First brew - Advise on grain mix + hops mix

[jjkilpatrick]

Hi all,

I'm going to be doing my first brew in a couple of weeks. The recipe I'm looking at calls for

1.8 pounds American 2-row malt
0.4 pound Caramel 20 malt
0.2 pound Victory malt
0.1 pound Munich malt

I'm going to replace the American 2-row + Caramel + Victory with just Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt. Does this sound ok to just have 2.4 pounds of Marris Otter + 0.1 Munich malt.

The recipe also calls for Columbus + Cascade Hops. I'm also going to replace these with Simcoe + Motueka + Amarillo.

Does anyone see any issues with what I'm proposing?

Thanks

John

 

[pittsy]

any chance recipe in grams , i'm scratching my head at pounds

 

[pittsy]

btw the victory malt i think is like biscuit malt which is good for a creamy taste with head retention , the caramel will give a little sweetness , while the munich will add a little colour and some some small flavour , so missing some of the above will change the profile of your brew , but not as much as using a different yeast , what yeast you using .

 

[jjkilpatrick]

Sorry its an american book.

2.4 pounds = 1088g Maris Otter
0.1 pounds = 45g Munich

Makes 1 gallon / 8 pints

 

[jjkilpatrick]

Recipe calls for either

WYeast Activator 1272 - American Ale II or
Safale US-05 Yeast

 

[bigdave]

I wouldn't simply swap everything for MO as you'll lose the malt characteristics of the beer you're brewing. Maybe Swap Victory for Biscuit malt so your grain bill would look like this:

1.8lbs Maris Otter
0.4lbs Caramalt or medium crystal
0.2lbs Biscuit malt
0.1lbs Munich

If this is your first brew, it's likely something will go astray so why not save the multiple grain brew recipes for brew 2 or 3 and just keep it simple with an all maris otter brew?

p.s. 8 pints isn't very much beer for the effort, especially after all your losses, you probably only end up with 6 pints.

 

[RobWalker]

in the best possible way, you're doing a different recipe entirely :lol:

remember american litres and gallons are different to ours. grab yourself some free brewing software like BrewTarget, set up all of your measurements accurately, and you'll be able to input the recipe and tweak it to your liking and inventory.

I assume you're after a big american IPA. caramel, victory and munich will all increase the malt profile, whereas maris otter is simplistic on its own. that's not a bad thing at all, but expect it to be quite clean compared to the recipe you are using.

as for your hops, again, input them in with the correct alphas and you'll get an idea of the IBU's. pump the **** out of the aroma and dry hops too :

 

[jjkilpatrick]

Hi All,

Thank you very much for your help. I've downloaded BrewTarget and had a play around. I think i'll have another look through my book for a more simple brew (although this one is supposed to be for a starter) or perhaps find a english recipe for an maris otter brew. Just found this one so gonna have a go with this >
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/recipeview.php?recipe_id=10

Thanks again

 

[Good Ed]

I know it's all a bit confusing at the start but you have picked a Durden Park recipe http://www.durdenparkbeer.org.uk/ and while it is a simple recipe, they do recommend mashing for 3 hours and conditioning for 6-12 months and at 100 IBU's why not.

I'd suggest that, if you like British beers, get yourself a copy of Graham Wheeler's book, packed full of great recipes and a great way to start your career :thumb:

 

[fbsf]

Have a go at this - a simple SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop).

For a 1-gallon(UK) brew:

1kg Maris Otter in 8L of 67° water for 90 mins
Boil resulting wort for 90 mins
8g Cascade hops @ 60mins from end of boil
8g Cascade hops @ 30mins from end of boil
1/2 protofloc tablet @ 10mins from end of boil
8g Cascade hops @ end of boil

Sounds too simple to be good, but turns out lovely...

You can also substitute other hops - East Kent Goldings will also work well, but maybe go up to 12g for each addition as they generally have less alpha acid than the cascade.

 

[LeedsBrewer]

+1 ^ :thumb:

 

[Duxuk]

Have a go at this - a simple SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop).

For a 1-gallon(UK) brew:

1kg Maris Otter in 8L of 67° water for 90 mins
Boil resulting wort for 90 mins
8g Cascade hops @ 60mins from end of boil
8g Cascade hops @ 30mins from end of boil
1/2 protofloc tablet @ 10mins from end of boil
8g Cascade hops @ end of boil

Sounds very much like my recent partial mashes. I.m sure the taste would be close. I find that some crushed crystal improves the flavour a lot. About 45g in a gallon would suit me. Some may like a little less. Just add it to the mash.

 

[jjkilpatrick]

Got a copy of Graham Wheeler's book.

fbsf thanks for recipe, looks good. I'll give it a whirl. Although do you not need the addition of yeast? :

 

[fbsf]

Erm, yeah - sorry took that as read.

I would go for something like half a packet of Safale US-05 for this one - it will let the flavours come through without imparting too much of it's own character.