American Pale Ale A Pale-achian Ale

[mrphillips]

Recipe Type

Partial Mash

Yeast

S-05

Yeast Starter

none

Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter

none

Batch Size (Gallons)

5

Original Gravity

1.068

Final Gravity

1.010

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

37

Color

10 SRM

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

14 days @ 62 degrees

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

7 days @ 68 degrees

Additional Fermentation

none

Tasting Notes

Very forward Citra hop aroma, tangerine and mild grapefruit flavor, gentle bitterness

This is my second go at this recipe, using the judges notes I received. They said that for the APA style, it was a touch too bitter (almost pushing it into the IPA category), and I should either lower my bittering hops, or increase my malt profile. I chose to decrease my bittering hops from 1 oz. to .5 oz, and added the extra .5 oz at 10 minutes to really kick the citrus flavor home. I also increased my .5 oz. citra dry-hop to a full ounce.

MALTS
½ lbs. Cara Pills (5.9%)
½ pilsner malt (5.9%)
½ lbs. Honey Malt (5.9%)
1 lb. flacked Wheat (11.8%)
6 lbs. Extra Light Dry Malt Extract (70.6%)

HOPS
.5 oz. Cascade (60 min.)
1 oz. Cascade (20 min.)
.5 oz. Cascade (10 min.)
1 oz. Citra (5 min.)
1 oz. Citra (secondary)

ADJUNCTS
½ oz. Diced Fresh Ginger Root (added to secondary with Citra)

YEAST
Safale U.S. 05 (S-05)

After being in the bottle for just 2 weeks, the judge's advise really turned out. The tangerine and grapefruit flavors are stronger, and the bitterness is just right for my taste. Best beer I've brewed to-date.

 

[BrewWNC]

Looks good. How much does the ginger root contribute to taste?

 

[mrphillips]

I've never brewed this beer without the ginger, so I'm not sure where the bitter/grapefruit flavor from the hops and the bitterness from the ginger is drawn: it's difficult to tell. One thing the ginger DOES do (and this is why I decided to use it in the first place) is dry-out the finish. The citrus and bitterness comes to a screeching halt after experiencing them, and beckons for another sip! I'm not exactly sure what it is about the ginger that makes this happen - hell, it might even be a placebo affect - but it's a d@mn good beer no matter how you cut it!

 

[BrewWNC]

Interesting. Im a big fan of ginger, Citra hops, honey malt, and have a ton of homegrown Cascade hops waiting to be used. I might just be brewing this recipe next.

 

[mrphillips]

If you like pale ales on the hoppier side, I might add some more bittering hops, but If you're just becoming a hop-head, this would make a very nice transition beer

I'm sure it'll be off-the-radar delicious in another 2 months, but it tastes so fresh, I can't seem to stop drinking the stuff