Formulating your own recipe

[Kiltlifter]

I'm trying to decide which brew to do next. I've got it narrowed down to an oatmeal stout, an ESB or an IPA. I'm kind of leaning towards the IPA cause the last brew was a good 'n dark porter and I'm also a self admitted hophead.

I was wondering how you people went about formulating your own recipes? Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. If I do the IPA, I already know that I want a citrusy taste to the brew so Cascade hops are already sort of preselected.

[fretlessman71]

Yeah! I'd love to see an extract recipe for an Imperial Porter... or make one! How do I do this?

[Beerconnoisseur]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Yeah! I'd love to see an extract recipe for an Imperial Porter... or make one! How do I do this?

For my first original recipe, I started with an off-the-shelf kit, and modified it, based on the taste I wanted to achieve. MoreBeer has a Imperial Porter kit (http://www.morebeer.com/detail.php3?pid=KIT760) that you can start from.

Another point of reference is Daniels Designing Great Beers (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0937381500/qid=1071656410//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i0_xgl14/102-7059383-8099339?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) (link is for those who don't have it yet).

Oh, and Kiltlifter, you can use Amarillo (which are a kind of super Cascade) for the IPA.... :)

[brewmonkey]

Originally posted by Kiltlifter
I'm trying to decide which brew to do next. I've got it narrowed down to an oatmeal stout, an ESB or an IPA. I'm kind of leaning towards the IPA cause the last brew was a good 'n dark porter and I'm also a self admitted hophead.

I was wondering how you people went about formulating your own recipes? Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. If I do the IPA, I already know that I want a citrusy taste to the brew so Cascade hops are already sort of preselected.

Is this going to be an all grain or extract beer?

When I do my IPA (all grain) I use only 3 malts in the grist. I go for about 85% Pale malt, 10% Munich Malt and 5% Cara (55L) and shoot for a OG of 1.060. For hops I agree with the cascade but due to the lower alpha's of cascade I use centennial as well. I usually shoot for an IBU in the range of 60 as well and have 5 hop additions during the boil (90 minute boil). I go for 25 IBU's with a first wort hop (calculated as you would a 60 minute addition at 30% utilization), 15 IBU's at 45 minutes (both these are centennial additions) followed by 10 IBU's of cascade at 30 minutes, 5 IBU's at 15 minutes and the last 5 at flame out. This is a lot of hops but the beer has hop charachter throughout rather then being a harsh beer that is just bitter. If the aroma needs something more after fermentation (fermentation will scrub aroma out) then go for an ounce or two of cascade in the dry hop for about 10 days during secondary.

Mash temp for me on this one is set for 154 degrees to give this beer a touch more body to helpn with all the hops.

Fermentation is with a good clean ale strain like the California Ale from White Labs at 68-70F.

Of course this is just one rendition of an IPA. If it is an extract you are looking for some of the other guys will have to help as I have not dealt with them much.

Hope this helps you out.

[Tweek]

Ill second the designing great beers reccomendation. Its a great place to get started with recipe formulation and a great reference once you know what you are doing a little more :)

[Kiltlifter]

Of course this is just one rendition of an IPA. If it is an extract you are looking for some of the other guys will have to help as I have not dealt with them much. Me still novice brewer so its an extract. I'll have to take a look at that designing great beers book cause that's what I was really looking for ... how to start off making your own recipe.

Thankx for the help ... the bit about using Centennial and Cascade hops is good info.

[S.F.B.]

When I come up with my own recipes I use Stephen Snyder's "The Brew Master's Bible" as a guide. It has a table with styles and traditional grains hops etc...

My own IPA recipe is one I got from another brewer and have changed to my likes. It is a mini mash. Like brewmonkey I use 3 grains in the mash, 4 lbs. of light dme, 5 hop additions in the boil and dry hop in the secondary. Of course the flavor and aroma hops are Cascade. I bitter with Northern brewer. I have been thinking of changing to a different bittering hop to see if there is something I like more.

[unkle bik]

I would go about it the same way you would cooking something like, say spagehtti.
You basically know what goes in it (malt, Hops, & yeast). It is up to your personal tastes to modify it. A good start is to get a couple of books: The Homebrewer's Companion by Charles Paparazian & that clone beer book that somebody else mentioned here. Read thru the recipes, get a feel for what you want it to taste like, & modify it to your personal tastes.
In ten years of extract brewing, I have yet to follow a written recipe to the "T". I have yet to find that I have done something horribly wrong. Sure, you may get an off flavour here & there, but learn by your mistakes & learn something from it. That's the fun part (Besides drinking it) of homebrewing.
Develop your own styles.
Relax, have a homebrew.

[bigmf]

You put malt, hops and yeast into your spaghetti? :eek:

M.

[unkle bik]

Originally posted by bigmf
You put malt, hops and yeast into your spaghetti? :eek:

M.

Sometimes I add a little homebrew to the sauce.

[GunNut76]

Well as for me I just throw what ever I happen to be thinking about at the time in the mix...usually comes out decent enough, better than BMC! Brewing only 3 gallons does have it's disadvantages in the fact that there are few recipes formulated for that size. On the plus side tho all the beers I have created and brewed were all over 6% ABV. :D