Suggest a recipe based off my on-hand ingredients

[politibrew]

In the past I've been on cooking or drink mixing websites that will suggest recipes based on ingredients you have on hand. Unfortunately I cannot find anything similar for brewing (hint, hint tech savvy and awesome homebrewers, there is a need here .)

So I come to you for suggestions on what to make. I tend to like American Pales and IPAs, and my ingredients should fit the bill but I am open to going outside the box if something sounds good and my ingredient list fits. I'd also be willing to pick up any adjunct/specialty grains if need be, but I don't want to change my base malt or buy more hops right now. Trying to clear out these pre-milled grains before I place an order for bulk grains and a mill.



So here is what I have:

9.5# 2 Row Malt
3# Caramel/Crystal 20L

1# Cascade
1# Centennial
1# Columbus
1 oz Citra Whole Leaf
1 oz Sorachi Ace

WLP001

BTW, I'd be making a 5 gallon batch. Any and all advice is appreciated

 

[motorneuron]

The good news is that you can basically just use what you have to make a beer (though I wouldn't use 3 pounds of 20L crystal, or even 2, in most beers).

I'd probably make an APA using most of the 2-row, up to a pound of the 20L crystal, and the cascade, centennial, columbus, and citra. I would bitter with Columbus and use the rest of the hops for flavor/aroma; for the sake of simplicity, you could do 1 oz of Columbus for bittering, the cascade at 20 mins for flavor, and the citra and centennial at flameout. Sorachi ace, to me, is too distinct from the others to work well together, though there could be disagreement.

The only additional things I'd add would be a little biscuit or victory or similar to add a little toasted depth to your grain bill. Flaked wheat or carapils for body would also be good in a moderate-strength beer. Some people might also suggest adding a little darker crystal, but my preferences on APAs run toward the Sierra Nevada end of the spectrum--more dry, more bitter, with a toasted edge, rather than the more caramel, slightly maltier and sweeter versions.