Would this taste ok?

[Jamesj2851]

I want to get into all grain so im starting off with a 1 gallon batch. I was messing around on beer smith and came up with this and wanted to know if i would taste ok or if it is complete crap.

Test All Grain

• Jamesj2851
• Aug 16, 2018

 

[Pkrd]

Probably complete crap. Thats an awful lot of chocolate and crystal.

If it's your first all grain grab a simple tried and true recipe.

 

[skysmyzer]

Tried and true or a SMaSH for your first all grain, there's enough to think about with the process as it is. I found that it's the same amount of work to do a small batch as a large one (bottling excluded) not to mention a larger volume will hold temperature better so you may as well have more beer in my opinion!

 

[corax]

In your BeerSmith profile you have your grains set to "steep". You want them to be set to "mash".

You have your style set to "American Amber Ale", but your parameters are all wrong: in the four red, yellow and green bars at the bottom of the profile, you are in the red for each one. If you care at all about being within the style guidelines, you should try to get them in the green.

Generally you don't want to go over about 10% of total malt with roasted malts (chocolate malt in this case). If you need to make up a color difference, add a darker roast malt like black malt or Carafa. For an amber ale, try 88% pale malt, 10% crystal malt, and 2% black malt.

 

[Soulshine2]

for your first AG find a brew supply and go through their vast list of already made up AG kits. Pick an inexpensive kit, under $30. Everything you need will be in that kit providing you already have the equipment. Have the company mill the grain unless you bought a mill already. Depending on the company , you may get a choice of yeast (order 2 packets ,just in case)and need to supplement your ready made kit with whirlfloc, caps,star san and whatnot. Make sure you know what youre getting so come brew/bottling day youre not missing some key ingredient or piece of equipment. Keep it simple for your first run , enjoy your new hobby(aka obsession)
I've got 3 brews under my belt , all are very good enjoyable brews. A Hef, an offshoot from that same hef grain bill and an Oatmeal stout. Even though I'd love to calculate my own grain bill, I'm still learning and theres plenty of tried and true recipes/kits to be tried before I get myself into rolling the dice on an experimental grain bill. I'm also just having built my own brew cart (3 tier ,electric,gravity ,5 gallon batches),ready to run it through its paces. Never know what that will bring.
Prost !

 

[corax]

If the OP wants to do a 1 gallon test batch, then a kit designed for 5 gallons is going to be overkill.

I strongly disagree with the general consensus of discouraging first-timers from recipe design.

It in no way complicates the brew day, in than it will be (or should be) completed well before the brew day. Quite the opposite, it makes the brew day go smoother, since it makes you think through the processes you're going to employ ahead of time.

 

[Lefou]

Probably complete crap. Thats an awful lot of chocolate and crystal.
If it's your first all grain grab a simple tried and true recipe.

Agreed.
The grain amounts are scaled for a 5 gallon batch.
The color and hop amounts aren't balanced.

To do a properly scaled volume, a style should be decided upon, then suitable amounts of grain in the proper percentage ranges should be chosen. Using a BJCP list and learning how to use the calculator program is very handy but getting to know the classical or traditional styles of beer can be invaluable to creating a good recipe.
If I want a description of styles, wandering over to Kegerator.com's Learning page is a rock-solid way to get info on how to pick malts for a known style recipe.

 

[Soulshine2]

gotta crawl before you walk before you run before you go mountain climbing before you go try a survival course . I'm sticking to my last piece of advice ,sorry corax. Get the basics of AG brewing down with a made up kit first before you try to design your own grain bill. Theres plenty out there to try different styles and methods differ slightly with different seasonals. Taking into consideration yeasts and fermentation temps if you're limited (my basement stays at 68F all summer long and I'm not about to put up a bunch of money to build an extravagant fermentation chamber when I can use nature for free. 3 brews ,no complaints) I'm not saying NOT TO, I'm just saying I would do the learning thing first,which I still am AND still trying to come up with a brew on my own. While you're drinking your first AG kit(and there is quite an amount of pride just doing so)to get the process down , read up . Everyone is entitled to their opinions and advice, none need to be taken,but its out there . When I was gathering my equipment , I got a lot of "you'll be looking for bigger than a 5 gallon kit so go 10, or 20 gallons system" I am ,however,very happy and content with my 5 gallon system. So when you say you're doing a 1 gallon test batch ,I will suggest go buy yourself a 5 gallon set up just because MOST recipes are based on a 5 gallon minimum ,which are actually very affordable and readily accessible. Everyone also moves and learns at their own pace. Everyone has a different budget ,too. Its about having a good time and enjoying your home brew . What ever advice or direction you decide to take, good luck and enjoy. Post your journey and results,please.
Prost !