all the time.

If you ever want to mix / match two different yeast varietals, try fermenting half of your batch with one, half with another, then combining the two in your bottling bucket or keg. This will blend the flavors, but will allow each strain to ferment healthily. Cheers!

 

[glick]

1.5 pounds of crystal would definately be too much!!! Also, I know that you have already purchased your ingredients but why not brew one of the tried and true recipes from the recipe section as your first brew? I understand wanting to experiment, but with a proven recipe you have a good starting point. From personal experience beersmith is a great tool, but it doesn't tell you how you're beer will taste. Happy brewing!!

 

[USAFSooner]

If you bump the pale LME up into the 1.060-1.070 range and cut your hops in half you would close to an ESB.