Recipe Advice

[fulkrum78]

Hello! I've been playing with a recipe for a Belgian Imperial Red for a bit, and figure it's ready for a bit of feedback. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Style: Imperial or Double Red Ale
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 14.91 gal
Post Boil Volume: 12.23 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 11.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 10.55 gal
Estimated OG: 1.087 SG
Estimated Color: 15.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 73.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 80.8 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
10.29 gal Knoxville, TN (KUB) Water 1 -
2.00 Items Servomyces (Boil 10.0 mins) Other 15 -
2.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 14 -
2.00 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 -
2.0 pkg Trappist Ale (White Labs #WLP500) [35.49 Yeast 19 -
21 lbs 4.0 oz Pilsner (DURST MALZ) (7.0 SRM) Grain 3 64.6 %
5 lbs 2.0 oz Carared (Weyermann) (24.0 SRM) Grain 4 15.6 %
14.1 oz Caramunich I (Weyermann) (51.0 SRM) Grain 7 2.7 %
2 lbs 9.0 oz Turbinado (10.0 SRM) Sugar 10 7.8 %
1 lbs Oats, Golden Naked (Simpsons) (10.0 SRM) Grain 6 3.0 %
2.00 Items Oxygen (Primary 6.0 hours) Other 20 -
2.00 Items Oxygen (Primary 0.0 mins) Other 21 -
2.00 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - First Hop 8 12.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Pacific Gem [15.00 %] - Boil 25.0 min Hop 12 28.5 IBUs
2.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 9 12.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil Hop 16 2.2 IBUs
2.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 17 2.2 IBUs
2 lbs 1.2 oz Wheat - Red Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM) Grain 5 6.3 %
2.00 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil Hop 11 7.6 IBUs
2.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 25.0 min Hop 13 7.6 IBUs
1.00 oz Pacific Gem [15.00 %] - Boil 2.0 min Hop 18 1.7 IBUs


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 32 lbs 14.3 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 42.64 qt of water at 163.5 F 153.0 F 120 min

Sparge: Drain mash tun, Batch sparge with 2 steps (8.69gal, 4.35gal) of 168.0 F water

[fulkrum78]

wow, silence... lol

[fulkrum78]

On a side note, I tracked down one off of BA. Email or tow later, pointed at this... Tempted to add some barley and Special B in small amounts and back off the carared... Thoughts?

http://midnightsunbrewing.com/sales/SS_8PBmars.pdf

[keelanfish]

Fulkrum, I'd like to comment, but I don't have any experience with this style. Any commercial examples you can point me toward? I'm trying to envision what a big beer like this, fermented with an Abby ale yeast, and all those hops would be like.

[fulkrum78]

Oddly enough, a search turned up two results. I'll post the BA Links... One is from Anchorage (linked in previous post)... The other is an Eel City beer...

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38 ... a=mrkrispy

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1627/46056

So, basically, playing with something in my head since I haven't had one either. But it works there Hoppy, fairly prominent alcohol, nice malt backbone. Belgian yeast should provide some fruity esters.

[Kbar]

I am in the same position as 'Keelanfish'. No experience, but question the oats.............

[fulkrum78]

I am in the same position as 'Keelanfish'. No experience, but question the oats.............

Texture and color primarily....

[keelanfish]

I'm curious to hear how it turns out when you get around to brewing it. I'm generally not a fan of the Belgian yeast esters combined with high levels of hops like I've had a couple times in high gravity Belgian style IPAs. I guess there's a chance that malt complexity may improve the overall beer for my pallet, but it may just as likely become a big jumbled mess. Maybe try a smaller batch than the 12 gallons your recipe indicates to establish a starting point and make tweaks from there?