I made some minor changes to the hops based on feeling that adding Galaxy was just too much variety so I'll update the recipe when I tweak it later tonight or tomorrow during the mash.
I also made a last minute call to switch to C40 from C80 even though the amount is pretty small.
Recipe: Pale Ale 2015
Brewer: Kealia
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Batch Size (fermenter): 3.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 5.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 85.8 IBUs
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent 1 -
3.00 g Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 -
4 lbs 4.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 62.5 %
1 lbs 4.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 4 18.4 %
1 lbs 2.4 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 5 16.9 %
2.4 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 6 2.2 %
0.60 oz Magnum [14.00 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 7 53.8 IBUs
1.00 Items Servomyces (Boil 10.0 mins) Other 8 -
0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 mins) Fining 9 -
1.00 oz MANDARINA BAVARIA [7.00 %] - Steep/Whirl Hop 10 15.7 IBUs
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Steep/Whirlpool Hop 11 9.5 IBUs
0.15 oz Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpoo Hop 12 6.7 IBUs
1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35. Yeast 13 -
0.50 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz MANDARINA BAVARIA [7.00 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, 150 75 minutes
I thought I had more Nelson on had but I didn't so I threw in what I had.
And since I didn't brew the Dead Guy first I have no Pacman to harvest so I went with good 'ole WLP001.
I can't wait to smell this one after the 30-minute steep @ 180.
1) Since I didn't have enough Nelson Sauvin for the addition I wanted, I'm going to add 1/4oz to the dry hop schedule
2) I'm going to fine this one with gelatin to make it as clear as possible. I haven't done that in a while and never with a hopstand beer so I'm hoping for good results.
After looking through my notes from the last time I used gelatin I'm not going to do it on this batch. I recall being pretty convinced that I needed to offset the gelatin with additional hops because it strips a bit of flavor and aroma out and I haven't done that here. Nor have I used these hops before so I think it best that I walk before I run. KISS.
Checked the SG today and it's at 1.014 so very close to being done. It smells crazy good.
I tossed in 1/2oz of Citra + 1/4oz Nelson Sauvin (3G batch). I'm going to also re-think the last Mandarin Bavaria dry hop addition possibly dropping it to 1/2oz from 1 full ounce. I want to get a feel for how this stuff is before going too far overboard with it.
I did go with only 1/2 oz for the last Mandarina dry hop and that was 3 days ago. Today, I start the cold crash. The sample smells great and is pretty clear. I'm resisting my temptation to use gelatin on this because I do want this beer to be sparkly clear but I'm going to show some discipline and not do it for this first test batch. I may just give it a long cold crash and keg it up next Friday so it has plenty of time to drop everything out, though.
I picked up some Easy Jack and some Mosaic session ale + I have a few bottles of my Kama Citra left to hold me over for a few weeks. In addition, there's a rumor that I have beer mail on the way!
My one and only try of gelatin was a hop failure, IMO so other than a cold crash or weeks in the keg or bottle, I just live with mine being semi clear. One test is not enough to prove to me it does suck the hops from the aroma but I'd rather have a murky beer with good aroma and taste than a clear beer without but I am interested in how yours comes out if you use gelatin.
PABs Brewing
Planning Brew good beer and live a hoppy life Fermenting
Drinking
Disfucted
Smelly Hops
(split batch) A Many Stringed Bow Up Next
Men In Black
I'm going to use it again soon, just not now. What I realized recently was that my wine fridge/fermentation chamber only gets down to about 42 or so. For cold crashing, it's "good" but doesn't get as much settled out as in the past when I used a mini fridge. Right now my kegerator is empty (gasp) so I'm using it to cold crash this since it can get down much colder than that.
In the future, when the kegerator is full (like it has been since I got it before this) I may start using gelatin again to help settle/clarify more. I'm like you, you know that. But at the same time a crystal clear beer is nice, too. Plus I seem to be using more and more hops lately so I want to limit any floaties coming through since the cold crash isn't super cold in the wine fridge.
So, right now I have three units:
1) Kegerator
2) Mini fridge (where I keep my bottles)
3) Wine fridge/fermentation chamber
My other option would be to sell the wine fridge and get another min fridge that gets down lower, it's just not a priority right now.
When I want it to be clear I just use a high floc yeast like Notty instead of S-05/WLP001. Although I do think that a high floc yeast does take out a little bit of the hops too. But there is an easy answer to that. Use more hops. We know Beer Lord wants to.
I am evolving a bit. I am making my mega hop beers a little differently now and still experimenting. But I don't worry much about clarity and never really did. I use more hops in things like pale ales now but the majority is very late and I dry hop my pales much more than almost everyone which does make it less of a pale and more like an IPA but styles are important to me for most beers either.
Ron, how about Super San Diego yeast? It's got a higher attenuation rate, finishes fast and still is very clean.
PABs Brewing
Planning Brew good beer and live a hoppy life Fermenting
Drinking
Disfucted
Smelly Hops
(split batch) A Many Stringed Bow Up Next
Men In Black
I think this batch will be fine given the planned crash, but I have looked at using that. I commented elsewhere that I'm also a fan of Pacman yeast. I just need to harvest it from my Dead Guy so I can reuse it.
