Looking for advise on recipe

[Tarks]

I have never brewed with honey malt so I figured I would pick some up and try to use up some other ingredients I already have on hand. I came up with this and was hoping I could get some advise. I think the grains selection should ? be ok but not sure on my hop additions.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.38 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.98 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 6.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 30.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.7 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5 lbs Pale Malt, 2 row (Gambrinus) (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 50.6 %
3 lbs 8.0 oz Maris Otter (Crisp) (4.0 SRM) Grain 2 35.4 %
1 lbs Honey Malt (Gambrinus) (25.0 SRM) Grain 3 10.1 %
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - First Wort 60.0 mi Hop 4 21.5 IBUs
6.0 oz Maltodextrin (3.0 SRM) Sugar 5 3.8 %
0.75 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 6 8.9 IBUs
0.75 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 7 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Nottingham (Danstar #-) [23.66 ml] Yeast 8 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs 14.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 3.22 gal of water at 164.8 F 150.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 5.55 gal water at 168.0 F

 

[MaltnHops]

1 lbs of honey malt is really going to come through in a five gallon batch. I usually use .5 to 1 lbs in a ten gallon batch.

What exactly are you going for in this recipe? BTW, a half pound of honey malt in a brown ale is plenty and really gives a brown a little something special.

 

[Tarks]

I'm just looking for a sessionable ale with honey malt in it as I've never brewed with it before. So, you think 1lb is too much eh. What is the downside to using this much? Should I cut it back to 1/2lb?

 

[daksin]

People on this forum freak out about using honey malt like it's some sort of super intense hypermalt; honestly I have no idea where this got started, but there's not much to it. A pound in 5 gallons is just fine. I like honey malt up to about 10% of grain bill. It lends some malty sweetness, but it's a lot more like dark munich than it is crystal malt. In a beer that has no crystal malts, like this one, I think a pound is great. This beer sounds to me like it might be better dry (and you selected a dry mash profile), so I'd personally leave out the maltodextrin, but if you like more body/sweetness, it's not hurting anything.

 

[Tarks]

People on this forum freak out about using honey malt like it's some sort of super intense hypermalt; honestly I have no idea where this got started, but there's not much to it. A pound in 5 gallons is just fine. I like honey malt up to about 10% of grain bill. It lends some malty sweetness, but it's a lot more like dark munich than it is crystal malt. In a beer that has no crystal malts, like this one, I think a pound is great. This beer sounds to me like it might be better dry (and you selected a dry mash profile), so I'd personally leave out the maltodextrin, but if you like more body/sweetness, it's not hurting anything.

I want this to be nice and dry, hence the mash temp. But, I also wanted a little body so I figured I'd add some maltodextrin. To be honest, I didn't think it would add to the sweetness but when I think about it that makes sense. Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll take the maltodextrin out. The purpose of this recipe is to give me a good idea what honey malt tastes like.