AG #1 - coming soon...basic bitter

[faulknerm]

Evening all,

As a lot of you have probably already seen, I've now got my AG setup just about all sorted and I'm hoping to get my first brew on the go tomorrow. I've just been having a play with Beer Engine and have come up with the following as a basic recipe, what do you reckon?

Drunk Dawg - "Milly"



Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pale Malt 5 EBC 9 lbs. 14.6 oz 4500 grams 90%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 0 lbs. 8.8 oz 250 grams 5%
Torrefied Wheat 4 EBC 0 lbs. 8.8 oz 250 grams 5%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Golding Whole 6.8 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 47.2%
Fuggle Whole 3.8 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 0.6 oz 16 grams 13.8%
Golding Whole 6.8 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 21.8%
Fuggle Whole 3.8 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 6.1%
Golding Whole 6.8 % 5 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 8.7%
Fuggle Whole 3.8 % 5 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 2.4%


Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol Content: 4.8% ABV
Total Liquor: 33.3 Litres
Mash Liquor: 12.5 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 47.3831439114343 EBU
Colour: 18 EBC

How do you think that will come out, and can you make any suggestions to improve it? (bearing in mind the only grain I have is MO, crystal and torrified wheat - although I do have a few different hops)

Also, quick question, do you reckon this will ferment ok within 11-12 days? As I'm going away on the 23rd and I'd like to keg it just before I go if possible, to leave it to condition.

Cheers

Marc

[faulknerm]

Quick edit to the above recipe - I hadn't set the Alpha's correctly in BE.

Also just discovered that I don't have enough Fuggles to go with the original plan, so I've altered the hops accordingly!

[Parva]

My advice, find a recipe that uses those hops rather than use your own recipe. Several times I've tried my own 'version' of various recipes and none have been good. If you have fuggles and goldings then search for a recipe that uses them (hundreds) and go with that. I dare say that you can get away with adding crystal etc to tweak it but I wouldn't rely on the figure that Beersmith gives you (IBU's) as meaning that you will get a beer that you love. I've learned this from bitter (sorry) experience.

[WishboneBrewery]

I'd say go for it, its very hard to make beer you won't drink
You could lower the IBU's a little but otherwise you'll be fine, I have plans for a not-dissimilar Fuggles & Goldings brew.

[Spud395]

I cant offer much as regards the recipe, but wish you luck in your 1st adventure into AG.

I went there yesterday and sure did enjoy it.

[pantsmachine]

Good luck and welcome to the slide. Look forward to hearing how it went. 11 days is plenty.

[faulknerm]

Well, all in all a very successful first brewday!

I'd even go so far as saying that it went without a hitch...it went a bit too smoothly if I'm honest, so I'm racking my brains trying to think of what I've forgotten, lol.

I followed the above recipe, and just about got the figures I was aiming for - OG came in at 1051, so if it finishes where expected I should be looking at about a 5% brew.

Now sitting happily in the new fermenting fridge, and am I glad that I got that build it time - the temperature in my shed is reading 85 now!!

No photo's today I'm afraid, as I decided I had enough to concentrate on, although with it all going as smoothly as it did I'm actually thinking that taking a few snaps would have been no great challenge - ah well!

[haz66]

Well congrats on your first brewday,let it be the start of many .

[Spud395]

Go on faulkenerm, nothing like it.
MY AG #1 is going like a bomb,smells a bit funny but that could be a load of diffrent things.

Good luck