My First Recipe, Your Thoughts Appreciated

[Superoo]

Howdy All,

I would appreciate your opinions / predictions of what you think this beer will come out like.
Dont be scared to be constructively critical if you think I've stuffed it somewhere

I put down this brew last night (BIAB) and its my first go at designing a recipe from scratch.
Its a light beer, I was aiming for something around 3%, and have tried to mash / use grains that will provide some flavour for the low alc% beer.

Actual OG worked out exact, so all good there, at least its started off as per the recipe (Done on iphone using ibrewmaster).

I decided to do the brew before I asked for opinions, otherwise I'll never learn, and it will be intersting to see if anyone can pick any obvious tastes etc for this beer.

I used home grown Cascade hops, so added a bit extra over what i initially thought.

Please see recipe below...


Superbroo Cascade Light
Type: All Grain Calories: 108
Rating: 0.0 Efficiency: 75 %
IBU's: 27.73 Boil Size: 29.00 L
Color: 8.3 SRM Batch Size: 22.00 L
Boil Time: 75 minutes


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Brew Date: - 01/03/2011
Estimated Actual
OG: 1.033 1.033
FG: 1.010
ABV: 3.01 %
Serve Date: 26/03/2011

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Fermentation Steps
Primary 16 days @ 20.0C
Add Finings / start chill 2 days @ 1.0C 17/03/2011 -
Bottle/Keg 7 days @ 3.0C 19/03/2011 -

Grains & Adjuncts
2.00 kg 64.94 % Pale Malt, Maris Otter 1.038 3.0
0.70 kg 22.73 % Wheat Malt, Bel 1.037 2.0
0.20 kg 6.49 % Munich Malt - 10L 1.035 10.0
0.15 kg 4.87 % Special B Malt 1.030 150.0
0.03 kg 0.97 % Wheat, Flaked 1.035 1.6

Hops
8.50 g 14.99 Chinook 60 mins 13.40 Pellets
25.00 g 12.74 Cascade HG 15 mins 7.80 Home Grown Flowers
10.00 g 0.00 Cascade HG 00 mins 7.80 Home Grown Flowers

Yeasts
1.0 pkg English Ale Safale S-04 Fermentis S-04

Additions
0.50 each Whirlfloc Tablet 15 mins Boil
4.00 g Yeast Nutrient 05 mins Boil

Mash Profile
Biab mash in 60 min @ 67.0C
Add 31.00 L water @ 69.5C

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Notes
Preboil 29L at 1.024.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

It'll be pretty thin tasting, I would think.

With my low abv beers, I either throw a bucket of spec malts and the like, get a higher OG, higher FG, or alternatively I usually mash high.

That does tend to produce thicker in the mouth beers, but one of my most tastiest beers was a 3.9% Dark Ale.

Also, with an BU:GU ratio of almost 1, it might be a little bitter.

Goomba

 

[Superoo]

Thanks Goomba for your input,

Will let you know how your prediction was when I taste it.

I backed the bittering hops back too.

I did mash high I thought, I can go higher next time.

Cheers...

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Thanks Goomba for your input,

Will let you know how your prediction was when I taste it.

I backed the bittering hops back too.

I did mash high I thought, I can go higher next time.

Cheers...

Your grain content was fairly low, especially for BIAB. Maybe another 1/2 a kg would have yielded the extra few points you needed.

Either way, so long as you learn, it's all good. BIAB is fantastic, cheap and easy.

Allow for the odd rubbish beer - it's just part of brewing, and especially of formulating your own recipes.

Take care of temp control, especially if you live in warmer climes (such as I do).

Goomba

 

[Superoo]

Temp control is all good - built my own processor controlled system, so can make it do what i want.
Am slowly setting it up to control mash temp thru the whole mash etc.

If this tastes OK, I am going to do exactly the same, but mash as say 68.5 the whole mash and see what difference that makes to gravities.

Appreciate the advice mate

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

No worries.

I've mashed a couple of beers at 72-73 (lost a degree over the hour). That's the limit I'm willing to push to, yet avoid tannins by striking too hot.

That was my dark ale - it was silky smooth - it finished at about 1.022. And it'll get a repeat batch this winter (or when my fridgemate finally arrives).

Goomba

 

[[email protected]]

There's a fair bit of wheat in that recipe, almost enough to classify it as a wheat beer. It should give it a nice wheaty flavour, but not sure if it was what you were after.

Also it might be a bit cloudier than your expecting, all grains can be. I would suggest put into a secondary for a week before cooling.

Anyway good work on your first all grain.

 

[Superoo]

Cloudy's OK.

Not my first all grain Paxxy, its my 45th, but first time I have just designed a recipe from scratch.
Have until now just brewed other recipes. mostly golden ales, kolsch etc.

Thought I would do my own and slowly change things to learn a bit more about different malts / yeasts etc..

My intention with this one was for something malty / hoppy enough to overcome the low alcohol.

Will also mash a bit higher now, I thought 68 or so was about as high as you would want to go.