Critique my amber ale recipe

[tcanova]

For 10 gallon batch
Recipe :

8# 2-Row
8# Munich
1.5#  Caramel 60L
1.5# Biscuit
1 # Carapils

Mash @ 154 for 1 hour
add 4 oz. Roasted Barley to top of mash and then sparge

60 Minute boil with hop additions :
1 oz. Cascade FWH
1 oz. Cascade 60 min.
1 oz. Cascade 30 min.
1 oz. Cascade 5 min.

Yeast : California Ale

What do you think? 
Thank you.

[denny]

Looks pretty good to me.

[ccfoo242]

What does adding roasted barley before sparge do?

[denny]

What does adding roasted barley before sparge do?

Makes it so it contributes color but virtually no flavor.  Also doesn't affect mash pH.

[thebigbaker]

What does adding roasted barley before sparge do?

Makes it so it contributes color but virtually no flavor.  Also doesn't affect mash pH.

Never thought of doing this.  I may have to try this sometime. 

[tcanova]

Yes, what Denny said.  It is a technique I picked up from Gordon Strong's book Brewing better Beer.  Great book!

[bluesman]

Looks good to me to me too.

I've used chocolate in place of roasted barley as you are planning to do during the sparge for a Cali-common with excellent results.

[denny]

Or you could use Sinamar since you just want color and not flavor.  That's my preferred method.

[madscientist]

All cascade hopped amber ale is a good idea.  I just bottled mine.  When I tested the gravity i tasted it and you get some really great hop flavor up front, but not bitter, and a nice caramely flavor from the c-120. 

[tcanova]

Brewed this last Wednesday and it is happily chugging away in the fermenters in my basement.  I got a little higher gravity then I had anticipated.  I may have to call this my Razorback Red!