41 replies to this topic

[HVB]

I am trying to work on some low ABV recipes that still pack in a lot of flavor and armoa. This will be the first one of the series. Let me know any thoughts you have or places I may want to tweak. I am planing to mash between 152-154. BPA 10-A American Pale Ale Size: 6 gal Efficiency: 70% Attenuation: 75.0% Original Gravity: 1.032 (1.045 - 1.060) Terminal Gravity: 1.008 (1.010 - 1.015) Color: 8.23 (5.0 - 14.0) Alcohol: 3.17% (4.5% - 6.0%) Bitterness: 32.7 (30.0 - 45.0) Ingredients: 5 lb (62.5%) German Vienna - added during mash 2 lb (25.0%) Pilsen Malt - added during mash .75 lb (9.4%) Carastan® Malt - added during mash .25 lb (3.1%) Honey Malt - added during mash 14 g (0.8%) Columbus (15.0%) - added first wort, boiled 70 m 14 g (0.8%) Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 10 m 14 g (0.8%) Centennial (10.0%) - added during boil, boiled 10 m 22 g (1.3%) Cascade (5.5%) - whirlpool 22 g (1.3%) Centennial (10.0%) - whirlpool 22 g (1.3%) Amarillo® (8.5%) - whirlpool 22 g (36.4%) Cascade (5.5%) - dry hop 4-7 days 22 g (36.4%) Centennial (10.0%) - dry hop 4-7 days 14 g (0.8%) Amarillo® (8.5%) - dry hop 4-7 days 14 g (20.1%) Simcoe® (13.0%) - dry hop 4-7 days 1.0 ea WYeast 1450 Denny’s Favorite 50

Edited by drez77, 27 September 2012 - 05:21 AM.

[MtnBrewer]

Well it will definitely have lots of armoa. My first impression is that there are too many different hops varieties and the late addition hops plus dry hops might get out of balance with the malt. Looks interesting though. I'm curious how this one comes out so please update this when you brew it. Name-wise there are a couple different ways to go. You could call it an imperial blonde or given your target ABV, you could call it an NPA (near pale ale).

[SchwanzBrewer]

my first thought was unbalanced on the hops, but you and your damn metric system! I would try it before you dry hop it, could be too much aroma. Personal preference, I would get rid of the honey malt, but that's just me, I don't like it. How about Small Pale Ale or Homuncular Pale Ale.

[HVB]

my first thought was unbalanced on the hops, but you and your damn metric system! I would try it before you dry hop it, could be too much aroma.

Personal preference, I would get rid of the honey malt, but that's just me, I don't like it.

How about Small Pale Ale or Homuncular Pale Ale.

I plan to taste it along the way. You both may be right about the hop balance with the dry hops. The whirlpool rest may be enough and the dry hops will not be needed.

Honey malt - I got 5# and I need to use it somewhere. Honestly thought, that is a wildcard and was and may be cut.

[HVB]

Well it will definitely have lots of armoa. My first impression is that there are too many different hops varieties and the late addition hops plus dry hops might get out of balance with the malt. Looks interesting though. I'm curious how this one comes out so please update this when you brew it.

I will, the plan is to brew this over the Columbus day weekend. Think I will now do a split back and use 1450 in one and wlp002 in the other. To both see the difference the 2 yeast make on the wort and to build up some yeast. I think my MLT will look silly with just 8# in it!

Lately my thought process for recipes has been trending down in alcohol but higher in flavor and aroma. Only time will tell if this works out.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I will, the plan is to brew this over the Columbus day weekend. Think I will now do a split back and use 1450 in one and wlp002 in the other. To both see the difference the 2 yeast make on the wort and to build up some yeast. I think my MLT will look silly with just 8# in it!

Lately my thought process for recipes has been trending down in alcohol but higher in flavor and aroma. Only time will tell if this works out.

Ken is infecting us! I don't make many big beers. 6% is big for me, 4.8 to 5% is the norm.

[HVB]

Ken is infecting us! I don't make many big beers. 6% is big for me, 4.8 to 5% is the norm.

He may be. This was also something my dad has been asking me to make for a while. Small beer with tons of flavor, an all day drinker... agh to be retired!

