Sunday, December 4, 2011

“Kraemer is paler than you” American Pale Ale

Brew date: Dec. 2, 2011
#3
5 gal.

Hallelujah! The blog is now up-to-date! The past posts outlined my brewing experience up to this point. As you can plainly see, I'm still very much new to beer-making. From now on, I'll try to add more pictures and list impressions, tips, and experiences AS THEY HAPPEN. Now on to the latest brew...

This American Pale Ale marks my first true foray into crafting a recipe of my own. I based it on the American Pale Ale outline in "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing, 3rd Ed."

Steeping grains.
Ingredients:
  • 2.30 kg (~5 lbs) Light Malt Extract Syrup
  • 1.03 kg (~2 ¼ lbs) Amber Malt Extract Syrup
  • ½ lb Pale Ale Malt (Briess)
  • ¼ lb Munich Malt (Weyermann)
  • ¼ lb Melanoidan Malt (Best Malz)
  • ¾ oz Willamette hops (Hopunion LLC)
  • 1 oz Horizon hops (Hopunion LLC)
  • 1 oz Amarillo hops (Hopunion LLC)
  • Wyeast 1272 American Ale II
  • 1 ¼ c Briess Dried Malt Extract (for bottling)
Instructions:

Roast pale ale malt and Munich malt in oven at 350 'F for 10 min. Combine with Melanoidan malt and steep (in bag) in 1.5 gal cold water. Bring to 160 'F for 30 min. Add light and amber malt extract syrup. Add Willamette and Horizon hops. Boil for 60 min. Add ½ oz Amarillo during final 15 min. Add ½ oz Amarillo at final 1 min. Cool wort in sink (cold water and ice). At ~120 'F, strain wort, and add to 2 gal cold water in fermentor. Top off to 5 gal with cold water. Pitch yeast.

Pitched yeast 4.5 hrs after activation.
Specific gravity (before pitch) = 1.024
Steeping the grains. I realize it looks like I'm boiling a sock.

First impressions:

(Before adding yeast) Beer a hazy deep marigold color; strong hop scent; tastes bitter with a dry citrus hop flavor. Expect this beer to be strong and hoppy. Not sure how much sweetness will be there after bottling.

I was hoping for something like a cross between the strength of an IPA and the body and flavor of an APA. However, I sort of rushed the final planning. Therefore, I'm not sure what to expect. The light malt extract syrup and Munich malt seem to have given the beer a lighter hue and drier flavor. I'm concerned I should have gotten a crystal malt for sweetness. Just have to wait and see now.

NOTE: Plastic containers weigh 105 g (~3 ¾ oz)
Hops used.
Hop pellets. Not cool enough for the raw flowers (yet).
Fermentor with yeast added. Now we play the waiting game.
Love the swirl the yeast makes.




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