Tell me what you think

[jeffbones]

I'm about to do my forth batch this weekend and thought I would make up my own recipe. I'm not sure what type of beer it will be, I just hope I'll be able to drink it

4 1/2 lbs light LME
1 1/2 lbs dark LME
3 lbs clover honey
1/2 lbs crystal malt
1 lbs chocalate malt
Hops????
This is the point I'm having some problems with, I want something with just a tad less hoppiness than Anchor Brew "Liberty Ale"
Wyeast california ale yeast

Any thoughts, comments, or suggestion will be taken in stide and greatly apreciated

 

[D-brewmeister]

I've never had liberty ale, but from what I can tell from your ingredients, this should be a pretty dark ale. Judging on how much malt and other sugar this brew will have, it will probably be reasonably strong as well (if you are doing a 5 gallon batch. I recently read through an article on Brew Your Own magazine that had a list of the 10 easies beer styles, and I think this one might match what you are looking for, and if not, you might use it for hopping guidance or whatever. Definitely do what you want to do, and don't feel bound in by the "professional" recipes, it is always a good idea to experiment:

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif]Old Ale
Old ale has a caramel/nutty malt character with toffee-like, roasty overtones. It is full bodied with a smooth malty-sweet finish. The oats help build a creamy, mouth-filling body and hold a dense tan head atop the deep reddish-brown beer. The addition of dark candi sugar boosts the gravity, while adding a rich, rum-like dimension to the complex flavor profile. Although this old ale uses a healthy charge of English hops, the overall impression is of malty complexity rather than hoppy and bitter. English old ale is an ale of high alcoholic strength that is usually stronger than porters, but not quite as strong as barleywines. With an ABV ranging from 6–9%, this is the perfect style of beer to warm your insides on those cold winter nights. To help you know what you’re shooting for, commercial examples of old ale include Gale’s Prize Old Ale, Bell’s Third Coast Ale, Theakston Old Peculier and Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome.
– Chris Farley
Northern Brewer, Ltd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Northern Brewer’s New Old Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.070 FG = 1.019
IBU = 22 ABV = 6.8%

Ingredients
6.0 lbs. (2.7 kg) gold liquid malt extract
2.0 lbs. (0.9 kg) light dry malt extract
1.0 lb. (0.45) dark candi sugar
8 oz. (224 kg) Simpsons Dark Crystal malt (75 ºL)
8 oz. (224 kg) Simpsons Golden Naked Oats
6.4 AAU Target pellet hops (60 min.)
(0.75 oz./21 g of 8.5% alpha acids)
2.2 AAU Fuggle pellet hops (10 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g of 4.4% alpha acids)
2.2 AAU Fuggle pellet hops (1 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g of 4.4% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1084 (Irish Ale) yeast

Step by step
Heat 5 gallons (19 L) of water in your boiling kettle. Steep specialty grains in water for 15 minutes or
until the water has reached 170 ºF (77 ºC). Remove grains and bring water to a boil. Once a boil has
been reached, remove kettle from heat and add malt extract and candi sugar while stirring. Bring to a boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the hop schedule. After 60 minutes, chill and ferment between 62–72 ºF (17–22 ºC) for two weeks. Age for 6–12 weeks in secondary. Bottle and enjoy!
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