Recipes Expressed As Percentages

[Bribie G]

Note to brewers, not having a crack at anyone in particular but here's my award winning beer that's got me in line for the Nobel Prize and everyone is welcome to it.


American Pale Ale Nobel Prize Winner (American Pale Ale)

93.14% Pale Malt Perle Bairds
4.9% Torrified Wheat
1.96% Caraaroma

0.7 g/L Magnum (11% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Cascade (5.5% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Cascade (5.5% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Centennial (9.7% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Cascade (5.5% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)


Single step Infusion at 65C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 19C with Wyeast 1056 - American Ale


A lot of guys post recipes in the above format. So here's a grain bill that conforms exactly to the above:



oops maybe I really meant



I see this all the time, extra batch info needed i.e. brew length would be ideal. :icon_cheers:

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

Gave me a giggle......... Good point too, so many bloody variables in this game!

 

[stux]

You at least need an OG

Everything else can then be inferred, including batch size

 

[bradsbrew]

A percentage recipe is good, that way you dont need to adjust to meet your volume size.


edit= wouldn't you get the same OG and bitterness regardless due to it being % and g/L ?
Cheers

 

[np1962]

You at least need an OG

Everything else can then be inferred, including batch size

You need an OG, from there you can enter the recipe in software or spreadsheet or whatever and adjust amounts for your batch size while keeping percentages the same.
The other thing that is missing for me is a total IBU.
What annoys me about the format shown here is the use of gm/L for the bittering addition.
I'd much rather see gm/L for flavour/aroma/dry hopping and then a total IBU figure from which you can calculate the bittering addition AFTER you have entered all other additions.
Cheers
Nige

 

[np1962]

A percentage recipe is good, that way you dont need to adjust to meet your volume size.


edit= wouldn't you get the same OG and bitterness regardless due to it being % and g/L ?
Cheers

Using gm/L for the bitterness addition will change the total IBU depending on your preboil SG, boil off, losses to trub etc... Assuming OG is post boil gravity.
See previous post for suggested format to fix this.

 

[Bribie G]

Brad, not knocking percentage recipes but if you look closer you'll see that in the example I posted (which is what you often see on the forum) there's no indication of batch size or how much water you need. I could use the ingredients in the first photo in a 60L brew and it would still conform to the recipe, or use 100k of grist in a 30L brew and it would still conform.

If using software, I far prefer the "23L" style and actual ingredient quantities, where it's dead easy to scale up or down once you have it entered in BM or BS or whatever you are using. Also easier for the manual guys with a calculator or a quill pen

 

[bradsbrew]

You need an OG, from there you can enter the recipe in software or spreadsheet or whatever and adjust amounts for your batch size while keeping percentages the same.
The other thing that is missing for me is a total IBU.
What annoys me about the format shown here is the use of gm/L for the bittering addition.
I'd much rather see gm/L for flavour/aroma/dry hopping and then a total IBU figure from which you can calculate the bittering addition AFTER you have entered all other additions.
Cheers
Nige

I would think the greatest peice of information would be the efficiency. If you have the efficiency the rest will work itself out, well it will on brewmate anyway.



Cheers

 

[pk.sax]

Show proof or it didn't happen.

I've seen people post % recipes as well and they have a batch size in it. Most software even spit out the exact grain bill for the batch and IBUs etc.

Most likely the brewer fucks up using Ctrl+C >Ctrl+V

 

[sim]

Yeah, OG and IBU, and that could do it ...almost.

I think percentages get hairy when any of the efficiencies between systems changes. ie: your mash eff is 85% lets say your 20 litre recipe for full strength beer is something like:

3kg pale
500g crystal

but then i come along an my efficiency is like 60% (heaven help me), so i scale it up by % and all of a sudden i have a same strength beer with discusting amounts of specialty malts:

6kg pale
1kg crystal

Same could be said for hops, sorta. 10g/litre in your 10min APA with cascade you say, but i dont have any cascade so i roll with galaxy. I brew my beer that gives new meaninig to the term "hoppy", and gives Pasito a run for its money. Or you have a stronger boil than mine and what you like for IBU is way lower than what i would get with my lesser efficiency.

I like the idea of percentages though.

 

[np1962]

I would think the greatest peice of information would be the efficiency. If you have the efficiency the rest will work itself out, well it will on brewmate anyway.



Cheers

The simplicity of the format means there is no need to know what someone elses efficiency is.
Of course I am using BS for my recipes so it's pretty easy to add a recipe this way, and from what I've heard Brewmate is easy to use also.

 

[Fourstar]

Brad, not knocking percentage recipes but if you look closer you'll see that in the example I posted (which is what you often see on the forum) there's no indication of batch size or how much water you need. I could use the ingredients in the first photo in a 60L brew and it would still conform to the recipe, or use 100k of grist in a 30L brew and it would still conform.

Yeah, need OG, batch size and IBU. without the vitals the recipe is "dead"

I also prefer hopping for recipies done in % this way. reserving g/l for the exceptions noted.

e.g. IBU 35

60 min Magnum = 20 IBU
10 min Cascade = 15 IBU
0 min Centennial 2g/l final volume ( only use g/L for 0 min and dry hopping and note the calcuation. Is it based on final volume or starting boil volume?)

