Is this beer balanced - Beersmith

[esclavosoy]

I know hop addition crazy. Trying for great aromatics. Beersmith says it’s within range but will it be good?

Could beersmith say a beer is balance and it taste like crap? Or can I just try adding anything in as long as it says I’m good.

By the way, I’m going for something in between a Mirror Pond Ale or a FW Pale Ale 31.

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BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Pale Ale Little Chief Extract
Brewer: Gabriel
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: Extract
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications

Boil Size: 4.27 gal
Post Boil Volume: 3.90 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.60 gal
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 7.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 38.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 0.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
11.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2 8.3 %
4.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 3.0 %
0.25 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 4 3.7 IBUs
1 lbs Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 5 12.1 %
6 lbs 4.8 oz Marris Otter Extract (4.5 SRM) Extract 6 76.5 %
0.75 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 25.0 min Hop 7 7.6 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 8 8.8 IBUs
0.25 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 9 2.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 10 7.2 IBUs
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 11 -
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 12 5.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 13 2.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 14 0.6 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 16 -
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 17 0.0 IBUs

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 8 lbs 3.8 oz

[tom_sawyer]

I’m surprised that hop schedule only amounts to 38IBUs but it is what it is I suppose. 38IBU and 1.055 is going to be balanced. The hop schedule is unnecessarily complicated if you ask me, but its kind of hop bursting I guess and it is fun to add hops to the kettle so go for it. I personally think you’d get much the same result with a standard 60/15/5/DH schedule, with the possible exception of the FWH giving a little extra flavor.

I’m surprised at the choice of S04 for yeast, I’d think you might be better off with US05. S04 is a British ale yeast and is going to leave the beer sweeter and more fruity. If thats what you want then thats fine. In a way the sweetness might help with balance, and I suppose the fruitiness will get mostly buried in the hop flavor and aroma. You definitely don’t need two packs of yeast for a 5gal batch.

Hopefully that isn’t being too critical, your recipe looks pretty solid overall.

[beerme11]

Yes, beers can suck even if “you’re good”. Its by no means telling you that a beer is balanced. Beer smith can’t tell you is how the beer will taste. There is no hop flavor meter theres no malt flavor meter theres no fermentation character meter there’s no overall flavor meter. Beersmith can only tell you that you’re within a few perameters set for a style, many awesome beers are outside of the guidelines.

If you dumped a pound of salt into the fermenter you’d still be within the guidelines but I doubt you’d want to drink that beer. As for your recipe personally i would drastically simplify the hop additions but you could brew it like that and love it that’s the beauty of brewing you’re own beer.

[esclavosoy]

That yeast wasn’t suppose to be there. I’m wanting to use Wyeast 1332,

[tom_sawyer]

1332 sounds like a great choice.

As far as balance, I would guess that what Beersmith is going from is this BU:GU ratio. Thats the IBUs versus the original gravity. Basically the more IBUs you have for a given starting gravity, the more hoppy its going to taste. Beerme is right that the massive flavor from late additions isn’t counted, so you’ll have relatively more hoppiness for the amount of malt flavor. But I think it’ll work out fine, that recipe is designed to be hop forward but the modest IBUs won’t let it get out of whack and just swamp out the malt completely.