Advice on this recipe .. American Pale Ale

[lexuschris]

Greets all!

I'm planning to brew again this weekend, AG batch #2 for me. Your comments last time really helped, so I wanted to run my next recipe by everyone for any further tweeks & comments.

In the spirit of keeping my first few batches simple, with small variations, while I work out the kinks in my new setup (like not spilling wort chiller water all over my brew kettle), I wanted to do something similar to last time. I have some left over grains from the American Amber, so thought I'd use those up with a fresh buy of 2-row Pale Malt, and some different hops. I'd especially appreciate pointers & tweeks on the hops. I've not got a good feeling for what combinations work, etc. Here is what I have tenatively planned.

Amount Item Type % or IBU
9.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 86.36 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (60 min) Hops 28.7 IBU ***
1.00 oz Brewer's Gold [8.00 %] (20 min) Hops 16.4 IBU ***
1.00 oz Brewer's Gold [8.00 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) Yeast-Ale

*** edit: I swapped hop schedule in a later post below... ***

Est. OG = 1.060 SG
Est. FG = 1.013 SG est. ABV 6.0%
Bitterness: 45 IBU
Color: 7.2 SRM

Single infusion mash @ 154 F with target 5.0 gallon batch size.

Thanks!
--LexusChris
p.s. is Amarillo Gold & Amarillo the same hops when I find them? Or are there 2 strengths?

[brahn]

I've only ever seen Amarillo, although some brewing software lists it as Amarillo Gold. I've never used Brewer's Gold, but Amarillo is a good finishing hop. I might swap the bittering and knockout additions, but if you know you like the flavor of Brewer's Gold then go ahead and stick with that.

[backyard brewer]

I agree with Brent. In fact Dave Moody (Pro Brewer) told me not to boil Amarillo unless yo ureally like Ruby Red Grapefruits! Swap it for the finish hops.

[lexuschris]

Thanks for the notes on the Amarillo... Also, I found Northern Brewer instead of the Brewer's Gold... so I will swap schedule to:

1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (60 min) Hops 28.7 IBU
1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (15 min) Hops 14.3 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo [8.50 %] (0 min) Hops -
~~ est 43.0 IBU ~~


--LexusChris

[lexuschris]

Brewed this yesterday, on Memorial Day. Ended up with 1.052 SG, and its off to a quick & vigorous fermentation thanks to the yeast starter (another first for me). I have a few other questions regarding equipment/technique from this batch,which I'll post in their proper categories.

Thanks for the advice all!
--LexusChris

[lexuschris]

Bottled this one last night. Tasting out of the bucket was very good! Some nice maltiness coming through the hops. I'm very optimistic on this one, and looking forward to tasting it again in 4 weeks or so! Color & clarity was real nice too! (FG=1.013)

--LexusChris

[lexuschris]

The kegs are dry. The fermenter is upside down in a corner. Time do be burning a hole in me pocket on New Year's Day.... gotta brew!


Was trying to figure out what to brew for Sunday and I started going through my brewlog. My 1st two brews on AG were a bit rocky and I've learned so much since then. I recently re-brewed #1 (Angry Indian Ale) and it was far better than 2 1/2 years ago!

Now, I believe it is time to re-brew #2. I have made some small changes, but kept with the basic framework. If anything looks odd, please let me know.

The original recipe has Melonoidin malt in it, for no particular reason (other than color/body). My most recent APA's have used a little Vienna for that extra malty touch. I'm tempted to keep the Melonoidin, just to see how it works out. Also, some small changes to hop schedule and replace the bittering addition with some Columbus, because I have some on-hand.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.09 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.24 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.060 SG
Estimated Color: 9.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 41.6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 76.4 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
11.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 84.6 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2 7.7 %
1.00 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 3 7.7 %
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - First Wort 20.0 Hop 4 8.9 IBUs
0.50 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 60. Hop 5 22.0 IBUs
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 6 -
1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 7 9.7 IBUs
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) Other 8 -
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 2.0 min Hop 9 1.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 11 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 13.00 lb
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 4.06 gal of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (1.17gal, 3.67gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------
In honor of the late great Dr. Richard Feynman. Nobel Prize in Physics 1965.

--LexusChris

[BrewMasterBrad]

I am also going to try to brew on the 1st.

I like the hop schedule. I have tried whirlpool hops lately on my APAs with great success. You might want to move all the Amarillo to 0 minutes and let them sit in the hot wort for 15-30 minutes before cooling. That extracts a ton of flavor and aroma that won't boil off.

I have also gone away from using any crystal malts in my APAs. I feel like the residual sweetness detracts from the hop character. APAs are all about the hops, so keep the malt bill simple. Here is an example of a recipe that I have been doing variations on for some time now - http://www.brewconsume.net/recipes/winn ... ipes_3.htm. That particular batch won category 10 at the Hangar 24 competition this year and all the judges thought it was dry hopped, but it was all whirlpool hops.

Of course, this is all just my opinion. I could be wrong.

[lexuschris]

Cannot argue against the whirlpool hops. Tha ale you shared with me was awesome! I think I'll give it a try as you suggested. After flame-out, add the Amarillo and let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then start the wort chilling.

Also, I wasn't able to source the melanoidin malt today, so will swap it with Vienna.

I've been wanting to try a pale without any crystal malts, but have not had the guts yet. I do try to keep them in the 5%-7% range though... maybe I'll drop it a bit further.

Have a great brew-weekend everyone!
--LexusChris