Special Ale Recipe - what do you think?

[permo]

Well, I am expecting a new addition to my family in May, so that gives me about 6 months. I want to unveil a special ale to my friends and family when they are visiting and to celebrate. I am thinking I will give this brew 2 weeks in primary, two months in secondary and bottle condition for three months. Because of the long cellar time, no aroma or dry hopping will be used. Here is the recipe I plan on using. What do you think?


7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 45.16 %
5.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 32.26 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 6.45 %
1.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 6.45 %
1.00 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 6.45 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3.23 %
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 37.6 IBU
0.50 oz Summit [18.00 %] (30 min) Hops 18.2 IBU
0.50 oz Summit [18.00 %] (10 min) Hops 8.6 IBU
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale
75-80 IBUS
SRM roughly 20
mash at 154 for 60 minutes
OG roughly 1.080 with my equipment...


I am hoping the summit and chinook hops will work well together and that this will age well.....any suggestions are sure welcome.

 

[Bob]

I'm thinking your combination of malt-forward grist, high mash temperature and an underattenuative yeast strain may spell thick, chewy beer. If you're going to use that much Vienna, Munich and Crystal, I wouldn't go above 150F. You don't want to unbalance the beer.

Other than that, the recipe sounds yummy. I'd drink the heck out of it!

Bob

 

[permo]

Well, my basement currently sits at 62 degrees or so....maybe I could use some Nottingham to drag it down. That would really allow the malt to shine.... maybe mash at 151-152 and pitch a nice nottingham washed yeast slurry into it?

Right now I have nottingham bubbling away on a maple nut brown at 62 degrees..that is going to be tasty. This notty was directly from danstar as a replacement for a recall batch...I can say that notty is back to it's usually rampant self.

Also, I was wondering, since my basement will soon stay in the high 50's this winter, if maybe I wouldn't want to try some lager yeast on this beer...kind of an experiment....two weeks fermenting at about 60 degrees..then a long cold secondary.....just an idea.