So I have bottled my first ever brew last thursday. All in all not bad, bottled 8,5 liters of beer. I tasted some of it, before bottling and wasn't too happy with the acidic note that munich introduces to the brew (NRB's pale ale recipe with cascade hops).

In regards of that I have been playing around in some calculators and the Biabacus to write a recipe for my 2nd brew.

I'm hoping to go for an IPA ish type of beer, with a complex hop profile and satisfying bitterness, with a dry malty finish. I'd like your comments on the recipe. Does the recipe make sense? or am I in the wrong?

This is what I came up with for the moment:

[center]BIABacus 1.0 RECIPE REPORT[/center]
[center]BIAB Recipe Designer, Calculator and Scaler.[/center]
[center](Please visit http://www.biabrewer.info" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for the latest version.)[/center]
[center]Pale Ale - Batch 1[/center]

Recipe Overview

Brewer: Dauthi
Style: IPA
Source Recipe Link:

Original Gravity (OG): 1,061
IBU's (Tinseth): 48,8
Bitterness to Gravity Ratio: 0,8
Colour: 8,7 SRM = 17,2 EBC
ABV%: 6,14

Efficiency into Kettle (EIK): 66 %
Efficiency into Fermentor (EIF): 59,4 %

Note: This is a Pure BIAB (Full Volume Mash)

Times and Temperatures

Mash: 90 mins at 67 C = 152,6 F
Boil: 90 min
Ferment: 10 days at 15 C = 59 F

Volumes & Gravities

Total Water Needed (TWN): 24,39 L = 6,44 G
Volume into Kettle (VIK): 18,58 L = 4,91 G @ 1,061
End of Boil Volume - Ambient (EOBV-A): 17,98 L = 4,75 G @ 1,061
Volume into Fermentor (VIF): 16,2 L = 4,28 G @ 1,061
Volume into Packaging (VIP): 15 L = 3,96 G @ 1,013 assuming apparent attenuation of 78 %

The Grain Bill (Also includes extracts, sugars and adjuncts)

Note: If extracts, sugars or adjuncts are not followed by an exclamation mark, go to http://www.biabrewer.info" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (needs link)

85% Pale Ale (3,5 SRM = 6,9 EBC) 4771 grams = 10,52 pounds
7,5% Amber (20,5 SRM = 40,4 EBC) 421 grams = 0,93 pounds
7,5% Munich (7 SRM = 39,4 EBC) 421 grams = 0,93 pounds

The Hop Bill

Based on pellet hops and Tinseth IBUs.

29,5 IBU Simcoe Pellets (12%AA) 18 grams = 0,634 ounces at 90 mins (First Wort Hopped)
5,2 IBU Cascade Pellets (7,3%AA) 11,2 grams = 0,396 ounces at 15 mins
8,6 IBU Simcoe Pellets (12%AA) 11,2 grams = 0,396 ounces at 15 mins
2,1 IBU Cascade Pellets (7,3%AA) 11,2 grams = 0,396 ounces at 5 mins
3,4 IBU Simcoe Pellets (12%AA) 11,2 grams = 0,396 ounces at 5 mins
0 IBU Amarillo Pellets (8%AA) 18 grams = 0,634 ounces (Dry Hopped)

Mash Steps

Mash Type: Pure BIAB (Full Volume Mash) for 90 mins at 67 C = 152,6 F
Water Held Back from Mash: 12 L = 3,17 G

Water Used in a Sparge: 4,5 L = 1,19 G
Mashout for for 0 mins at 77 C = 170,6 F
Water Added After Final Lauter: 4,5 L = 1,19 G
Water Added During Boil: 3 L = 0,79 G

Chilling & Hop Management Methods

Hopsock Used: y

Chilling Method: Immersion Chiller (Employed 0 mins after boil end.)

Fermentation& Conditioning

Fermention: US Safale 05 for 10 days at 15 C = 59 F

Maxi-BIAB Adjustments

Water Held Back from Mash: 12 L = 3,17 G
Water Used in a Sparge: 4,5 L = 1,19 G
Water Added After Final Lauter: 4,5 L = 1,19 G
Water Added During Boil: 3 L = 0,79 G

Since oranges are in season in the region where I live, I was thinking of making a Blood Orange IPA.
I was thinking of Adding orange zest 5 min towards the end of the boil, and perhaps at flame out or directly into the primary.
This is combination with a grainbill consisting of pale ale and carahell malts, maybe some vienna, and some centennial and cascade hops.
Perhaps a dry hop of something delicious I saw something called Mandarina Bavaria.
Does anyone have experience with this idea of an orange beer.

I completely agree with what you wrote Todd, it is the only way to scientifically know whats going on.

There are however a few things clashing inside of me. First of all. knowledge and rational vs impatience and easily bored. I need to do things the way you described them (rational and knowledge), yet at the same time I need to keep it interesting for myself (the impatient little kid inside of me).

However, when I try to do what you described I will get annoyed by my amateuristic setup, for example not being able to easily and accurately heat to within 0.1 of a centigrade to make sure mash temps are on point. And I would feel like the empirical evidence I gather through those experiences would be flawed at best at this moment of time. (I'm a student, so therefore brewing on a studentsbudget).

And yeah my first brew was Belgian pale malt with amber and munich and the cascade.

Thanks for the advice!

I completely agree with your philosophy.

You have to learn to walk, before you are able to run!