Feels Like the First Time - Amber Ale

[itsme6582]

I'm looking for some guidance. This is my first attempt at a recipe. The recipe is partially inspired by Bell's Amber and Fat Tire. However, I'm really not trying to replicate either.

My goal here is mainly to keep my recipe but to put it out there in case it needs some tweaking.
Am I going to get too much nose from the hops at the end of the boil?
Do I have enough Crystal?
Am I wasting my time with just steeping the Munich and Victory and need to step up to a mini-mash?
And of course anything else that looks like a problem is open for debate.

Feel's Like the First Time - Amber Ale - American Amber Ale
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Batch Size: 5.000 gal
Boil Size: 5.500 gal
Boil Time: 1.000 hr
Efficiency: 0%%
OG: 1.053
FG: 1.013
ABV: 5.1%%
Bitterness: 24.8 IBUs (Tinseth)
Color: 13 SRM (Morey)

Fermentables
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Light Dry Extract - 6.000 lb
Munich Malt - 8.000 oz - Steeped
Victory Malt - 8.000 oz - Steeped
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L - 8.000 oz - Steeped
Total grain: 7.500 lb

Hops
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Centennial - 0.500 oz - 1.000 hr
Willamette - 0.500 oz - 5.000 min
Centennial - 0.500 oz - 5.000 min
Willamette - 0.500 oz - Flameout

Yeast
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Wyeast 1056 - American Ale

Notes
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First recipe created
First Full Boil
First batch in first keggle
First yeast from bottle dregs
First Temp Controlled?

Inspired by Bell's Amber and New Belgium's Fat Tire
Yeast - Using Fat Tire dregs

 

[ccudc9]

I would mini mash the munich and victory. That being said i would drop my LME to sub in a few pounds of two row as well. I have gone to exclusively mini mashes now, so let me know if you need some help converting it. The hop schedule looks fine to me, but fairly new to recipe design.

 

[itsme6582]

Bump. Looking for a little more feedback. Thanks ccudc

 

[Yooper]

Here's my Bell's clone. It's all-grain, but can give you an idea of the hopping and grain percentages. I mash low and long and use a big yeast starter to get it to finish low enough. You'll want to use a well-attenuating yeast strain- S05 for dry, and Wyeast 1056 or WLP001 for liquid with a starter. Ferment at 65-68 degrees.

Anyway, here it is:

8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 66.67 %
2 lbs Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 16.67 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 8.33 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 8.33 %
1.50 oz Williamette [4.80 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 27.4 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [4.80 %] (10 min) Hops 6.0 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.40 %] (5 min) Hops 1.9 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.40 %] (1 min) Hops 0.4 IBU
0.50 oz Williamette [4.80 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops



Here's the partial mash/extract recipe I came up with from it, but never tried:

4 lbs 8.0 oz Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 52.94 % ADD THIS WITH 10 MINUTES LEFT IN THE BOIL!!!!!!!!
2 lbs Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 23.53 %
.75 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 6.45 %
.75 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 9.68 %
1.50 oz Williamette [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 16.3 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [4.80 %] (10 min) Hops 3.9 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.40 %] (5 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.40 %] (1 min) Hops 0.3 IBU
0.50 oz Williamette [4.80 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -

Mash the 2 pounds vienna malt and the crystal malts in in 1.5 gallons of water at 150-155 for 60 minutes. Lift out the grain bag, and pour 170 degree water over it to rinse, until you reach your boil volume. discard grains, and bring to a boil. Add hops as indicated. Add DME with 10 minutes left in the boil, IF you're doing a smaller boil. For a full boil, add it at the beginning of the boil.

 

[itsme6582]

Thanks for the feedback Yoop and ccud. I think I've settled on a final recipe. I've stepped up to a partial mash. I've increased each specialty malt to 1 lb each and adjusted my hops schedule. I wanted to make it just a hair darker and up the IBUs a little.

SRM 15
IBUs 29
OG 1.056
ABV 5.5

4 lbs Light Dry Extract
2 lbs Two-row
1 lbs Munich
1 lbs Victory
1 lbs Crystal 80

.5 oz Centennial 60 min
.5 oz Willamette 60 min
.5 oz Centennial 5 min
.5 oz Willamette 5 min

Yeast - Fat Tire Dregs
If FT supply fails it will be Bell's Amber dregs

 

[iparks81]

lookin good, go for it, I would use the bells Dregs, but if you don't want to go through the process of stepping up yeast starters sub it for white labs cali (wlp001) or Wyeast american ale (1056) bells uses a very similar yeast.