Does this grain bill look right?

[NorCalBrewer1]

I'm wondering if this grain bill looks like a good first all-grain. I've done a few extracts, and have also done starch conversions before as well. I have read & watched many videos on what to do, so now it's time to do it!


Anyway, I'll be making a 15 gallon batch (for kegging + using keggle).
I want to make a simple American Light Lager (for drinking in larger quantities). I'm after a lighter flavor (similar to coors/bud light) with a slightly more hoppy character than the usual light lager. But not much. A more clean, crisp, easy-to-drink, barely hoppy character. Not sweet.
(Stella Artois-type hoppiness, not Samuel Adams or Luganitas/etc)

After making the wort I will be fermenting in 3 seperate 6gal plastic fermenting buckets, since I do not have a larg SS Conical Fermenter yet. (Going to make one when I perfect a recipe I like)

Harp is a good example.

Anyway, here's the grain bill that I've come up with.

Grains
3lb - Flaked Corn
4lb - Flaked Rice
10lb - American 2-Row
9lb - American 6-Row
(I don't want a too overwhelming corn taste similar to coors, so I reduced from the original 4lb to 3lb on the bill)

Hops
1 oz - Hallertau Hersbrucker [Alpha: 4.3%] (Mild, slightly flowery & spicy)
.5 oz - Galena [Alpha: 13.2%] (Citrus)
.5 oz - Amarillo [Aplha: 10.1%] (Flowery, Spicy, Citrus)

Hops Method
All steeped in bag for 60mins during boil. (For simplicity, I'm new to this)

Yeast Used
White Labs - American Lager (WLP840)
(Going to use a large starter before starting fermentation to increase cells)



Does this look like a good grain bill for the style I am making? I will be filtering the beer by either co2 or gravity (haven't decided yet). I'll also be using a whirfloc tablet 10 minutes into the boil.

I have plenty of extra hops, so can any experienced brewers tell if this beer will be too hoppy for my description, will it be balanced, will it be too sweet, or will it be perfect based on my description?

One last question, what is a good mashing temp for a crisp, not sweet flavor?

Beer Statistics
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.011
ABV: 4.91%
IBU: 12.35
SRM: 2.81
(Based on an average 75% efficiency, rates from BF Beer Recipe Calc)

 

[jtratcliff]

If you're throwing all your hops in at 60 minutes, you won't get much hop character at all... Mostly just bitterness. Might as well just use all galena for the target IBUs.

Not sure that it's worth it use amarillo in that manner. Amarillo is something to use specifically for it's hop character.

I think I'd just use galena at 60 then Hallertau at 20 for the same total IBUs.

 

[NorCalBrewer1]

Great to get such a fast reply!
Thanks for your knowledge, I need all the help I can get on the hops profiles because I have never used them before. I'm not looking for a target IBU or anything, just the flavor I described. Would you still recommend it?

 

[NorCalBrewer1]

If you're throwing all your hops in at 60 minutes, you won't get much hop character at all... Mostly just bitterness. Might as well just use all galena for the target IBUs.

Not sure that it's worth it use amarillo in that manner. Amarillo is something to use specifically for it's hop character.

I think I'd just use galena at 60 then Hallertau at 20 for the same total IBUs.

Also, do you recommend 1 oz of Galena at 1hr, and 1 oz of Hallertau for 20mins; or .5 oz Galena, and 1 oz Hallertau.

 

[jtratcliff]

Do you have software to build your recipe with?

12-ish IBUs for the hops seems about right. How you get there is up to you!

Galena is high in AA% and is a dual purpose hop (bittering and aroma) so you can use less of it at 60 minutes to get most of your bittering. Heck, you could go all galena at 60, 20, 10 for 12 IBUs and probably be ok.

Hersbrucker is a good aroma hop. Depending on how much hop character you're after, you can add earlier or later. The later you add, the less bitterness and more aroma you'll get. At 20 minutes is probably decent time... Maybe most of it at 20 and just a little at 10 for just a tad more flavor/aroma.

So juggle your amounts and times to get around the same IBUs. Some sort of recipe software is the easiest way to do it. Either a desktop program (like brewtarget or beersmith), or a web based one, or even an app for phone or tablet.

I use brewtarget, and it will give you an assessment like "hoppy" or "malty" or "balanced". So find one you like and plug in your recipe. It'll give an idea how balanced your recipe is on paper.... In a glass might be another story only way to know for sure is try it!

 

[NorCalBrewer1]

Yes, I was using brewers friend.
I just used brew target & input all my grains/hops/etc...

However, the estimated ABV is different on both programs?
Of course, I substituted the American 2-row/6-row for Rhar since there is none on the fermentables list on the Brewtarget program.


Brewers Friend gives me 4.9abv and 12.83 ibu
Brewtarget gives me 4.2abv and 18.7 ibu

Brewtarget says the amount of hops would be slightly malty, close to balanced. Which is good enough for me to test. I just hope it comes out at 4.8-5.0abv, and not 4.2