My first all-grain recipe (blonde ale) any comments?

[aleiexjr]

Finally I'm going all grain, I created this recipe using the trial version of BeerSmith, so I'd like to know what do you guys think about it since almost all the recipes I've read use more grain than what I'm using.

Here is my recipe:

(Belgian based)Blonde Ale 1

Grains:
5.51 lb Pale Malt
5.51 lb Pilsner
0.88 lb Carared
0.88 lb Wheat Malt
Hops:
1.00 oz Fuggles (50 min)
1.00 oz Saaz (20 min)
1.00 oz Saaz (10 min)
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min)
0.88 lb Cane Sugar
Yeast:
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale


And these are Beersmith's estimates:

Est Original Gravity: 1.073 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.019 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.1 %
Bitterness: 19.6 IBU Calories: 333 cal/pint
Est Color: 6.9 SRM Color: Color

 

[944play]

Volumes? Your numbers appear big for the brewlengths I'm used to.

 

[aleiexjr]

I'm going for a 5gal batch, also I'm still designing my mashing schedule

 

[brettwasbtd]

Personally, the IBUs look pretty low for potential ABV, gonna taste pretty alcoholic

 

[Malticulous]

Move the 20 minute addition to FWH to get a few more IBUs out of it.

 

[Yooper]

A 1.073 OG blonde seems a bit intense to me. I like my blondes in the 5% or so range.

 

[aleiexjr]

Thanks for your comments guys.

It seems that belgian blonde ales are a bit stronger than "standard" ales, and that is precisely what I'm looking forward to (I'd like to get a strong feeling in this particular beer).

However, if its gonna taste very alcoholic I may do the following changes during boiling time (as sugested):

50 min fuggle to 60 min and 20 min saaz to 30 min.

How about it? According to Beersmith, it will result in 21.6 IBU.

BTW, I'm asuming a 70% brewhouse efficiency since it's gonna be my very first all grain brew.

 

[944play]

A Belgian ale ABSOLUTELY requires a Belgian yeast. This is not negotiable. S-04 will not work at all for this recipe. T-58 is the only dry yeast that's anywhere close, but it sucks.

You need to get a Wyeast or White Labs product for this beer, or grow some yeast up from a bottle-conditioned beer.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for your comments guys.

It seems that belgian blonde ales are a bit stronger than "standard" ales, and that is precisely what I'm looking forward to (I'd like to get a strong feeling in this particular beer).

However, if its gonna taste very alcoholic I may do the following changes during boiling time (as sugested):

50 min fuggle to 60 min and 20 min saaz to 30 min.

How about it? According to Beersmith, it will result in 21.6 IBU.

BTW, I'm asuming a 70% brewhouse efficiency since it's gonna be my very first all grain brew.

I'm not sure I know any style guidelines of a "Belgian blonde", but you could do a blonde grain bill and add Belgian yeast. I like Belgian pale ales, and even those are often in the neighborhood of 1.050. I'd use mostly pilsner malt and maybe some caravienna for color/flavor. I wouldn't use regular two-row, just the pilsner. I'd probably skip the sugar, too, unless you wanted to head into triple territory. I like saaz hops. I wouldn't move them to 30 minutes, since I like the flavor of them and you won't need the bitterness if you keep the bittering addition at 60 minutes, or increase that addition.

My concern is that a 1.073 beer is going to taste "hot" and not at all what I'd want in a light fruity blonde. If you want to do have a higher ABV in it, that's fine of course and the sugar and the pilsner malt will get you there.

 

[aleiexjr]

oh, I didn't know about the yeast, thank you so much. I can get Wyeast, but if its that specific maybe I should grow my own.

 

[Yooper]

oh, I didn't know about the yeast, thank you so much. I can get Wyeast, but if its that specific maybe I should grow my own.

Belgians have a fruity/clove like character that comes from the yeast that just can't be duplicated, in my opinion. It's worth it to get the specialized yeast. You can always wash it and store it and reuse it, so that you can get many batches out of one purchase.

 

[aleiexjr]

What about this new recipe:



11.02 lb Pilsner
0.88 lb Carared (I'd like to use it because I already have it)
0.88 lb Wheat Malt

1.00 oz Fuggles (60 min)
1.00 oz Saaz (25 min)
1.00 oz Saaz (10 min)

1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc

Belgian yeast (I have to check which one is available at my brewstore or else grow my own)