To Brew or Not To Brew? ... and what

[SailorTodd]

I originally wasn't thinking of brewing this weekend. It was going to be too much of a hassle after a couple of very busy weeks and my first sort of relax and veg out weekend. But now that it's Friday, I'm getting an itch to break out the equipment again and brew up a batch. Probably Sunday. And now that I'm getting the itch, I don't know which of two new recipes of mine I want to try out. I'll post both and take inputs on which to do. To preface, either will be a 5 gallon all grain batch.

First, "Centennial Pale Ale" a simple pale ale, single infusion mash @ 152 with four centennial additions and not much else:

Boil Size: 6.22 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.72 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 5.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 40.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 73.3 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
10 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 87.0 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2 8.7 %
8.0 oz Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.3 %
0.75 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 26.1 IBUs
0.75 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 12.9 IBUs
0.75 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 7 1.1 IBUs
0.75 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 9 0.0 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 5 -
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 8 -
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Second is my Midwatch Stout V2.0, a black as night sweet stout:

Boil Size: 6.72 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.72 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 56.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 32.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.4 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
7 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 58.3 %
2 lbs Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 3 16.7 %
1 lbs Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 4 8.3 %
12.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5 6.3 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 6 4.2 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 7 4.2 %
4.0 oz Carafa III (525.0 SRM) Grain 8 2.1 %
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 9 27.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 20.0 Hop 10 5.5 IBUs
1.0 pkg Irish Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP004) Yeast 12 -
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 11 -
5.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent 1 -
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It'll be my second all grain batch, and the last until the new year. Can't make up my mind.

 

[HOMEBREWZ]

id go with the stout and let it age for a while if you can wait that long or id make the pale ale if want it sooner

 

[Mongrel]

Centennial Pale Ale sounds pretty good right now.