Cream ale recipe

6 row pale malt 20%
Flaked corn 15%
Crystal malt 8.4%
Biscuit malt 4.6%
Carafoam 7.2%
Table sugar 4.8%
Flaked corn 15%

Cluster hops .6oz 60 min
Mash at 154

This is the first time I have created my own recipe. I am going for a light to medium body with slightly sweet taste. I will add some vanilla soaked in vodka to the secondary.

Feel free to criticize or make suggestions

I get only 75% total, and flaked corn is in the list twice.  15-20% flaked corn is probably enough.  There's usually little to no caramel in Cream Ale, so I'd personally remove that and increase the 6-row to 100%.  So 15% corn, 15% bisquit/carafoam/sugar, and 70% 6-row.  Mashing at 154F may not yield the typical crisp finish.  Lower = crisper, depending what you want.  Good luck!

Thanks! That's the kind of feedback I was looking for!

Is there a way to cut and paste recipes from beer smith into the forum? I was flipping back and forth from the forum and beer smith, I double checked the recipe and still screwed it up

Rich3001 said:

This is the first time I have created my own recipe. I am going for a light to medium body with slightly sweet taste. I will add some vanilla soaked in vodka to the secondary.

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With Cream Ale, less is more. The style is sort of an ale version of American Lager, but just a bit lighter than Blonde Ale. So, you want it to finish dry, but low hop in order to let some residual sweetness through.

My first few recipe designs made similar attempts at flavors that yours does. They didn't go so well. It took time, but I eventually learned that my best beers are also the simplest recipes.

I agree with Maltlicker that crystal malt doesn't work for the style. The 15% corn is perfect, since 6 Row will give a fuller body to the beer, on its own.

The Biscuit malt looks really interesting. I think it'll add some excellent complexity and golden color. The percentage is spot on, too.

Sugar and adjuncts (the corn) are interchangeable, most of the time. They're for adding fermentables, but not body. Pick one (I'd pick the corn).

The Carafoam is the wildcard, to me. It's main job is to add foam stability, but it does add some body, too. However, there's nothing I can think of that it adds that isn't already in 6 Row. So, it's not going to hurt, but can be replaced.

Lastly, I'd skip the vanilla bean on the first go-round. This is what struck a chord for me, because it says you're trying to guide flavors like a cook. It's the same mistaken approach I made when I started. A brewer guides flavors with process, more than ingredients. Concentrate on making solidly fermentable wort, sanitation and fermentation control. These are your tools for making great beer. Once those are predictable, so are variations and additions.

Excellent advice, I kind of thought I was making it a little too complex. I really appreciate your taking the time to help me out. I'm going to follow your advice. I'll let you know how the biscuit works.

Thanks again

Whenever I endeavor to create something in a style that I haven't brewed before, I usually start with a really solid recipe.  I use the book "Brewing Classic Styles" by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer when trying a new style for the first time. 

It is basically a "recipe" book of all styles.  The recipes are the most basic version, but solidly put together.  When brewing a new style for the first time, I use the recipe exactly.  I don't tweak it at all on that first brew.  After brewing that basic version, then I'll brew it again, tweaking it or getting creative, building off of my past experiences to create something new that I want to brew.

It's difficult to hold back like this on the first brew of a new style, but I think that it gives you a greater chance of success when getting creative with a style.  When brewing the first basic version, I also do "tasting" research.  I do this by using Beersmith style guidelines to purchase two or three of classic commercial versions, so that I'm familiar with the flavors that I'm aiming for.

This is how I do it when brewing a new style for the first time.  I've brewed about 15 of the recipes from the book so far, and all of them were keepers!  They are excellent, solid, simple recipes.

Thanks Scott, I'll check it out!

You're welcome.  I loaded the recipe from the book onto my Beersmith.  I've attached an All Grain Version and an Extract version. 

Some points in the write up on Cream Ales were as follows:

  Quote, "A common mistake is associating cream ale with cream soda.  The two have nothing to do with each other.  Trying to make a sweet cream ale or 
  adding vanilla to this beer is incorrect."

  I used Safale US-05 in the recipes, but you can also use White Labs WLP001 California Ale yeast or Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast.  Use of Kolsch yeast is
  another option, as it makes the beer a little more lager-like and some can add a slight fruity note to the beer.

  I used Rice Extract Syrup in the extract version and Flaked Rice in the all grain version.  If you want to use corn, you would substitute Corn Syrup for an
  extract recipe and Flaked corn for an all grain recipe.

  Some brewers use a simple sugar like corn sugar or table sugar in place of the corn or rice syrups or the flaked corn or rice.  Those brewers consider the
  simple sugars critical to getting that crisp, dry finish that this beer is known for.

  If after making the beer, it didn't ferment dry enough, consider replacing 10 percent of the malt with simple sugar on your next attempt.

  The authors of the book prefer to use Rice, instead of corn.  Many brewers prefer to use corn, so this is up to the individual tastes of the brewer.  Either
  adjunct (rice or corn) is correct.  Some even use other adjuncts, such as Flaked Oats or Flaked Rye. 

My thoughts on "other" adjuncts:

Although flaked oats is out there a bit on the creative scale, it would add a creaminess to the mouth feel.  Flaked Rye might be interesting too, as flaked rye enhances the dry finish of a beer.  You'd get that drier finish, along with the interesting notes of the rye flavor.  I can see myself making a base cream ale and once I'm happy with it, using flaked oats or flaked rye on a later version of it, in place of rice or corn.

I'm redoing the recipe with your guys input. I'll get a chance to brew it after mass. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again for all your help

Well the local home brew store was out of 6 row malt so I took the clerks advice and substituted distillers malt. Couldn't find much info on it, but went ahead and tried it. The wort tasted ok, I'll know more in a few days.

Rich3001 said:

Well the local home brew store was out of 6 row malt so I took the clerks advice and substituted distillers malt. Couldn't find much info on it, but went ahead and tried it. The wort tasted ok, I'll know more in a few days.

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Didn't your local home brew store have American 2-row?

Being that distillers use a lot of adjuncts,  making them in need of a of enzymatic power, I would think that distiller's malt wouldn't be much different than brewer's 6-row. If not the same thing with a different label.

The distillers malt kind of intrigued me at the time, so I figured why not. It has been fermenting for a week, I'll give it a taste in another week and see if it's any good.
One interesting thing I noticed is that the wort was very foamy during the boil. The wort came out very clear though. I'm guessing the distillers malt is high in protein?