Recipe Screw Up

[Cellarbrau]

In the DIY spirit of home brewing, since batch #1, I have always written my own recipes. A few weeks back I decided, last minute, to brew on my day off. My LHBS is great and they have a book with house recipes so I figured I'd just pick one of those. No big deal.

I was decided on extract w/ grains on the stove-top because it was last minute and I didn't want to be rushed. Never able to follow a recipe, I ask for an extra ounce of hops because I want the beer to be "well hopped".

Last night when I crack the first one open and immediately I wish I hadn't trusted someone else with my beer. Sweet, malty and I really have to stretch to imagine any hop flavors or aromas. Placebo level hops.

So I plug in the numbers into my software. It tells me: 1.072 OG. 24 IBU.

It seems to me that his recipe must be formulated for full boils. How many times must this have happened to others? Do they expect the majority of extract brewers to be doing full boils? Should I say something next time I'm in the store? I've even considered asking for partial or full refund. What do you think?

 

[bob1852]

Others can correct me if I'm wrong, but a full boil v. partial boil will only add ~20% to your bittering hops......

post the recipe and the style and we can help you out and whether or not to burn down your LHBS

 

[Cellarbrau]

10.5# LME
0.75# Black Patent
0.5# Crystal

1.5 oz Perle (6.7%) @ 60 mins
1 oz Willamette (4.7%) @ 10 mins

 

[passedpawn]

Bitterness ratio: IBU / Gravity points. So, for yours, 24/72 = 0.333. Yes a little sweet, but should not be cloying.

Shoot for a bitterness ratio of .500 to make a nicely balanced beer. Higher numbers are more bitter, lower are sweeter. Of course, there is a whole spectrum of beer styles all over the bitterness curve.

 

[bob1852]

10.5# LME
0.75# Black Patent
0.5# Crystal

1.5 oz Perle (6.7%) @ 60 mins
1 oz Willamette (4.7%) @ 10 mins

yes, that's going to be an overly malty beer - based on that recipe.

 

[Cellarbrau]

I already know that it's sweet and malty by any standards. Not terrible mind you.

I know why it tastes like it does. It makes perfect sense looking at the ingredients on paper. I'm just choked that I asked for one thing and got another.