Hi all - I'm kinda stumped with what is wrong with my latest Pale Ale. It came out really sour! Grapefruity for sure, which I know is a characteristic of both Amarillo and Citra hops, but it's really over the top.
My first thought was that the 2 ounces of 14% Citra hops soaked for half an hour at 190F REALLY brought the Citra flavor to the beer, but it doesn't seem like too much after seeing other's recipes? Then I started thinking about a lacto infection since I brew in my garage where I also mill my grain (though I mill my grain outside my garage), and that combined with a longer than usual ferment time before kegging (4 weeks) introduced some sourness. In that case I would have expected to see the attunuation creep into the 80's, though.
So not really sure, though this is a hop combo I haven't used much before. Any thoughts? Maybe it just needs more time?
Below is the recipe with some notes at the end:
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 14.35 gal
Post Boil Volume: 12.48 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 12.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 12.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 7.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 36.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
15.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent 1 -
10.00 g Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 -
4.00 ml Lactic Acid (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 3 -
21 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 87.5 %
1 lbs Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.2 %
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 6 4.2 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 7 4.2 %
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [10.10 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 8 17.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [11.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 18.3 IBUs
2.00 oz Citra [14.10 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 11 -
Mash Schedule: My Mash
Total Grain Weight: 24 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Step Add 31.99 qt of water at 166.6 F 152.0 F 40 min
Sparge: Fly sparge with 9.23 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:
------
Mash was at 153
Flame out Citra hops added at 190F - 30 minute soak before chilling
Wort fermented at 68F in temp-controlled fridge and attunuated to 79.3%
Sat in primary for 4 weeks - longer than usual
thanks for any thoughts you might have!
dan
My first thought was that the 2 ounces of 14% Citra hops soaked for half an hour at 190F REALLY brought the Citra flavor to the beer, but it doesn't seem like too much after seeing other's recipes? Then I started thinking about a lacto infection since I brew in my garage where I also mill my grain (though I mill my grain outside my garage), and that combined with a longer than usual ferment time before kegging (4 weeks) introduced some sourness. In that case I would have expected to see the attunuation creep into the 80's, though.
So not really sure, though this is a hop combo I haven't used much before. Any thoughts? Maybe it just needs more time?
Below is the recipe with some notes at the end:
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 14.35 gal
Post Boil Volume: 12.48 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 12.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 12.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 7.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 36.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
15.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent 1 -
10.00 g Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 -
4.00 ml Lactic Acid (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 3 -
21 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 87.5 %
1 lbs Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.2 %
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 6 4.2 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 7 4.2 %
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [10.10 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 8 17.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [11.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 18.3 IBUs
2.00 oz Citra [14.10 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 11 -
Mash Schedule: My Mash
Total Grain Weight: 24 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Step Add 31.99 qt of water at 166.6 F 152.0 F 40 min
Sparge: Fly sparge with 9.23 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:
------
Mash was at 153
Flame out Citra hops added at 190F - 30 minute soak before chilling
Wort fermented at 68F in temp-controlled fridge and attunuated to 79.3%
Sat in primary for 4 weeks - longer than usual
thanks for any thoughts you might have!
dan