Critique my recipe!

[smagic14]

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Franklin Nut Ale
Brewer: Smagic 14
Asst Brewer:
Style: American Amber Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.04 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.50 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.10 gal
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 22.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 17.6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 47.6 %
3 lbs Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 28.6 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.8 %
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 17.6 IBUs
1.0 pkg German Ale (Wyeast Labs #1007) [124.21 m Yeast 8 -
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3 9.5 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 4 9.5 %
1.10 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 7 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs 8.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 13.13 qt of water at 163.1 F 150.0 F 75 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 5.27 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:
------
add .5 # roasted peacons to boil 15 mins left

add 4 0z lactose 15 mins left

ad 4 oz chocolate powder 15 mins left

add 2 oz vanilla to primary

Priming sugar

Add 2 oz vanilla and 1 cup lactose with priming sugar


Made this one time already and tasted great...wanting to get other opinions on this as I will be brewing again and hopefully entering it into a contest coming up but unsure of category?

 

[LovesIPA]

This won't be a very well balanced beer. You have a LOT of crystal malts - 2 lbs worth. That's going to lend a lot of sweetness to the finished beer because of the unfermentable sugars contributed by the crystal malt. On the hop side, you only have a very small amount of cascade - which isn't a bittering hop - for bittering.

If you want to enter a beer into a competition, I recommend you start with a style first, then design from scratch or modify an existing recipe.

 

[smagic14]

If I cut the crystal and change the hops to something more fitting would that be better say only 1 lb of cryatal 60 and change the hop to?

 

[LovesIPA]

What kind of beer are you trying to make? It kinda looks like a malty red wheat German Ale.

 

[smagic14]

What kind of beer are you trying to make? It kinda looks like a malty red wheat German Ale.

Started out with cheesefood caramel cream ale recipe and went from there.

My friends and I tried to create a recipe that was unique and was original. We had the idea of a turtle sundae (the ice cream) flavors to be able to incorporate into a beer.

The first time it was made it tasted of chocolate and pecans...I wanted to incorporate the caramel flavor in my 3rd attempt coming up

This is my first recipe so I wanted to get pointers in anything that Could make this beer better

Thanks

 

[LovesIPA]

I don't have a lot of experience with putting weird stuff in beer to make the beer taste like other food.

The only advice I have is that if you want the spice flavor to come out, the traditional beer ingredients shouldn't contribute a lot of flavor. I would drastically cut down the crystal malts to 8-12 oz total, use a hop meant for bittering, like warrior, summit, or columbus, and don't do any late hop additions (which you already aren't).

 

[smagic14]

I don't have a lot of experience with putting weird stuff in beer to make the beer taste like other food.

The only advice I have is that if you want the spice flavor to come out, the traditional beer ingredients shouldn't contribute a lot of flavor. I would drastically cut down the crystal malts to 8-12 oz total, use a hop meant for bittering, like warrior, summit, or columbus, and don't do any late hop additions (which you already aren't).

Thank you for your help! It really helped me

 

[smagic14]

Anyone else care to help me improve?

Thanks in advance!