Would like a critique on my first attempt at a recipe

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jacobitti

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Location
Sayville, NY
My first attempt at a recipe, All grain
I’m shooting for a spiced holiday ale
8# Pale malt 2 row
1.5# Crystal 40L
1.3# Special roast
1# Dark wheat malt
8oz Cara-Pilsner/dextrine

15.5 qts water at 156 for 60 mins

Fly sparge with approx 5.5 qts water looking for 7.75 gals pre boil

Pre boil gravity 1.046

1oz Hallertauer at boil start
1oz Ginger root at 12 mins (left)
.25oz Irish Moss at 10mins
1.25oz Cascade at 10 mins
.75 oz Cascade at 10mins
@5mins add:
2 whole cloves
1.25 tsp nutmeg
.75oz sweet orange peel
1 cinnamon stick

Estimated post boil gravity 1.066

Add 1# honey

Wyeast1028 with starter

Final vol around 5.5 gals

Ferment at 67 add yeast nutrient approx 5 days in

After 10-14 days transfer to secondary for 2 weeks

Bottle carbonate with 3.5oz corn sugar

Hoping for FG at 1.015

All done with Beersmith.....

Any critique will be greatly appreciated.....

:mug:
 
Couplathoughts:

For a slightly darker amber color and richer flavor (if that's what you want), consider switching from 40L Crystal to 80L, and replace the CaraPils with perhaps 4-8oz of Special-B or Crystal 120L. You need some Crystal sweetness/fruit/caramel notes to stand up to the spices, IMO. And the darker color will look pretty in glasses around your holiday table (pardon the Martha Stewart moment).

As-is, I think the Carapils is a little overkill/derivative given the amounts of Special Roast and C40 in the recipe. It could be knocked down to 4oz or removed altogether.

Spices seem ok, but be careful with Nutmeg. It can be overpowering. 1.25 tsp seems like a lot given the other spice amounts. Consider reducing the Nutmeg boil addition to a half tsp or so. You can always add more later.
 
Thank you for the critique. I will make some changes and come back with the results. My new Brew kettle arrives Monday. I'm feeling a wave of sickness coming over me.....cough cough.....Might need to play hooky on Tuesday.
 
I'd be careful about using American hops late in the boil but this recipe is so unique the only way to find out if it's any good is to brew it.
 
Ah yes, I just saw the timing on this for the cascade. The last .75oz is at 5mins. Thanks for the eyes....
 
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