My first recipie. Right track?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by beernewbie285, Nov 3, 2015.

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  1. beernewbie285

    beernewbie285 Initiate (0) Sep 1, 2015 Kansas

    I'm new to home brewing and I wanted to try my hand at making a recipie. I used the tastybrew.com recipie calculator and this is what I have. Any advice would be much appreciated. It's intended to be a red ipa and the numbers are of course projected.
    5 gallon batch
    Malts
    3lbs American malt extract syrup boil
    3lbs American two row pale knockout
    2lbs American crystal 40L
    2.5lbs Amber malt extract syrup
    3lbs corn sugar

    Hops
    2oz centennial fwh 60min
    1oz Columbus 30min
    1oz northern Brewer 15 min
    2oz will ameture dry hop 2 weeks

    Yeast
    WLP099 super high gravity

    Projected numbers:
    OG 1094
    FG 1014
    IBU 71
    ABV 10.3
    SRM 14

    First time trying this again. If I'm way off I'd like to know.
     
  2. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    Right track? Yes.

    I'd only use about 1# of corn sugar. (I'd just use plain table sugar, but if you've already bought the ingredients, run with it). That can go in at the last few minutes of the boil, or that can go in during fermentation. Up to you. This will give you a lower OG, or you can add malt extract to try to bump up the OG to your intended 1.094 (IIPA territory, BTW).

    I'd flip flop the Columbus to 60min and the Centennial to a 10 or 5 min addition. You may also want a few more oz of late hops. They really come through and hide the boozy flavors your big beer would have otherwise. As a rule of thumb, I don't make an IPA with less than 6 oz of hops. I don't make a double IPA with less than 8 oz of hops. If my OG was 1.094, I'd want about 10 oz of hops total. A strong hop for a 60 min bittering charge, and 8 oz left for very late hops in the boil and for dry hopping. Dry hopping might be 3 or 4 oz. Food for thought.
     
    #2 inchrisin, Nov 3, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2015
  3. AlHounos

    AlHounos Initiate (0) Nov 3, 2015 California

    Maybe inchrisn read your post too fast, but no, not on the right track. The recipe has several huge problems, and I think you need to do more research before attempting to make your own recipe.

    first, why malt at flameout? malt needs to be mashed before the boil. even then, why base malt? usually extract brewers steep only specialty grains.
    also, 2 pounds crystal is WAY too much, especially for a beer that's already 1.094.

    but most of all, I'd strongly recommend you don't make a 10% ABV beer for your first time. Extremely strong beers like that require a lot of knowledge and special techniques. Your first several beers need to be in the 4-5% range until you get the hang of things.

    don't let this discourage you, just do a few more weeks of research, and first try a simple recipe out of "brewing classic styles" or similar.
     
    ssam likes this.
  4. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    Questions and Concerns:
    1. I would recommend a simpler, lower gravity beer style for your first beer. One mistake (IMO) that so many newbies make is they want their first beer to be some big bold statement, and they either get wrapped up in high gravity or tricky exotic ingredients. I suggest the statement you should try to make is simple but tasty and drinkable.
    2. 3lbs American two row pale knockout - does this mean you intend to add grain at the end of the boil? There's a lot of wrong in that. Two row needs to be mashed. It should not be introduced at the end of the boil. Depending on the temperature, this could lead to extraction of tannins or introduction of undesirable and viable bacteria and wild yeasts. What it will not do is lead to an efficient conversion and extraction of sugars. Either I misunderstood what you intended or you need to learn about grain-handling. Don't mean to be insulting. If I misunderstood, no biggie, I make dozens of bigger mistakes every day at the nuclear power plant; if you want to learn more about grain handling in home brewing, read howtobrew.com.
    3. 2lbs of crystal malt seems high to me, but maybe I do not know how people are making red IPAs these days. It could be that you will want this sweetness to counter the bitterness. But it will make the beer feel a little heavy, which is already a problem with a high gravity beer. Again you need to make sure you are handling grain right. You will want to steep this or include in a minimash before the boil.
    4. Amber syrup - some of the best advice out there, IMO, is to avoid using amber and dark extracts, because you don't know what is in them, exactly, and in what proportions. If you use pale extracts, then you can rely on steep or minimashing specialty grains to get accent colors and flavors. It's great advice for learning how to build recipes and also for knowing what you are putting in your beer. Amber probably won't ruin it, but suppose that amber color is derived from 10% crystal malt. You already have a lot of crystal in your recipe.
    5. Corn sugar. As Inchrisin says, this is a lot. It could be helpful to have some simple sugar to help reach your target gravity, since your extract and crystal malt likely will contribute high dextrin. Is this what you were thinking? Still seems like a lot.
     
    JackHorzempa and utahbeerdude like this.
  5. scottakelly

    scottakelly Maven (1,487) May 9, 2007 Ohio

    Lots of good advice here...

    Your recipe will make beer.
    Adding 2 row is my biggest concern. It needs to be mashed. Just scratch the two row and bump up your light extract accordingly.
    I too would only use 1 lb sugar, and agree corn sugar is a waste of money.
    I would swipe out the Amber extract for more Light extract. Then steep a specialty grain, like roast barley, to get the Amber color you want.
     
  6. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    How many batches have you brewed so far? If the answer is none, my recommendation is to not build your own recipes yet.
     
  7. beernewbie285

    beernewbie285 Initiate (0) Sep 1, 2015 Kansas

    All great advice. And yes I haven't begun to home brew yet. I'm currently deployed so I'm studying reading taking notes as much as I can cause I love beer and it's fun and interesting. I wrote it simply to see what would come of it. I've read books and articles on writing them but this has been a little more insightful than the books are. I took all the advice and altered it a lot I'll post it on here later if you guys care too see. But thanks for all the advice. I'll continue to write em but I won't be brewing them any time soon.
     
    pweis909 likes this.
  8. CurtFromHershey

    CurtFromHershey Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2012 Minnesota

    As others have mentioned, this would be an incorrect usage of 2 row barley. This ingredient would need to be mashed.

    What are you looking to accomplish with a FWH?

    What does this mean?

    Not necessary for a 10.3% beer. Also, as others have mentioned, brewing a high ABV beer on your first attempt is a good way to get disappointed in the hobby. I've been brewing for a few years and I finally felt confident enough to attempt my first beer above 8% this past weekend.
     
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