I cracked a bottle of my pale ale tonight, only a week and a half after bottling. I think I killed it on this one. It tastes a lot like Pseudo Sue. Next week, we’re having a little beer party, and I’m going to be proud to bring some bottles along. I’m usually my own worst critic on my beer, but I can’t find anything to complain about on this one.
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Congrats on a great looking and tasting, taking your word on it, beer! Keep it up!
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Very nice. I’m also my own worse critic. Haven’t shared any of mine yet, think I’m waiting until I get it all down without worrying I made a mistake somewhere.
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Congrats man…recipe?
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Here it is…
7.5 lbs Rahr 2 row
2 lbs Pilsner
1.5 lbs Golden Promise
.25 lbs c 20
.25 lbs c60
Mash at 152 for 60 min
I got an OG of 1.057, adjust accordingly
.75 Oz Chinook (homegrown) 60 min
1 Oz Chinook (homegrown) 5 min
1 Oz Simcoe (pellet) 5 min
1 Oz Chinook (homegrown) Dry hop
1 Oz Simcoe (pellet) Dry hop
Yeast: Wyeast 1272
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So now, explain what you taste? Hoppy, bitter, balanced, crisp, or satisfyingly a great brew? I like to hear the details… Sneezles61, PS it does look a very inviting a brew!
Aroma: my wife smelled honey, which I kind of got after the suggestion.
Malt layers: a touch sweet, some biscuit, but mostly neutral. There’s enough to back things up, but not crazy sweet like my early beers with too much crystal.
Hops: strangely, this tastes like subdued citra. Somewhere between the Chinook and Simcoe, I’m getting an overripe melon flavor. A touch of dank against citrus and resin presents as it’s own thing.
Overall: there’s actual balance. My fatal flaw in recipe design is to go big… too big in gravity, too much crystal, too many bittering hops. This keeps that all down to reasonable levels. The finish is a bit sweet, but as carbonation builds, I think this will be crisp and refreshing.
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Wow…! That’s way over my head, being new to brewing and all…!
I would have been like… BEER GOOOOD! ( in my best caveman voice) but a beautiful looking brew none the less!! Congrats!
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I’m all about the guttural grunt of a good beer, but the best thing about brewing is learning to parse out why things work. The first time I had a commercial beer and thought “this is either underattenuated or way too heavy on crystal malts” I realized it was worth making mediocre beer just to learn more.
How bitter did your homegrown Chinook come out? One tough thing about using homegrown hops for bittering is that you never know how bitter it may be without that AA or IBUs on the package.
Congrats on your tasty brew BTW. Recipe looks great, actual glass of beer better.
Yeah, I’m assuming they’re not as potent as the stuff from the store. I’ve heard Chinook referred to as “Super Cascade,” so I think of my homegrown as “kind of brawny Cascade.” The smell on them is amazing, though. I’m pretty happy that the Chinook is the biggest producer in my hop yard.
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I got notes back from a competition on this… scored 38. Moved on to a second round. The only complaint was that the grain bill was a little simple, and it was a bit watery/thin. New house pale? New house pale.
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