New to AG, using up ingredients, look ok?

[PokeHer]

Hey guys,

So I have a few malts and hops left over from other brews and I want to use them up (I'm sure you all do this right?)
So I have came up with my first recipe, could you let me know of any obvious 'urghs' or "you can't put Fuggles with Challenger!" type things

BIAB#4 <Insert Recipe Name Later>:
4.25kg Maris Otter
600g Wheat malt
700g Amber malt
700g Crystal malt 30L

90 mins: 20g Challenger, 20g Fuggles, 20g East Kent Goldings
15 mins: 20g Challenger, 20g Fuggles, 20g East Kent Goldings
0 mins: 20g Challenger, 20g Fuggles, 20g East Kent Goldings

What kind of yeast should I use?

OG: 1.062
FG: 1.016
ABV: 6.12%
IBU: 64.3
SRM: 12.7
BHE: 68%

I have no idea what it might taste like...

So does it look ok? Any tips appreciated. With this recipe, I only need to buy the Maris Otter and yeast as I have left overs of everything else!

Cheers

 

[borischarlton]

I would calm the IBU's down a little with those hops, perhaps 40ish IBU. That will leave some hops left over for dry hopping. For the yeast I would use something to let the hops shine so probably US-05 or Bry97. The leftfield part of me would say pitch a saison yeast. I recently made a IPA and split the batch in two one of which I used the dry saison yeast, I loved it, it turned out better than the IPA.

Rob

 

[PokeHer]

Hi Rob, that's a good idea with the separate yeasts. I could also dry hop the 2 FVs with different hops. Just thinking for future when I do a 50L batch I could make 2 slightly different beers. I guess this is something done often by others!

Thanks for the advice

 

[RobWalker]

there is far too much amber malt in there too. it's what makes beers like butty bach taste sandpapery, and 200g is more than enough. crystal malt the same, you probably want 250g for an average ale. dark milds with a tonne of crystal flavour sometimes use only 500g.

you gotta simplify your recipes, using all 3 hops at all 3 stages isn't a great approach. you'd be better off with 1 hop addition at 90 mins to get your desired IBUs, then 1 or 2 at 15 miins, 1 or 2 at 0 mins. more is not neccessarily better, simple ales are often the best. the recipe as it stands looks like a super intense english IPA :)

 

[PokeHer]

Excellent, that's exactly why I posted the recipe :) Points noted. I just wanted to use up my malts and hops! Do malts keep ok? I will get some sealable lunch boxes from Tescos eventually. For now they are just in the original bags but cling filmed (very cling filmed!). What about hops? I've had them in the freezer. I believe the East Kent Goldings and Fuggles have been in there for about 6 months. Will they be ok?

I fancy going for a strong ale this time. How about this then:

4.5Kg Maris Otter
250g Wheat Malt
250g Crystal Malt
200g Amber Malt

90 Mins: 30g Challenger
15 Mins: 20g Challenger, 20g East Kent Goldings
0 Mins: 20g East Kent Goldings

OG: 1.053
ABV: 5.19%
IBU: 49.39
SRM: 8.22

This leaves me with 12g Challenger and 15g East Kent Goldings which I could dry hop with

(btw, I'm not as tight as you now think! I don't mind buying more ingredients, I am just utilising what I have!)

Should I simplify some more by dumping a malt?

Cheers

 

[Jeltz]

+1 for dry hopping it :)

As for the 0 minutes hops I would let the wort cool a little to say 80°C then put them in.

 

[Awfers]

What about some first wort hopping ?

 

[PokeHer]

Does that mean hop when I pitch yeast? And leave to ferment? I've not heard of that before, I do like a hoppy beer. Worth doing?

 

[joe1002]

No, first wort hopping is adding the hops to you boiler before adding your wort to it.

Dry hopping should be done after the initial fermentation :thumb:

 

[PokeHer]

Well today was brewday! I have brewed the recipe as per my amendment above. I had a slight hiccup, I had more ventilation in my brew garage due to a storm brewing I guess. It was really quite windy in there and I think my estimated boil off rate was therefore lower than it would have been otherwise (my last 3 brews have been 7L/hr but this one was only 5.6L/hr). This essentially means that I now have an extra 2 litres than I bargained for but obviously this comes at a price, my OG is 1.044 where I was targetting 1.053. Doh! It still has potential to be a good beer though.

Do you take wind speed into account for your boil loss!!!?

Other than that, it went really well. I decided not to first wort hop. But I will be dry hopping. I will update here when I have had a taste in a few weeks time

Thanks all.