Tinkering

[oilcan]

I've brewed around 8 batches of extract beer and I wanted to try tinkering around with a recipe, no other reason really, just want to see if I can add a little something, something, without screwing it up.

I'm starting with a normal Amber recipe that includes 6lbs of Gold liquid malt extract, 8oz of crystal 80L, with 1oz of Halleruau hops for bittering and 1oz of Fuggle for aroma. Pretty straight forward.

If I was to add some more malt extract and maybe some corn sugur to up the alcohol content, what quanities would I need to make this Amber a little more interesting? Plus what hop additions would I need to balance it out?

Sorry if this request sounds strange, just looking to try "tinkering" around a little.

Thanks

 

[Apoxbrew]

i'd check out hopville.com and play around with the recipe there. it's really entirely up to you what you add in there... which is why brewing is so awesome. there's no right or wrong flavor profile, so long as you like it. unless, of course, you're trying to hit some sort of BJCP guideline or something, in which case there are certain targets.

anyway, hit up hopville and play around. it's free and works quite well. once you really get into it, buy beersmith. best tool around for recipe development.

 

[edb23]

maybe add another pound of light DME to up the alcohol, i'd maybe try experimenting with some biscuit malt or a small amount of roasted barley. also, dry hopping with an ounce or two of fuggle might be interesting.

 

[wonderbread23]

Don't be afraid to tinker and even write your own recipes. I have never brewed a kit beer; it has been a rewarding path to follow. It forces you to really learn about ingredients.

As for your recipe. Go ahead and add the extract and then up the hops to a point that retains the same BU:GO (Bittering Unit: Gravity Unit) ratio as the original recipe. This is generally a good way to start.

 

[Bithead]

Tinker away using software and keep good notes so you can reproduce your greatest creations.

 

[Malintent]

I've dry hopped with fuggle.. I would have done better to use something more floral and citrusy.. fuggle is quite earthy. I prefer it for mid to early boil... but to each their own

I recommend downloading BeerSmith (free trial - buy it if you like it). Enter your recipe, then play around with it and see how the stats change. I spend hours doing that... but it helps to have an idea of what flavor components each ingredient has, of course. That software is very educational for the "Tinkerer".

I had a gnome wizzard tinkerer back in the day... anyone get the geeky reference?

 

[genes]

Don't use corn sugar you will get a hot alcohol flavor. Use more extract.

 

[Jcmccoy]

You can add sugar but I would not go over 10% of your grain bill. It will thin out your beer a bit tho...

 

[phenry]

+1 on getting brewing software. I use Brewtarget but always go back and do all calculations in Excel (I have the entire Tinseth utilization chart entered in there heh). It gives me a great idea of what a recipe might turn out like without investing too much time.

Heck, the second batch I ever did was an IPA of my own conjecture. Was it perfect? No. Was it pretty good? Yes. Would I change a few things next time to make it better? Of course. That's the beauty of home brewing, your experiments always result in drinking beer. And since I have the recipe saved into Brewtarget I don't have to search for my brewing notebook to look up what I did.

 

[oilcan]

Thanks for the all the replies, I will check out the different programs and will try your suggestions. It is fun to experiment and it really helps to have people who have been there and done that to help. Thanks!

 

[edb23]

you know what else would be interesting for an amber would be toasting a little bit of your grain. I don't have the exact temperatures, but basically the process is soak a pound or two of your base malt in cold water for an hour, then put it on a sheet pan and cook it in the oven. after that let it mellow for a week or two, and you'll get some real interesting flavors