Amber Ale

[Milhouse]

I've been brewing a slight alteration of the American Amber ale recipe in "brewing classic styles" for a whike now. It is a great drop but I find it needs a slight boost is the colour/roasty/rich department. I think this is because the crystal dark I am using is lighter than the crystal 120l in the original recipe.

I was thinking of adding a little roast barley, but have since thought maybe chocolate malt more appropriate. Which would work better, and how much? Was thinking around 150-200 grams. Or would I be better off bumping up the dark crystal?

My other concern is making the grain bill too complicated. If I do add an extra malt should I drop maybe the biscuit malt?

Recipe below:

4.6 kg (75.4%) — Gladfield Ale Malt — Grain — 6 EBC

500 g (8.2%) — Gladfield Munich Malt — Grain — 15.5 EBC

400 g (6.6%) — Gladfield Light Crystal Malt — Grain — 63 EBC

300 g (4.9%) — Gladfield Biscuit Malt — Grain — 60 EBC

300 g (4.9%) — Gladfield Dark Crystal Malt — Grain — 190 EBC


Hops (60 g)
20 g (23 IBU) — Magnum 12% — Boil — 60 min

10 g (1 IBU) — Cascade 5.5% — Boil — 5 min

10 g (3 IBU) — Centennial 10% — Boil — 5 min

10 g (0 IBU) — Cascade 5.5% — Aroma — 10 minhopstand @ 80 °C

10 g (1 IBU) — Centennial 10% — Aroma — 10 minhopstand @ 80 °C

 

[Dan Pratt]

Ive made quite a few Ambers and i think for your malt bill the % can be adjusted, just use a english strain and mas aroudn 67c to get a FG of ~ 1012-13 for that malty but not sweet finish.

Ale 70%
Munich 14.5%
Light Crystal 6%
Dark Crystal 2%
Chocolate Malt 0.5%

Leave the buiscuit malt out, but if you already have it 5% will be fine.

Alsom look to get those IBUs up to around 32ish

 

[Milhouse]

Thanks, ill give that malt bill a crack. I really wasn't sure how much chocolate would be appropriate. I want to be present but not overpowering.

I mash at 68 with no mashout and it finishes around 1014. Would an english ale strain not attenuate a bit less? In any case I have tried this with M15 and wasn't really too keen on the results.

With regards to the IBU's its calculated at 29 but I no chill (the hopstand is actually cube hops) and I suspect its actually a little higher. To my palate its OK anyway. In any case i tend to use the same malt bill and play around with hop varieties.

Full recipe below (a bit easier on pc):

AA Scaled NC
American Amber Ale

5.6% / 14 °P


All Grain


RoboBrew SA
72.1% efficiency

Batch Volume: 24 L

Boil Time: 60 min


Mash Water: 19.97 L

Sparge Water: 14.99 L

Total Water: 34.96 L

Boil Volume: 30.08 L

Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.051


Vitals
Original Gravity: 1.057

Final Gravity: 1.014

IBU (Tinseth): 29

Color: 24.5 EBC


Mash


Temperature — 68 °C — 60 min


Malts (6.1 kg)
4.6 kg (75.4%) — Gladfield Ale Malt — Grain — 6 EBC

500 g (8.2%) — Gladfield Munich Malt — Grain — 15.5 EBC

400 g (6.6%) — Gladfield Light Crystal Malt — Grain — 63 EBC

300 g (4.9%) — Gladfield Biscuit Malt — Grain — 60 EBC

300 g (4.9%) — Gladfield Dark Crystal Malt — Grain — 190 EBC


Hops (60 g)
20 g (23 IBU) — Magnum 12% — Boil — 60 min

10 g (1 IBU) — Cascade 5.5% — Boil — 5 min

10 g (3 IBU) — Centennial 10% — Boil — 5 min

10 g (0 IBU) — Cascade 5.5% — Aroma — 10 min hopstand @ 80 °C

10 g (1 IBU) — Centennial 10% — Aroma — 10 min hopstand @ 80 °C


Hopstand at 80 °C


Miscs
3.26 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Mash

4.8 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Mash

2.44 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Sparge

3.6 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Sparge


Yeast
1.1 pkg — Fermentis US-05 Safale American


Fermentation
Primary — 19 °C — 14 days


Carbonation: 2.4 CO2-vol


Water Profile
Ca+2
126Mg+2
15Na+
43Cl-
151SO4-2
161HCO3-
87