[davelew]

Honey malt - I got 5# and I need to use it somewhere.

I find that honey malt works well in my compost bin. I haven't found any other uses for it, though.

[Brauer]

Cavman has made many excellent high flavor small beers. You should check out his recipes. I would just be concerned about that amount of Carastan in such a small beer. You may find that that dominates the malt profile.

Edited by Brauer, 27 September 2012 - 08:59 AM.

[HVB]

Cavman has made many excellent high flavor small beers. You should check out his recipes.

I would just be concerned about that amount of Carastan in such a small beer. You may find that that dominates the malt profile.

I have looked at Cavman's in the past .. Have to dig them up again. I also see your point on the Carastan.

[MtnBrewer]

I'm not sure I agree on the Carastan. Smaller beers typically need more crystal than bigger beers to provide body. Perhaps a lighter crystal than Carastan? But Dark Carastan is still only in the 30-40 °L range. Or maybe just some dextrin malt instead of the crystal?

[SchwanzBrewer]

He's using Vienna as a base, which is kilned longer than pale ale or regular 2 row so I wouldn't worry about it.

[jayb151]

I actually like honey malt, and in a small amount it can add a nice touch.

[djinkc]

I like the malt bill. The dryhops might be wasted but you're planning on tasting - good. I've made a few low ABV/hoppy brews. One thing to watch is oversparging if you fly. I had one that was a bit astingent - would have been better off topping it off with water, but it was really low ~2.5 ABV as I recall. Anyway even if temps and pH are OK you can still do it IMO. Deep Ellum made a really nice 4 % that had all the taste and hops you could ask for. I forget what it was and it's out of production now anyway. Keep us posted!

[Brauer]

I wouldn't bother sparging a 1.032 beer. You should be able to get great efficiency without it and without the risk of astringency.

[Brauer]

I'm not sure I agree on the Carastan. Smaller beers typically need more crystal than bigger beers to provide body. Perhaps a lighter crystal than Carastan? But Dark Carastan is still only in the 30-40 °L range. Or maybe just some dextrin malt instead of the crystal?

I thought this, too, but when I made Ordinary Bitter with anywhere near this much Carastan on a base of Maris Otter, the beer tasted like Carastan. Not bad, per se, but one dimensional and I got very tired of the flavor of Carastan half way into a pint. Carastan has a distinctive flavor, to me, and the flavor blended more successfully when I reduced the quantity in future beers. This particular beer might hold up better, since the grain bill is more complex than the simple MO, that I used, and there's a lot of hops.

Just be aware that, as the grain bill decreases, this amount of malt becomes a higher percentage. This is 10% Crystal Malt, whereas something like 5% or less would be more common in a similar commercial beer.

I'd use less Carastan and raise the mash temperature or mix in a little dextrine malt, like Mtn suggests, if you want body. However, since you want a strongly flavored beer, give it a shot, if you really like the flavor of Carastan. I'm just raising the caution flag.

[HVB]

Maybe instead of the Carastan swap the regular crystal 40 of maybe Cara Munich II and also back it down to 5% and up the base malts to keep the same OG?

Edited by drez77, 28 September 2012 - 06:44 AM.

[MtnBrewer]

Just be aware that, as the grain bill decreases, this amount of malt becomes a higher percentage. This is 10% Crystal Malt, whereas something like 5% or less would be more common in a similar commercial beer.

This is a good point and should serve as a reminder to us to think in percentages, not pounds and ounces.

[SchwanzBrewer]

This is a good point and should serve as a reminder to us to think in percentages, not pounds and ounces.

This. Had to remember this when lowering my saison to 5% from 6.5%.

[positiveContact]

This is a good point and should serve as a reminder to us to think in percentages, not pounds and ounces.

I still disagree with this. Malts don't fight with each other as much as they add to each other. If you wanted to make a similar beer but make it lower gravity I think the specialty grains should in large part be left alone. base malt adds very little flavor wise on the per pound basis. crystals add a lot. they don't really cancel each other out.

go ahead gang - COME AT ME!!!

Edited by StudsTerkel, 28 September 2012 - 11:20 AM.