Strong Ale Recipe - please take a look and offer advice

[permo]

Brewer: CP Email: -
Beer: - Style: English Old/Strong Ale
Type: Extract w/grain Size: 5 gallons
Color: 17 HCU (~11 SRM) Bitterness: 39 IBU
OG: 1.077 FG: 1.012
Alcohol: 8.4% v/v (6.6% w/w)


Grain: 4 oz. British pale
4 oz. British Munich
4 oz. British Carastan light
4 oz. British crystal 50-60L




Boil: 60 minutes SG 1.111 3.5 gallons
3 lb. Light malt extract
5 lb. Light dry malt extract
1 lb. Amber malt extract
Hops: 1 oz. Northern Brewer (8.5% AA, 60 min.)
1 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 45 min.)
1 oz. Kent Goldings (5% AA, 30 min.)
.5 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 15 min.)
.5 oz. Cascade (aroma)



I am not 100% sure about the hop schedule, does anybody have any experience with a british strong that could help? I really like cascade hops, but they may not add enough to the bitterness?

I was thinking about pitching two 6 gram packs of rehydrated coopers ale yeast. The logical choice would be a notty, but I am not going near that stuff!

 

[malkore]

Let me say I've never brewed this style...

The hop schedule does seem 'busy'...I'm a fan of the 60/30/15 rule, or sometimes the last addition just at flameout for aroma (and often then I'll do my flavor hops at 20 mins instead of 30).

Sometimes you can look at the BJCP style guidelines, and that'll give you a good indication of whether it should be bitter, hoppy, aromatic, or some combination of the three (i.e. some beers should have no hop aroma, and thus no aromatic addition late in the boil).

I'm outta the loop...Nottingham giving people problems again?! If you do Coopers, I agree, two satchets...its not the best yeast but its not terrible either. I kinda like Fermentis yeast...they might have something clean you could use for this style too.

 

[permo]

I appreciate you reply! Thank you. It is a busy hop schedule, but I did build the recipe around the reccomended guidelines for the style. I am not sure about it though..it seems like it will be super bitter and super strong. I guess that is why they call it strong ale!

 

[headfullahops]

Are you trying to make this with left over gear? If not, I plugged your recipe into my software and here''s what I found as far as falling in the style guide lines:

Go with 9lb of amber DME for proper color

The bitterness guidelines say 30-60 IBU's, which is middle of the road...
1 oz. Northern Brewer (8.5% AA, 60 min.) gets you to 31.8 IBU's
1 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 45 min.) gets you to 49.5 IBU's
1 oz. Kent Goldings (5% AA, 30 min.) gets you to 63 IBU's
.5 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 15 min.) gets you to a peak 68 IBU's.

68 IBU's is beyond the high end for the Old Ale style, but isn't terrible bitter for a beer that should end up around 7.5-8% ABV. In comparison, Arrogant Bastard brewed by Stone is in the 7%, up around 90 IBU's, and isn't brutally bitter.