Session Ale

Drewfus1

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So I have a session ale recipe here from a well respected brewer but the grain bill worries me a little.

3lbs Pilsner Malt
2lbs Pale Malt
2lbs Malted Wheat
1.5lbs Melanoidin Malt

Is it just me or does that seem like way too much melanoidin? Its 16% of the grain bill. I've always been under the impression that you want to use it in the 2-8% range. My plan is to cut the melanoidin back to 10oz and add a bit more pils and pale malt to hit the target ABV. Am I on the right track?
 
I think you might have transposed ounces into pounds. A little Melanoidin goes a long way.
 
I think you might have transposed ounces into pounds. A little Melanoidin goes a long way.

This is a recipe straight from a book and it definitely asks for 1.5lbs of melanoidin.
 
I think its way too much my self, that grain can take over a beers taste
 
This is a recipe straight from a book and it definitely asks for 1.5lbs of melanoidin.
It wouldn’t be the first time a book transposed a number or missed a decimal point.
 
Leave it out. I just did a Blonde with Pilsner Pale and Wheat and it's incredibly good - light and clean with very malty flavor. But then, I hate the melanoidin malt that I've used in the past.
 
Leave it out. I just did a Blonde with Pilsner Pale and Wheat and it's incredibly good - light and clean with very malty flavor. But then, I hate the melanoidin malt that I've used in the past.

Thanks J A! I think I may go that route, cut the melanoidin and add a bit more Pils and Pale. If I do add any, it will be a fraction of what was called for. I've enjoyed some of Randy's other recipies but I think this one needs some adjustment.
 
It may be interesting and fine, but based on my personal experience, I won't willingly use Melanoidin malt in a recipe. That being said, there are a number of malts that are very similar using different names and there are a number of Melanoidin malts that probably have different characteristics.
There's a particular brand of Light Aromatic Malt that I've been using in the place of Melanoidin and I like it a lot.
 
It may be interesting and fine, but based on my personal experience, I won't willingly use Melanoidin malt in a recipe. That being said, there are a number of malts that are very similar using different names and there are a number of Melanoidin malts that probably have different characteristics.
There's a particular brand of Light Aromatic Malt that I've been using in the place of Melanoidin and I like it a lot.

Weyermann Bohemian Line Melanoidin is the only one I have access to. I've used it sparingly in Pils and IPA recipes before with good results. Of course that was more in the 2-6% range.
 
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Other hand, go ahead and brew it with 1.5 pounds. It'll be an extremely malty beer with some inky undertones, likely so cloyingly sweet it will be hard to drink. And if it's as far wrong as I imagine, you'll only do it once and learn from the mistake. An ounce or three of melanoidin can round out a beer or punch up the malt flavor, too much takes over.
 
Thanks folks! You’ve confirmed my suspicion that this recipe was a bit off. I’m going to adjust and brew a test batch. I’ll be making this for a May long weekend party so I need to be sure it’s right.
 
I can confirm thats the recipe in his mastering homebrew book from 2015 too. However, the extract version calls for 1.5 lbs of honey malt and no melanoiden, so I have no idea what's going on. That seems like a lot to steep
 
My guess is a typo or transposition error. That much honey malt could get cloying but if offset with enough bitterness, taste good. That much melanoidin is going to taste like inky molasses.
 

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