Trying to create a recipe from what I have lying around?

[KoedBrew]

Ok so I want to not spend anymore money on my next batch of beer... Here is a list of ingredients I have here at the house I just want to create a recipe from this what do you all think?

Plenty of 2-Row
Plenty of Pale Malt
5 lbs of Crystal 60
.25lb of CaraRed
plenty of corn sugar, cane sugar, Honey, oak chips.
for hops: Plenty of the following Columbus 14%AA, Calypso 12.5% AA, Sonnet 5% AA.

Yeasts available: Wyeast 1056 American Ale, Wyeast 1272 American Ale 2, Wyeast 1028 London Ale. All washed from previous batches.

What do you think of this?
Malt
4 lbs of Pale Malt
3.5 lbs of 2-Row
.5 lbs of Crystal 60
.25 lb of CaraRed
.5 lb of either Corn Sugar@10min or Honey @0 minutes

Hop
.75 Sonnet 60min
.50 Calypso 10min
.25 Columbus 0min

Fermentation: Wyeast 1028 London Ale yeast 68 degrees for 2 weeks, After two weeks add .25oz of oak chips for another week...
Keg

Promash says OG 1.049...not bad maybe add a little more corn sugar to get that up a bit?

Thoughts?

 

[smagee]

Looks like something of an English Red. The Sonnet and Calypso should play nicely together and blend well enough with Columbus. If you want to up the OG a bit more, I think I'd go with either honey or brown sugar instead of adding more corn sugar (in addition to the 8oz you already have) just to provide a bit of the sweetness backbone whilst still drying it up some.

 

[KoedBrew]

hmmm, I didn't consider brown sugar...that could be interesting?
I was thinking along the lines on an English mild or Red also...

 

[KoedBrew]

8 lbs of 2 row
.75lb Crystal 60
.25lb CaraRed
.5 lb corn sugar
.5 lb Brown Sugar

Hops
.75 oz Sonnet 5% 60min
.5 oz Calypso 12% 15min
.25 oz Columbus 15% 0min

After fermentation is complete I want to add some Oak chips anyone know how much oak I should add just to give it a slight character?

 

[smagee]

Looking good; between the crystal and brown sugar, you should have a good balance of malt-sweet. Having never oaked my brews before, I'll hold off on any suggestions there and let someone more knowledgeable step in .

 

[HawksBrewer]

IMO if you want just a subtle oak character I would add .5 oz of light toast oak chips for one week after primary ferm. is complete. I would also recommend soaking the oak chips in bourbon for a week to sanitize them before tossing in (strain off the bourbon before dumping in... and try a sip of it if you don't believe me lol).

 

[KoedBrew]

Yeah I have heard soaking them in burbon or steaming them in a bit of water...some people say they just throw them in??

 

[smagee]

I've heard too many other bad experiences of infection from the "toss them and pray" strategy. I'd definitely go the bourbon route. But then again, I'm a bourbon drinker .