Writing my first recipe, looking for opinions

[cristoirsearlas]

Hey all! I just wrote my first extract recipe for a Milk Stout, and my HB app is showing it will be darker than normal. I love a good, rich Stout, so the color doesn't bother me, I'm just worried about it being too rich or ashy. The recipe is below, I'd love to get some opinions. Please note, I went lighter than normal on LME to lower ABV a bit. I know this recipe is somewhat unusual, I'm just not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

5 gallon Extract recipe

5 lbs Light LME
1 lb Chocolate Malt
8 oz Black Barley
8 oz Flaked Barley
8 oz Cara Aroma
8 oz Carafa III
8 Oz Coffee Kiln Malt

Lactose (still debating 8 oz or 1 lb)

1 oz Willamette (60m)
1 oz Bramling Cross (30m)

Safale S-04 Dry Yeast (2 packets)

Per the Wort app:
OG: 1.058
FG: 1.014
ABV: 5.0
IBU: 39
Color: 58 (their target for Milk Stout is 30-40.

 

[chickypad]

At 2.5 lbs I think you've got way too much roasted malts for a lowish gravity stout like that, especially if that is regular carafa III and not debittered. You're at about 25% (converting the LME to equivalent grain). I'd do something like ditch the carafa III and cut the chocolate in half.

 

[canehdianman]

I agree with chickypad.

I wouldn't go over 15% roasted malts.

 

[kh54s10]

For me that is too complex. I would drop one or two of the specialty malts. IMO, too many malts risks making a "muddy" flavor. Make up for the difference by adjusting the amounts of the others.

 

[cristoirsearlas]

Awesome, thanks everyone! I'll go with chickypad's suggestion.

 

[Yoallcumbrews]

It's also a good idea to steep your dark grains in a separate pot and then add it to your mash. In doing so you can not only steep for a shorter time but you can keep from getting as much unwanted residuals in your boil pot .roasted grains break down finer

 

[Yalc]

At 2.5 lbs I think you've got way too much roasted malts for a lowish gravity stout like that, especially if that is regular carafa III and not debittered. You're at about 25% (converting the LME to equivalent grain). I'd do something like ditch the carafa III and cut the chocolate in half.

I agree, usually you want to keep your dark grains around 10% of the grain bill.

 

[bajaedition]

way to much specialty grain to the base amount of malt

beginners tend to go to heavy on any adjuncts

here is a bit of advice, start small and learn what each grain does, do not use them to cover up mistakes. I did a lot of heavy beers in the beginning, then I cut back and made a red, with about 6 ozs of specialty grains to my 6 pounds of light extract, wow I noticed I needed to learn about beer making. So I made a blond a few times till I got a great clean beer, then I started adding grain one at a time till I really knew what each one did, tasted, body or color. without that knowledge I would still be stabbing in the dark as you need to know your ingredients
good luck, and remember, if you make a mistake, you can still drink it, and after 3 or 4 you will not care worry it was not perfect, you will just try harder next time