First recipe

[MNBrew]

Does anyone have any thoughts on this recipe as a winter brew.


Fermentables

Munich Malt 10L 8.0 oz Steep
Chocolate Rye Malt (Roasted Malt) 4.0 oz2 Steep
CARAFA® II 4.0 oz Steep
2-Row Caramel Malt 60L 4.0 oz Steep

Golden Light LME 6.0 lb Boil 60min
Amber LME 3.3 lb Boil 30min

Hops

Fuggle United States 1.0 oz 60 min Boil Pellet
Magnum United States 1.0 oz 30 min Boil Pellet

Yeasts

American Ale II 1272 Wyeast 74.0% 60°F – 72°F

Probably going to make a tea with vanilla bean all spice and some orange zest to add to the brew at bottling for a little more flavor.

What do you guys think?

 

[BlackGoat]

Rye malt really needs to be mashed, otherwise it will mostly just contribute some color to the beer. What style are you trying to make?

 

[cpl-america]

i personally only have all grain experience, so i can't comment on that part. but i will say that i really like a lot more hope additions. It will give a better character to the beer.

 

[MNBrew]

Just trying to make a winter ale, something a little more earthy than hoppy.

 

[peterj]

Rye malt really needs to be mashed, otherwise it will mostly just contribute some color to the beer. What style are you trying to make?

It's chocolate rye, it doesn't need to be mashed. It's just like chocolate malt except made from rye instead of barley.

 

[Bob]

Chocolate rye may not need to be mashed, but Munich does. If you increase the Munich to a full pound, steep in a gallon of brewing liquor and hold the temperature at ~150F for a half an hour, you'll be partial mashing. That'll get all of the awesomesauce out of the grains and into the kettle. Then you can add however much more water along with however much more extract you wish to boil.

I will note that I think you have your hops reversed. I don't like the flavor of Magnum; it's harsh and coarse. I <3 Magnum as a bittering variety, but not for flavor/aroma. On the other hand, I <3 Fuggles for flavor/aroma. So I'd flip the times on your Fuggles and Magnum.

but i will say that i really like a lot more hope additions. It will give a better character to the beer.

I'm going to presume that was supposed to be "hops", though adding hope is never a bad idea.

Jokes aside, I quoted this because of the second sentence, which is a thoughtless thing to say. That you like more hops, cpl-america, does not always or even necessarily guarantee "a better character to the beer". I might surprise you to know that this recipe is supposed to be malt-forward. I know it strikes a lot of beer nerds as shocking that some people (and beer styles) don't like being slapped in the face by hops, and some beer nerds can't wrap their heads around a beer that isn't dominated by hops as being worth drinking. Contrary to beer-nerd "common sense", hops do not make everything better. Beer enthusiasts should note that not every beer needs to be hops-forward or even balanced; sometimes malty is what recipes - and drinkers - want.

So I'm asking you to think about what you type next time, my friend. "Better" is 100% subjective; "better" for you might be "awful" for someone else. And that's regardless of what sensory thingy we're talking about. Make sense?

Cheers,

Bob

 

[cpl-america]

Chocolate rye may not need to be mashed, but Munich does. If you increase the Munich to a full pound, steep in a gallon of brewing liquor and hold the temperature at ~150F for a half an hour, you'll be partial mashing. That'll get all of the awesomesauce out of the grains and into the kettle. Then you can add however much more water along with however much more extract you wish to boil.

I will note that I think you have your hops reversed. I don't like the flavor of Magnum; it's harsh and coarse. I <3 Magnum as a bittering variety, but not for flavor/aroma. On the other hand, I <3 Fuggles for flavor/aroma. So I'd flip the times on your Fuggles and Magnum.



I'm going to presume that was supposed to be "hops", though adding hope is never a bad idea.

Jokes aside, I quoted this because of the second sentence, which is a thoughtless thing to say. That you like more hops, cpl-america, does not always or even necessarily guarantee "a better character to the beer". I might surprise you to know that this recipe is supposed to be malt-forward. I know it strikes a lot of beer nerds as shocking that some people (and beer styles) don't like being slapped in the face by hops, and some beer nerds can't wrap their heads around a beer that isn't dominated by hops as being worth drinking. Contrary to beer-nerd "common sense", hops do not make everything better. Beer enthusiasts should note that not every beer needs to be hops-forward or even balanced; sometimes malty is what recipes - and drinkers - want.

So I'm asking you to think about what you type next time, my friend. "Better" is 100% subjective; "better" for you might be "awful" for someone else. And that's regardless of what sensory thingy we're talking about. Make sense?

Cheers,

Bob

sorry bob, i forget that not everyone likes hope in there beer...



but realistically, i do tend to like hoppy beers more than most, and shouldn't state my opinion as fact.

but i will agree about fuggles and magnum.

As well as the necessity for mashing munich. Also i thought that it was necessary to have a base malt for munich to mash properly. And since i am probably wrong, i am off to do some reading!!!

To the OP... i hope this turns out well.

 

[Bob]

Munich, generally speaking, has enough diastatic power to convert itself with a bit left over. You don't need base malt.

I <3 hope.

 

[MNBrew]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the feedback. I'll roll with the hope/hops suggestions and try it out. I generally enjoy a hoppy beer, but my brewing partner wants something a little less extreme this time, so this is what we came up with. Hopefully it works well.