Help - Am I doing to much

[Brewser_]

I'm trying to build a recipe for an apple fruit beer. My goal is to create a beer that you can have 6-8 before you start getting tired of the flavor. I'm thinking an apple pie flavor.

My current recipe 5.5 gallons
5.5 lbs. Pale 2 row
5.5 lbs. Wheat malt
1.5 lbs. Honey Malt
(Beersmith estimates 1.068 OG)
Planning for around 40 IBUs, not sure what hops to use, would like something that smells of spice and fruit to dry hop with. Bittering hops I'm less strict with.
Nottingham yeast at 70F for two weeks, secondary for a month, Bottle conditioned at least three weeks.

Ok I think that part is ok aside from hop suggestions and if I need to change the fermentation. Also input on honey malt would be great.

This is where I need a lot of help, secondary fermentation I want to add 5 lbs. of fresh apples pureed (we have an orchard). Two cinnamon sticks. Two tbs. of vanilla extract.

Am I adding two many simultaneous flavors or do you think this will make a good beer. Any input would be great.

 

[motorneuron]

In a word, yes--I think you're doing too much. I think an apple pie wheat beer could be great. But I think you probably need to simplify it.

The biggest issue I see is the hops. I think you're going too hoppy on both bitterness and late hos. 40 IBUs is almost certainly too high for a fruit beer. Fruit provides acid, which tends to counterbalance sweetness or fruity flavors in its own way; you don't need much bitterness (which is important for balance in some beers), because it can often clash with the acid instead of balance the sweet. Hop flavor and aroma, meanwhile--such as from dry hopping--is very difficult to balance with fruit flavor. In my experience, even though you might think a certain hop aroma is "fruity," it winds up being fruity in a totally different and distracting way. Add to that the aroma you're proposing from spice, and there is really no reason to dry hop. In fact, i would not use any flavor or aroma hops in this beer at all. I would use a single bittering addition, and that's it. Apple, cinnamon, and vanilla is already a great combination--don't muddy it with other stuff!

I would try to keep the ferment cooler. You'll get a little ester production from an ale yeast no matter what, but I don't think it makes sense to intentionally amp it up by doing 70F.

The honey malt I could take or leave. I probably wouldn't use that much of it. I would consider using a little crystal, though, and mashing a little on the high side, to give residual sweetness. I also think the flavor of C40 or C60 would complement apple pie flavors nicely.

Don't forget that your effective OG will be higher than 1.068 once you add fruit. If you want something sessionable--which you might, based on your description--I'd consider going far lower pre-fruit. Even 1.045 would be reasonable. Don't forget that the sucrose in the fruit will ferment out at nearly 100%--it's like adding sugar. All the more reason to mash high to avoid the perception of a strong, thin beer.

Good luck!

 

[Brewser_]

thanks for the advice, I was thinking about lowering the gravity just never done a beer around 70 yet most of my beers are 50s, my research so far on the flavors was cutting an apple and making a sandwich with graham cracker honey cinnamon and vanilla extract. It tasted the way I want the beer to more or less.

Thanks for the input

 

[Brewser_]

Okay so I think I have a good start on this recipe, hopefully only a little tweaking... Apple Pie Ale

4.5 lbs. 2 Row Pale Malt
4.5 lbs. Wheat Malt
4 oz. Honey Malt
4 oz. Chrystal Malt
1 oz. Northern Brewer Hops (60 min), Not sure what the AAUs are at the LHBS but this should put in me in the ballpark of 25 IBUs

Primary Fermentation
One Pack of Nottingham yeast at 66F for two weeks

Secondary Fermentation
Add two cinnamon sticks, 3 oz. vanilla extract, 5 lbs. Apple Puree. Keep for a month or two.

Bottle condition for 3 weeks

Can someone critique this please, any info would be great

 

[Brewser_]

gonna go ahead and bump this because I am impatient and want to brew this weekend, any input would be great

 

[motorneuron]

It looks good. I would mash high, as I said. I might also use more crystal--maybe 4 oz of C40 and 4 oz of C60, or something like that. You could use even more if you want distinct sweetness; I think it will go well with the whole apple thing.