First attempt at creating a recipe...feedback?

[Hophead138]

This is my first attempt at creating my own recipe. I mostly just plugged away at beersmith. Im attempting my first all grain brew in a month or so and i wanted to make a stout. So heres what i came up with please let me know whta you think or if i should tweak anything...

10lbs Pale malt(2row)
1lb Roasted Barley
4oz. Chocolate Malt
4oz. Black Patent Malt

1.5oz Fuggles 4.5% for 60 mins
.5oz. East Kent Goldings 5% for 10 mins

English Ale Yeast WLP#002

I estimated at about 68% efficiency for my first all grain batch. It came out to having an OG of 1.054. IBU's at 26. Est. ABV at 5.

ANy tips on tweaking the recipe or executing it to perfection?

 

[Nateo]

My favorite stout grain bill is just pale malt and roasted barley. IMO the other dark malts aren't necessary. I'd say start simple, and add ingredients in future batches and see how it tastes different.

 

[Hophead138]

is that a decent amount of grain for a 5 gallon batch 10 pounds pale malt and 1 poung roasted malt? and does everything else look appropriate for the style? also for my first all grain should i worry about step mashing or anything? or just mash in at like 158 til conversions all set and then mash out at like 172?

 

[sweetcell]

i'd say your recipe looks great, and go for it as-is. those 4 oz of chocolate and black patent will add a little flavor but certainly won't be taking over at those amounts. your stout will be dark, then again it's a stout

a single mash is good. sounds like you're ready to go - so go!

 

[stevedasleeve]

I would get rid of the chocolate + black patent, add a body building adjunct and up the base malt to reach your target OG.

Choose your mash temp. wisely! My preference is to use a low temp for a dryer stout (149 f) and at those temperatures I will usually mash 120 mins. I usually have 2 hours of stuff I can do during the mash anyway.

Good luck,
Steve

 

[Hophead138]

What are the pros and cons of mashing in at a lower tempereture say around 132f or so as oppossed to mashing in around like 152f.

 

[Nateo]

What are the pros and cons of mashing in at a lower tempereture say around 132f or so as oppossed to mashing in around like 152f.

Don't mash under 148*. Barley malt doesn't fully gelatinize until around 145*. The window is pretty narrow.

 

[Hophead138]

hm interesting. What about for a protien rest? isnt that preformed around the low 140 range?

 

[SwampassJ]

hm interesting. What about for a protien rest? isnt that preformed around the low 140 range?

Protein rests are used to break down proteins that cause problems with the haze, they do very minimal starch conversion. Your beer will be as dark as midnight, the haze won't matter.

 

[JonK331]

Alpha amylase works best between 154 and 162, beta works best between 131 and 150 (according to Palmer). so you want to be somewhere in between. Mashing in the upper 150s wii give you a less fermentable wort with fuller body than mashing in the 140s. I like to mash at the same temp (152) for all beers and control body/fermentability with the ingredients. A consistent process with allow you to see what different ingredients do. With todays highly modified malts, its never really necessary to mash longer than 60 minutes.

 

[Hophead138]

alrite thats what i figured. im reading alot of material. I have the john palmer how to brew and dave millers guide to homebrewing. Im trying to do alot of research before i begin my first all grain. I was probobly gunna mash in around 158f and then raise it up to 172 to mash out. Should come out fine that way right?

 

[SwampassJ]

alrite thats what i figured. im reading alot of material. I have the john palmer how to brew and dave millers guide to homebrewing. Im trying to do alot of research before i begin my first all grain. I was probobly gunna mash in around 158f and then raise it up to 172 to mash out. Should come out fine that way right?

A good sweet spot for mashing is 152-155. All things considered outside of very high attenuating yeasts (shakes a fist at Nottingham and US05) you will probably finish in the mid teens (1.013-1.017). With WLP002 and it's Wyeast equivalent 1968 you're going to want to stay lower and closer to 150ish area. That yeast averages between 63%-70% attenuation and with a much lighter grainbill and at 152 I hit 63.5% attenuation and puttered out high at 1.016 on a bitter.

 

[Hophead138]

ok so if i ferment at a temp around 148- 152f i should have more fermentable sugers while still maintaining a medium to fuller body that im looking for?

 

[Nateo]

If I want a light body I mash at 149*, if I want a medium body I do 155*, if I want a full body I do 162*.

 

[SwampassJ]

ok so if i ferment at a temp around 148- 152f i should have more fermentable sugers while still maintaining a medium to fuller body that im looking for?

With that yeast you will have plenty of body left over plus you'll get plenty of unfermentables from the roasted grains to help with the body. Honestly my opinion is to take someone elses recipe first that has a lot of people reviewing it. I screwed up a few that I built my self because they didn't mesh well.