Malt User Upper Brew

[Pezza24]

Haven't brewed in a while but want to get something on for Christmas and looked at what I have leftover in the garage. Basically I want to make some sort of dark beer with what Ive got and I'm wondering if it's going to be a catastrophe or tasty.

So I've currently got:
800g Vienna
500g Munich
500g Pale
300g Medium Crystal
360g Chocolate

I know I can't use all the chocolate malt but would all that plus a little bit of chocolate malt make something?

As for hops I've got Challenger and El Dorado and a few different yeasts.

 

[MrRook]

Could be a nice brown ale.

 

[UKSkydiver]

I literally have no idea whether this is a great idea but for sh*ts and giggles, I shoved your ingerdients into BF for a 10 litre batch and got this which doesn't look too bad:

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Haven't brewed in a while but want to get something on for Christmas and looked at what I have leftover in the garage. Basically I want to make some sort of dark beer with what Ive got and I'm wondering if it's going to be a catastrophe or tasty.

So I've currently got:
800g Vienna
500g Munich
500g Pale
300g Medium Crystal
360g Chocolate

I know I can't use all the chocolate malt but would all that plus a little bit of chocolate malt make something?

As for hops I've got Challenger and El Dorado and a few different yeasts.

You can use it all. The Vienna and Munich malts will give you malty notes, the crystal will give you toffee and a bit of dark fruit, chocolate - well y’know!

Challenger would be good but I would personally leave the El Dorado on the shelf.

I’d use a high flocculating yeast like Liberty Bell and use a fairly high mash temp to give the beer some body and a tad of residual sweetness - it is for Christmas!

 

[Cheshire Cat]

You can use it all. The Vienna and Munich malts will give you malty notes, the crystal will give you toffee and a bit of dark fruit, chocolate - well y’know!

Challenger would be good but I would personally leave the El Dorado on the shelf.

I’d use a high flocculating yeast like Liberty Bell and use a fairly high mash temp to give the beer some body and a tad of residual sweetness - it is for Christmas!

Don’t forget
“Cinnamon and ginger, nutmeg and cloves that what gave me my ruddy red nose.

 

[Pezza24]

Yeah 10L is the maximum I do really. Hence all the odds and ends I've got lying around. Glad it can be used up to make something tasty though.

As for the mash temp, what would you suggest HB? I do stovetop BIAB and usually go for 65C as a general rule but if it's going to add a bit of body and mouthfeel I'm in.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

You could try 67 or 68 for a slightly higher finishing gravity, a little more body, and a touch of residual sweetness. These will go well with all that chocolate malt and the malty Vienna/Munich.

 

[Pezza24]

Finally made this last night with a few alterations.

900g Vienna
500g Munich
500g Pale
250g Medium Crystal
250g Rolled Oats
150g Torrified Wheat
350g Chocolate

30 minute Boil
25g EKG @ 30
20g Challenger @ 10
1045 SG so a pretty shoddy efficiency but I wasn't expecting miracles from a stovetop BIAB. Cooled overnight and pitched a pack of CML Midland this morning.

 

[Clint]

I bet its a belter! User-uppers usually are!

 

[Pezza24]

Cheers Clint. I found some mosaic unopened in the freezer but I didn't think it suited a dark ale haha.

 

[Clint]

Well...I'd order a few kg of pale,use your bit of crystal some more oats and some sugar and with that mosaic make a nice APA to givwith your dark beer. If you got one on the go you may as well have 2! A bit like owning dogs...

 

[Pezza24]

So I've just found the 16 bottles of this that I bottled on 13th October 2021. Been sat quietly in my wardrobe for a year. I've popped two in the fridge to see what it's like.

 

[starseeker]

So I've just found the 16 bottles of this that I bottled on 13th October 2021. Been sat quietly in my wardrobe for a year. I've popped two in the fridge to see what it's like.

Look forward to your review

 

[Pezza24]

Was very pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. It had quite a bitter tang to it which I didn't expect but overall was nice. I noticed I had put a line on top of some bottles which I think meant I put more priming solution in those. I better be careful opening them as the normal ones were perfectly carbed.