Just something to share.

[ajr1]

Not sure if I’m experimenting too much since I’m still new. But after reading article about steeping base malts. I decided to give this a try.
Batch size: around 3.5 gallons, boil 4 gallons
Estimated gravity: 1.057*
Estimated IBUs: 77*
3 lbs light DME
1.25 lbs Maris Otter
0.5 lbs Red X
0.5 lbs C60
0.25 lbs C80
1/4 cup molasses

45 min 0.5 oz Centennial
30 min 0.5 oz Simcoe
15 min 1 oz Comet
0 min 0.5 oz Centennial 0.5 oz Simcoe

Yeast: Wyeast American Ale II
*based on local stores recipe builder

Actual gravity: 1.060

Steeped grains in a large muslin bag at 150 degrees for 45 min with 1.4 qts/lb so they’d be loose and water could flow through.

Didn’t know what to expect, but I was a little disappointed at the low bitterness I tasted from sample. It was interesting though. Reminded me of sweet tea.
Also I probably did not pitch enough yeast.


Any thoughts, opinions, suggestions, encouragement, discouragement?

 

[Jayjay1976]

What temp did you steep at? Did you crush the grain?

 

[beermanpete]

The OG is good and indicates you got 80% efficiency so the mash went well. Was your tasting taken at the end of the boil?

 

[bransona]

What is this recipe supposed to be? Kinda reminds me of when I was a kid and thought it'd be awesome to use EVERY crayon in the box, only to find a big mess at the end. That said, I'd be interedted to know what end-goal you had in mind here.

 

[ajr1]

What temp did you steep at? Did you crush the grain?

Yes I crushed the grain at the store. I steeped around 150 degrees for 45 min. Then added water by holding the bag and pouring it over it to rinse everything I could into the pot

 

[ajr1]

What is this recipe supposed to be? Kinda reminds me of when I was a kid and thought it'd be awesome to use EVERY crayon in the box, only to find a big mess at the end. That said, I'd be interedted to know what end-goal you had in mind here.

Originally inspired by red ale recipes I saw. The molassses I was just curious.

The OG is good and indicates you got 80% efficiency so the mash went well. Was your tasting taken at the end of the boil?

It was taken right after I pitched the yeast

 

[beermanpete]

It was taken right after I pitched the yeast

Considering your recipe suggests aggressive hopping the hops should be very evident. My experience of tasting fresh wort is that it tends to be very sweet and the hops are quite fresh tasting and up front but do not necessarily seem bitter, perhaps due to the sweetness of the wort. Let it run its course and see how it tastes when it is finished fermenting.

 

[bransona]

Sounds like you may end up with a "???" That's fine and dandy, but if you want to learn about brewing, you'll need to tone it down and learn the basics. The molasses will add a very distinct bitterness, but if you don't know what to look for you might blame your hops/ibu, and vice versa.

Also, wort doesn't taste good. Ever. Don't let that influence your opinion of your beer so early on. The bitterness will cut through when your sugars are fermented out. As for a red ale, I'd say this will sorely miss that mark in terms of character and balance. That said, you may still make great beer! At a glance, I'd imagine it will taste like a hoppy old ale of sorts.

 

[ajr1]

Sounds like you may end up with a "???" That's fine and dandy, but if you want to learn about brewing, you'll need to tone it down and learn the basics. The molasses will add a very distinct bitterness, but if you don't know what to look for you might blame your hops/ibu, and vice versa.

Also, wort doesn't taste good. Ever. Don't let that influence your opinion of your beer so early on. The bitterness will cut through when your sugars are fermented out. As for a red ale, I'd say this will sorely miss that mark in terms of character and balance. That said, you may still make great beer! At a glance, I'd imagine it will taste like a hoppy old ale of sorts.

Thanks for the advice, curiosity gets the best of me. I have followed more toned down recipes and recipe kits and some of those were my favorite. This is actually where I got the idea https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-red-ipa/

 

[Calder]

1.4 qts/lb and 150 F - you mashed, not steeped, and got pretty good efficiency. You managed to extract about the same sugars from the grains as you would get from 1.5 lbs of DME.

This is called partial mash.

I'm not sure about the Molasses, but it is only 4 ozs. Brew looks good. I really don't think you can tell anything from the OG sample (which is why I have given up on taking them - I use a refractometer for my OG measurements), it is always too sweet for me to drink.

 

[Shawn3997]

Actually you just did an all-grain mash. Congrats, you're an all-grain brewer now.

 

[ajr1]

If anyone is curious, it turned out great. Probably my favorite I made so far. I took a sample to the local brewery//store. I don’t know how serious he was or if he was just being nice, but the guy said he enjoyed it more than the brewery’s amber ale