First recipes generated - thoughts?

[sounddoc]

Apologies if this is not the right place or way to do this - I looked for rules, but maybe not hard enough?

Anyway, I created a couple recipes and wanted to get opinions - the first is a best bitter, loosely based on ingredients I already have, and the second is an oatmeal stout - both british beers. They match the style guidelines on brewer's friend, so I think I'm off to a good start.

Thanks, and feel free to lambast me if I'm breaking any rules here:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/901024/the-first-go

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/901634/stoutish

 

[kevin58]

I'm not so sure wheat is traditional in a stout. I certainly wouldn't use it in mine but by all means give it a try. Everything else looks fine. I might use the higher AA hops as bittering hops (not that a stout should have much hop bitterness) and move the EK Golding to the flavor/aroma additions. English brewers did that a lot with American hops... they didn't fancy the flavor of them so they used them for bittering only.

 

[SEndorf]

Midnight wheat gives you black without the beef.
You might try chocolate malt instead, which will give you a fuller stout.

 

[sounddoc]

Thanks! I haven't bought the ingredients yet, so I'll tinker a bit with these suggestions. Much appreciated!

 

[kh54s10]

On the bitter, I would substitute a specialty malt for the Golden Promise. Golden Promise is a base malt and would just get lost in the flavor of the Maris Otter.
Maybe a little Special B. That is one I really like.
I would also bitter with the Magnum and move the Fuggle 60 minute addition toward a late addition. Less than 30 minutes.

For the Stout, I too would substitute chocolate or brown or both for the midnight wheat. I would also use a little more dark malts. Not too much though.
I would bitter with the Chinook and move the East Kent Goldings to the 5 minute mark. Adjust amounts for IBU.
Mash the stout at about 154 for more mouthfeel.

I make starters whenever I use liquid yeast. You never know how the yeast was handled before you get it.

 

[sounddoc]

So, the reason for the Golden promise and for the Midnight Wheat are leftovers! I may switch out the wheat in the stout, but the golden promise is really just filler to use up. Thanks!

 

[kh54s10]

Nothing wrong with using up leftovers, or even using 2 base grains. I do it often. I use 2 row and Maris Otter together often. I split fairly evenly for two reasons. I get more flavor from the Maris Otter than just 2 row, and by using the 2 row I keep the cost down a little.

 

[kh54s10]

But when I am looking for flavor from a base malt and I am not trying to save a little money I will for instance; go all Maris Otter for a British style or all Golden Promise for a Scottish ale. etc.

It really depends on what I am brewing. One of my best beers ever was using leftovers - a brown ale. I have mimicked it several times, then I had to go back and do it the way I did when using up the leftovers.