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Need a good Amber
I'm thinking of trying an Amber for my next batch, hopefully brewing next weekend. I still use extract, with a little steeping grain. Does anyone have a strong recipe that is fairly foolproof?
Thanks! 
Try this....
6.6 LBS Amber Extract -unhopped
1 Lb Crystal 20-60L
2 Oz Hallertau / Tettnang Hop pellets
Ale Yeast - Pick and choose from many....
Steep Crystal in 1.5 gallons water for 45 minutes.
Add 1.5 gallons water and extract - Boil for 60 minutes
Add 1oz hops at 60 minutes
Add .5oz at 30 minutes
Add .5oz at flameout
Be sure to get a good crush on the grains, and do NOT squeeze the grain bag!
Let cool to 75-80, pithc yeast, add lid and airlock.
Let Ferment for 7-10 days, or until you get 3 consecutive days of the same gravity reading.
Probably no need to use a secondary, but you could for another week if you want to.
Bottle with standard 3/4 cup priming sugar...
I think that should cover everything for you......
That looks great! I think I'll give it a try. Any issues with using regular hops instead of pellets? I'm sure there is nothing wrong with them, but they kind of scare me.
Also, any thoughts on what the gravities or ABV should be?
Thanks!
Go to BeerTools.com & register. It's free for the entry level. You can plug all that into the Recipe Calculator & it'll tell you all about what you're planning to brew.
Need a good Amber? My stepdaughters name is Amber but she's married, Sorry!
DC
This should make things even easier........I love the Recipator!
Note: I changed the hop schedule to raise the IBU to 20 from 15, and to not assume pellets.
Brewer: McBrewer
Beer: Random Amber Ale
Style: American Amber Ale
Type: Extract w/grain
Size: 5 gallons
Color: 26 HCU (~14 SRM)
Bitterness: 20 IBU
OG: 1.050 FG: 1.008
Alcohol: 5.4% v/v (4.2% w/w)
Grain: 1 lb. American crystal 40L
Steep: Crush grains well, steep in 1.5 gallons at 150° for 45 minutes.
Boil: 60 minutes SG 1.083 3 gallons
6 lb. 6 oz. Amber malt extract
Add 1.5 gallons to grain tea, bring to boil for 60 minutes.
1 Oz Hallertau @ 60 minutes
.5 Oz @ 45 minutes
.5 Oz @ 30 minutes
Hops: 1 oz. Hallertauer (4.25% AA, 60 min.)
.5 oz. Hallertauer (4.25% AA, 45 min.)
.5 oz. Hallertauer (4.25% AA, 30 min.)
Yeast: WLP001 or Wyeast 1056
Carbonation: 3/4 cup priming sugar.
Brewski wrote:
Go to BeerTools.com & register. It's free for the entry level. You can plug all that into the Recipe Calculator & it'll tell you all about what you're planning to brew.
Thanks for this! Hadn't found this site yet, at least not that I remembered. Very cool. Thanks again!
I am going to proceed this weekend with the recipe supplied by ricka (thanks for the recipe and site info!) and had a question about the boiling times for the hops. It seems that the times in the recipe would bring more hop bitterness to the beer and less 'top' flavor. Is this accurate? All other recipes I have looked at (granted, not many yet) have a flavoring hop at the end. Just trying to figure out what does what.
Thanks!
Yes. I switched it a bit to adjust the IBUs to stay within range for the style. You could always save the last 1/2 oz for the end of boil, and use it for aroma. Hops added without significant boiling times are used for aroma. The longer it boils, the more bitterness it imparts, as it releases more alpha acids. AAs are what makes a beer bitter.....
At what point do you move from adding aroma to adding bitterness? The recipes I have looked at usually have you add the aroma hops at 2-5 minutes left in the boil. If you go beyond that do you start losing the aroma? What would a 10 minute boil do the end hops?
I'm not sure exactly when the transition is for going from bittering to flavor to aroma, but I think it's around 60-30-0 minutes. In between those numbers gives a slightly different result, probably depending on hop variety used. I think if you were to add hops at 10 minutes, unless it were an extremely high AA% hop(+12%), it wouldn't do much bittering or flavor, but might add in some aroma. Dry hopping is strictly for aroma I believe. That would be adding hops in a secondary to get full aroma from the hop oils, freshly added to beer, without being driven off by fermentation. Dry hopping is common is IPAs, which gives them their characteristic deep aromas.
Thanks for your thoughts! Looks like this is another area to explore and see what happens. If anything cool/strange happens I'll let you know.
Thanks again!
Ricka182s recipe looks great, but I'd kick up the hops a little more like 5-8 more IBUS.
Just to be sure to balance that crystal and amber malt base.
If you use the original hopping schedule, the hops will go up by 9 Ibus I think it was.....
Either way, let us know how it comes out.....
I brewed this up yesterday, only made a couple of changes. I added about a teaspoon and a half of Irish Moss to try for clarity (and to see how much it actually does since I haven't used it yet). I also stuck with the with hop schedule on the recipe and added about a half ounce of Mt. Hood at 2 minutes left (had them stored in the freezer, figured, why not?).
This is definately a departure from the batches I have made before. Obvious difference in color and 'attitude.' The wort cleared a bit while chilling, but hazed back up immediately when put in the fermenter and added yeast. I'm assuming that since it started to clear up after such a short time, it should turn out pretty nice after a few weeks.
Would a secondary be helpful for an amber? From what I understand a secondary is mainly used for extra clarity or adding additional flavors to the brew. Am I missing anything that a secondary can provide?
Also, with Irish Moss, when should you add it? I read a lot of threads with people adding it only for the last 15-20 minutes, but the packaging and my LHBS said to add it for the whole boil. I did the full boil this time, but may try a shorter period next time.
I'm planning on bottling in about two weeks, dependant on fermentation cooperation, and will update at that point. If it turns out looking good, I will try to get a picture posted as well. Here's hoping that I let it age long enough to do it justice, as I was bitten by the 'wanna drink it now!' bug yesterday. Doh!
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