First Amber Ale recipe critique

[Trenloco]

Hello guys,
Im kinda new to brewing and this is the first time I actually go out of my way to make a recipe from scratch.

I would much like your input on it, I stalk the forums and lot and know for a fact its chock full of good brewers.

Im trying to aim for a little bit of malt complexity in there but dont want it to be too sweet, is there any malt I should be in the lookout for?
Plus Im hoping that the Chinook dankness helps offset a bit of the caramel flavor.

 

[Kickass]

I’d try that as you have built it. I had to look up special W malt. Looks like a German equivalent of special B. A couple of observations:

I don’t feel the pale wheat adds any value. I don’t think it detracts but my philosophy is, if it doesn’t add value, take it out.

The 30g of whirlpool hops would be higher than I’d go. I might be the minority here but I really like my amber ales to have a very small hop aroma that props up the malt rather than outshine it. That’s personal preference though, so if you like the idea of a hoppier amber ale, go for it.

I think you have a good foundation.

 

[Trenloco]

Indeed, Weyermann claims Special W is just the same as B so Im giving it a try.

As for the wheat, a friend of mine uses around 5% in pretty much every beer he brews, claims it helps him with head retention and the like. I really dont think it can change much in that amount but might as well try.

And for the hops, I have to agree with you, Im halving the hop bill on whirlpool. My idea for the beer was malty with a slight caramel aftertaste, dont want the hops to hide the malts. Its just that every recipe I have seen lately has a truckload of hops in it so might be a bit of that.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Kickass]

Halving the whirlpool hops is probably what I’d do. Between your WP hops and 25min cascade addition, you have a lot of space to dial in flavor and aroma. Be sure to take good notes and adjust appropriately next time. Also, update as you go.

 

[Trenloco]

Updating: ended up throwing in the full whirlpool hop bill in a whim.
Upon tasting I find it wasn't that bad of an idea, nice piny, resinous smell and taste but malt balances well ending in a clear finish, no harshness/sweetness whatsoever.

Only thing that I'm not comfortable with was carbonation, aimed for 2.4 vol CO2 but for the first time , beer has no head at all. Guess I either didn't mix priming well enough or sugar amount wasn't enough.

Well, something to fix next time I guess