First AG recipe

[Stoat on a rope]

just wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts on this before i brew it since its my first own recipe!


WM Low Colour MO (Extra P 5500 grams
WM Caramalt 400 grams
WM Roasted Barley 70 grams


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time grams
Nelson Sauvin Whole 11.3 % 60 mins 20 grams
Herkules Whole 17.3 % 60 mins 21 grams
Nelson Sauvin Whole 11.3 % 30 mins 10 grams
Pacific Gem Whole 15.6 % 30 mins 10 grams
Pacific Gem Whole 15.6 % 5 mins 30 grams
Herkules Whole 17.3 % 5 mins 10 grams
Motueka Whole 7.6 % 5 mins 20 grams


Final Volume: 19 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.069
Final Gravity: 1.017
Alcohol Content: 6.8% ABV
Total Liquor: 29.9 Litres
Mash Liquor: 14.9 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 98.7067870176234 EBU
Colour: 44 EBC

recipe calculated courtesy of GW's Beer Engine.

as for yeast, im going to give US 05 a go but ive also got some S 04 on the way, if it goes well i might try the brew with that too.

one thing is im not sure how long i should mash for or what temperature to go for, so far im thinking 66 degrees C for 75 mins but there is no reason behind this, if there are any particular reasons why i should do different i'll welcome the advise!

the second thing is im wondering if 90 mins on the boil is required or can i shave 10/30 mins off this as im only wanting to boil hops for 60 mins. ive been tempted also to leave the hops in for half an hour after swithching off the boil but i dont know how this will affect the bitterness or the times for putting in aromatic hops etc. also, should i be a bit more careful with the higher alpha hops?

any advise will be greatly appreciated, like i said this is my first attempt at my own recipe and first time using some of these hop varieties so i wouldnt be surprised if ive missed something really fundamental!

Cheers!

[dave-o]

It's meant to really, really bitter is it?

[floydmeddler]

Have no ideas about these hops.

Very bitter indeed. Rule of thumb most people use on JBK (from what i can make out anyway!) is 90 mins for bittering hops and 10 mins for flavouring. I dry hop for aroma.

Should still taste great though if you're going for something extremely bitter.

[Stoat on a rope]

yup ive been wanting to go crazy with bitterness, was aiming for 100 IBU, i want it quite aromatic too though.

i like the idea of dry hopping but im going to give this brew a go without it first, then maybe use it as an improvement.

[leedsbrew]

If your looking for a NPA that you want to drink in the next few weeks/month then I would drop the IBU's down to about 55-60. If you want a mad NZIPA to age for 12 months then leave them at 98.7 I don't think the 98.7IBU beer will be ready to drink any time soon. I've just done a RIS at about 67-70 IBU's and it will take months to settle down

Other than that it looks good. I like the hop schedule. Personaly I would boil for 90 mins to help the break (I found the hot/cold break to be much better when I upped my boil time from 60 to 90 mins!)

As for the mash, 66 deg C seems fine, alhtough I don't know if 75 mins will make much difference over 60 (if your trying to shave off time, there is 15 mins for you! )

Let us know how it goes!

CHeers

LB

[leedsbrew]

Ah, you replied while I was typing! 100IBU's eh! Good look, can't wait to hear about it in the brewday section

[Stoat on a rope]

if i dont need to mash for that long il cut it down to 60 mins. 75 was a compromise between various recipes ive looked at (usually between 60 and 80 mins) im still learning as to why some mashes are done for longer than others.

ive not got the patience to wait 12 months so if it will be undrinkable at first i will drop the ibu's down to 70 say, but im willing to give it a go at 97.8!

i suppose i could go ahead and if it is too much, that batch can sit to the side for a while to mellow and i can just make another batch with lower bitterness in the mean time. plus its an excuse to buy another cornie...

EDIT

i'll do a 90 min boil then too, i was never happy with making it shorter now im glad there is a reason to keep it at 90.

[leedsbrew]

I recon you'll be pushing the limit of drinkable. Take a look at this post from pantmachine. I know his IBU's are 135.4 but it's close!

Too be honest matey, if you can get another batch on as well I'd give it a go at 98.7 if I were you. I find this hoby to be much more fun when experimenting At worst you'll have a beer you can't drink for ages and you'll HAVE to get another brew on (won't that be a shame eh , at best you'll have a fantastic, kick your taste buds in the ass, pint in a few months time!and another sweet brew to be getting on with in the mean time! Sounds win - win to me!

[Stoat on a rope]

OK, you talked me into it!

that was a good thread thanks, not seen it before.

just waiting for my yeast and pacific gems to arrive now!

[Stoat on a rope]

Brewed!

just gonna write about it brewdays