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First Custom Recipe

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ckmpls

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Making my first custom recipe, im going to make a Cream Ale, in a perfect world it would be a copy of New Glarus Spotted Cow but I just hope its good. My recipe is

6Lbs Light LME
1lb Flaked Corn (steeped with grains)
1lb Carmel/Crystal 10L grains (Steep 30 min)

.75oz Cascade - 30 min
.75oz Saaz - 10 min
.75oz Saaz @ flame out

Belgian Style Ale Yeas Blend (WLP575)

Feedback and suggestions welcome! This is my first custom recipe so I kind of pulled it out of my ass
 
OK so I've only been brewing for about a year and have only done extract but I have a few comments since no one more experienced is jumping in. For starters I think it sounds like a good beer with a flavor I'd like. You might have a bit too much hops for your sweetness and alcohol content, but that is always a matter of taste.

That said it is out of style for a Cream Ale. You have a lot of hops, a classic Cream Ale is usually pretty mild and does not have an overly hoppy flavor. If you want to stick to style I would drop the hops to 1oz maybe 1.5 at most and I would do most of it at the beginning, boil 60, rather than doing at the end. I like the Cascade but for style purpose I'd do like 1-1.5 oz of Saaz.

Also I don't think the corn is a good idea. I know it is pretty typical for a Cream ale to have some corn but (and here is where my extract only experience may be a problem) I thought that some adjuncts like corn do not do much/anything when steeped. To get them to add anything you need to use them in a real mash otherwise there is no enzyme present to modify the starch and make it fermentable. I'm willing to admit I may be wrong about that so if you've had some experience with this or if someone else has a correction then I'm fine with that but I would leave the corn out.

Finally, why a Belgian yeast? I'm no expert on yeast strains but Belgian yeast usually gives you an estery profile with a lot of fruity flavors, again this is out of style for a cream ale. I would stick with a more neutral ale yeast like Wyeast 1056 or something like that.

OK so here are my thoughts. I would drop the corn no matter what. Other than that if you brew your recipe I think you will have a really good beer but it will NOT be a cream ale. I think your recipe will be better classified as a pale ale and will be very hoppy, possibly too hoppy for the sweetness and malt. That said everyone has there preferences and limits so it might be good. If you drop the hops you will be in style and I think you will have a good beer as well. So you need to decide if you want a Cream Ale or if you want to make your recipe. I think both have potential. Actually I'd recommend dropping the corn and making this with the hop schedule you came up with and again with a reduced amount of hops and compare them.
 
Corn won't convert unless it's mashed with a base malt- so you'd have to add a pound of two-row if you want to use corn.

It's nothing like spotted cow (a cream ale) but if you want a light hoppy fruity Belgian ale, the recipe is alright.
 
I agree. I would lose the corn but leave the crystal 10. I've always thought that steeping grains in an extract batch adds some freshness! Congrats on branching out and doing your own recipe. You will find that the more you experiment the more you learn about the brewing process.

As far as what you posted above, assuming this is a 5 gallon batch, you may be close to a Blonde Ale? I've never used that yeast but I know many Belgian style strains are quite fruity. I say lose the corn, brew it up, and see what happens! You're gonna get beer out of it either way so as long as you like it...go for it!
 
+1 to losing the corn. If you want to keep with a light crisp body try using some rice syrup solids instead.
 

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