This way, the AA of the hops YOU have on hand is not an issue. x is always going to be the grams you require based on your IBU math. One beer is never going to be indentical to the other when made brewer to brewer. At least this gets you in the ball park with repeatability.


Edit: Also the only time i advocate using % for recipes is scratching something up quickly to give recipe ideas for newcomers or if you read/learn about recipes/ingrediesnts used in commercial beers and you want to start breaking it down to come up with a clone yourself on the fly.

 

[bradsbrew]

Just ran it through brewmate with eff the only thing I preset at 70%. Edit = yes as stated above giving hop additions in IBU would be better. 66L batch



The Award winning recipe that I stole from Bribie (American Pale Ale)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.050 (P): 12.4
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013 (P): 3.3
Alcohol (ABV): 4.91 %
Colour (SRM): 7.4 (EBC): 14.5
Bitterness (IBU): 75.6 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)

93.14% Pale Ale Malt
4.9% Torrified Wheat
1.96% Caraaroma

0.7 g/L Magnum (12.5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Cascade (7.8% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Cascade (7.8% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Centennial (9.7% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Cascade (7.8% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)


Single step Infusion at 66C for 90 Minutes. Boil for 90 Minutes

Fermented at 20C with

 

[Steve@PMF82]

I prefer % but as others have said there needs to be OG, efficiency and total IBU.
Efficiency is another thing in itself though, the age old question of what type are they using?

 

[bradsbrew]

And now quickly adjusted to a 20L batch.



The Award winning recipe that I stole from Bribie (American Pale Ale)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.050 (P): 12.4
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013 (P): 3.3
Alcohol (ABV): 4.91 %
Colour (SRM): 7.4 (EBC): 14.5
Bitterness (IBU): 75.4 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)

93.14% Pale Ale Malt
4.9% Torrified Wheat
1.96% Caraaroma

0.7 g/L Magnum (12.5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Cascade (7.8% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Cascade (7.8% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Centennial (9.7% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L Cascade (7.8% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)


Single step Infusion at 66C for 90 Minutes. Boil for 90 Minutes

Fermented at 20C with

 

[pk.sax]

Tony's LCBA (American Pale Ale)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.046 (P): 11.4
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (P): 3.1
Alcohol (ABV): 4.52 %
Colour (SRM): 3.3 (EBC): 6.5
Bitterness (IBU): 23.0 (Tinseth)

68.42% Pilsner
19.65% Vienna
5.96% Carapils (Dextrine)
5.96% Wheat Malt

0.4 g/L B Saaz (6.8% Alpha) @ 45 Minutes (Boil)
0.4 g/L Cascade (5.9% Alpha) @ 45 Minutes (Boil)
0.6 g/L B Saaz (6.8% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
0.6 g/L Cascade (5.9% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
0.8 g/L B Saaz (6.8% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)
0.8 g/L Cascade (5.9% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)


Single step Infusion at 65C for 90 Minutes. Boil for 90 Minutes

Fermented at 18C with Safale US-05


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

^ Thats how brewmate does it. I don't seea batch size - irrelevant imho with all the info in there.

edit: beaten by Bradsbrew

 

[sim]

Brad, I tend to notice a higher eff when i brew larger batches. If you were to adjust for a decrease in mash efficiency % when you scale down to 20litre, in relation to the amount of brewing water used the specialty malts used would be higher than they should.

 

[np1962]

Tony's LCBA (American Pale Ale)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.046 (P): 11.4
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (P): 3.1
Alcohol (ABV): 4.52 %
Colour (SRM): 3.3 (EBC): 6.5
Bitterness (IBU): 23.0 (Tinseth)

68.42% Pilsner
19.65% Vienna
5.96% Carapils (Dextrine)
5.96% Wheat Malt

0.4 g/L B Saaz (6.8% Alpha) @ 45 Minutes (Boil)
0.4 g/L Cascade (5.9% Alpha) @ 45 Minutes (Boil)
0.6 g/L B Saaz (6.8% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
0.6 g/L Cascade (5.9% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
0.8 g/L B Saaz (6.8% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)
0.8 g/L Cascade (5.9% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)


Single step Infusion at 65C for 90 Minutes. Boil for 90 Minutes

Fermented at 18C with Safale US-05


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

^ Thats how brewmate does it. I don't seea batch size - irrelevant imho with all the info in there.

edit: beaten by Bradsbrew

Agreed, all the info needed is there.
I still wouldn't blindly add .4gm/L of BSaaz and Cascade @ 45 but at least the total IBU is there and I can accurately calculate that addition to give the correct amount.
Nige

 

[sim]

If you use the percentage thing for grist info this should include iether you mash eff% or the amount of water you used expressed as a % - like bakers recipes do. Otherwise the percentages are not keeping in correct proportions.

 

[sim]

Does no one take my point, or am i just great at killing a thread??