Preferences concerning recipe writing

[IndyPABrewGuy]

Hey all, gotta quick question. I started brewing in April, and after have three brews under my belt (Kits), I downloaded Beer Tools Pro and started writing my own recipes. I have written about a dozen and have brewed four of them. Unfortunately I don't have access to 10 feremtation vessels. It seems to always work that way that your brain's working faster than what can be accomplished. Anyway, I used a lot of different DMEs and only 60L Crystal malt and some Chocolate Malt as my "grain bill". So when I started looking at some clone recipes on line, a lot of them start with either light, or extra light DME and get a lot of their color through specialty grains.

So here's the question. What's the difference? For example, an amber ale that I wrote:

1.5 gal boil

2 lbs Light DME
4 lbs Amber DME
.75 lbs Crystal Malt 60L

As compared to a Fat Tire clone that I looked up

3 gal boil

5 lbs Laaglander extra light DME
.5 lbs Crystal 20L
.5 lbs Crystal 40L
.5 Carapils Malt
.5 Chocolate Malt

Is it just a difference of body? I have noticed that what I've brewed and had a chance to taste (one of the four that I've written) does seem a bit watery. Not Lite beer watery, but, lets just say, a bit lacking?

Am I on the right track on this and therefore should change my thinking on recipes, or doesn't it really matter?

Cheers,

 

[Barley-Davidson]

The second recipe will have more body from the grains, as well as more complexity from the additional ingredients (although 5# DME seems a little light).

You're already experimenting which is great, so try some brews each way and see what you think.

 

[sully]

on that fat tire clone .5# chocolate will give you a brown ale, especially if your making less then 5 gallons. i would keep the .5# 40l and the carapils and add 1/4 to .5# special roast (also known as biscuit malt) and increase your base malt to 8 #'s. this would work well but this recipe is ment for 5 gallons of finished beer. how much are you planning on making.

 

[cheezydemon]

Boil time is also important, light DME can be made into a dark equivalent if you boil it long enough. Some people prefer this because they can control how dark it gets.

 

[IndyPABrewGuy]

I should have clarified. Batch size for both is 5 gallon. That's just the starting volume of the boil. Total boil time was 60 min for my amber, and 90 min for the FT clone.

I had assumed it had to do with mouthfeel mainly. I kind of like the idea of starting with light DME and working my way up with specialty grains. I'll have to try one soon.

Thanks all.

Cheers,

 

[Buford]

Laaglander extract attenuates very poorly regardless of yeast so it'll leave a lot of residual dextrins in the beer giving it body. I personally wouldn't use it and would just add some maltodextrin or mash some Carapils in a partial mash instead.

 

[IndyPABrewGuy]

I probably wouldn't use Laaglander anyway, it was just what the recipe called for. Thanks forthe info on it, though. I thought Carapils didn't need mashed, only steeped. I thought Munich and Biscuit were the only two specialty grains that required mashing? To be honest, I haven't read too much when it comes to AG or partial mash techniques. Its on the "to do" list.

Cheers,

 

[Buford]

I originially thought you could steep Carapils as well, but I've read that it will produce protein haze in the finished beer if steeped instead of mashed. I've only ever mashed it myself.