Back to Shopping at NorthernBrewer.com

It's Your Call - Pale Ale Like...?

Mashing
#1

Hello my Fellow Brewers,

Forgive me for I have sinned and not posted in a while and have shaken the ‘funk’ and brewed 4 batches since Christmas.

I have reconditioned the kegerator and ready to brew a Pale Ale. 9/10 gallon batch.

I have a grain bill of 16lb Crisp Pale, 1lb Wheat, and 1lb 40L - Hops of 1oz Centennial 10.7 and 1oz Saaz 3.3 - Yeast Wl001 and Wl002.

Of course a simple Pale is easy with little IBU but I’m thinking ‘different’. Maybe some Brer Rabbit Molasses and go with the WL002… or Wl001 with some honey.

What would you do?

#2

[quote=“GHawk”]Hello my Fellow Brewers,

Forgive me for I have sinned and not posted in a while and have shaken the ‘funk’ and brewed 4 batches since Christmas.

I have reconditioned the kegerator and ready to brew a Pale Ale. 9/10 gallon batch.

I have a grain bill of 16lb Crisp Pale, 1lb Wheat, and 1lb 40L - Hops of 1oz Centennial 10.7 and 1oz Saaz 3.3 - Yeast Wl001 and Wl002.

Of course a simple Pale is easy with little IBU but I’m thinking ‘different’. Maybe some Brer Rabbit Molasses and go with the WL002… or Wl001 with some honey.

What would you do?[/quote]
Whatever you brew, it’ll be pretty damn malty if that’s all the hops you’re going to use. A little dark sugar wouldn’t be out of place in this brew, I guess, but I’d want to throw in some dark malt too. A pale ale with that low a hopping rate would be a pretty weird concoction, I think. Then again, I’m thinking the gravity you’re going to get with that amount of grain in a 9 or 10 gallon batch would probably not be especially high, so it might turn out something like a pale mild if you made it without the molasses. I don’t know. I’m thinking this brew needs something more, but I’m drawing a blank off the top of my head. Sorry, I guess this is kind of a useless response. I just need to go to bed. :wink:

#3

Thanks for the shot at it… I was just on another site and remember a dryer beer will perceive hoppier.
Adding 1/2lb honey would ferment dry. Here’s Promash on that idea…

Batch Size (Gal): 9.00 Wort Size (Gal): 9.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 18.50
Anticipated OG: 1.054
Anticipated SRM: 6.1
Anticipated IBU: 31.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

A balance ratio of about 59 Too sweet? Go 10 gal and reduce the gravity?

Edit: Found the right calc for Bitterness/Balance and this would be a very sweet, way out of style guidelines beer. I’ll have to make the trip back to the beer store for more hops.

#4

[quote=“GHawk”]Thanks for the shot at it… I was just on another site and remember a dryer beer will perceive hoppier.
Adding 1/2lb honey would ferment dry. Here’s Promash on that idea…

Batch Size (Gal): 9.00 Wort Size (Gal): 9.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 18.50
Anticipated OG: 1.054
Anticipated SRM: 6.1
Anticipated IBU: 31.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

A balance ratio of about 59 Too sweet? Go 10 gal and reduce the gravity?

Edit: Found the right calc for Bitterness/Balance and this would be a very sweet, way out of style guidelines beer. I’ll have to make the trip back to the beer store for more hops.[/quote]
Yes, that BU/GU ratio will make a beer that is too sweet for the pale ale style, but there are other styles that would work quite well with that balance, at least with the California Ale strain. Brown ale is the first one that comes to mind for me. If you’re going back to your LHBS, I’d suggest picking up a little dark malt and maybe a little toasted malt, too, instead of different hops, and go for that style instead of a pale ale. The hops you’ve got wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice, but the beer might turn out well as an American-style brown ale, especially since you’re not going for a very high bittering level anyway. Just an idea.

#5

Thanks deliusism1,

I have been playing with English style guidelines and you’re right. I may be better off finishing up my supplies with a bitter instead of an Amer. Ale

I’ve also been reading up on the added IBUs using First Wort Hopping. Very interesting. The articles suggest as mush as 10% more IBU addition and a smoother, more pleasant flavor. I think my whole problem from the start was I didn’t have enough hops to do the job and the trip for supplies is a pain/ over priced. I actually was going with…

Batch Size (Gal): 9.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 18.00
Anticipated OG: 1.052
Anticipated SRM: 6.1
Anticipated IBU: 37.1
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72%
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

16.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America
1.00 lbs. Crystal 40L America
1.00 lbs. Wheat Malt America

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
0.50 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 3.30 4.4 First WH
1.00 oz. Centennial Pellet 10.70 31.9 90 min
0.50 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 3.30 0.7 5 min

Assuming the added FW hopping IBU were more I’b be in the average of style guidelines for an American Pale Ale. Finishing supplies to load kegs after such a long, empty sit.

I had my equipment set up and ruined two thermometers. After the replacements it was 3:30 and too late to do anything today.

#6

The hopping schedule seems more inline with an English Pale Ale… leaning towards more bittering and less on the late additions. If you were shooting for an American Pale Ale, you want more late additions, dry hopping, and you’d want to use citrus hops… like the centennial, but not at 90min.

#7

My thoughts exactly. The miniscule amount of finishing hops used in this brew would not contribute nearly enough in the way of hop flavor or aroma for an American pale ale…and probably not even for a British pale ale, either. And besides that, the finishing hop used here would be more at home in a different style of beer altogether, although if they were used in enough quantity, like at least 3 or 4 oz. (due to their low AA level) at finishing, I’d be interested in seeing what the beer would be like. I never really have experimented much with the Saaz variety, so I can’t say what they’d be like in this style of beer. Incidentally, though, why wouldn’t you want to use the Centennial hops at 90 minutes? What would be wrong with that?

#8

My thoughts exactly. The miniscule amount of finishing hops used in this brew would not contribute nearly enough in the way of hop flavor or aroma for an American pale ale…and probably not even for a British pale ale, either. And besides that, the finishing hop used here would be more at home in a different style of beer altogether, although if they were used in enough quantity, like at least 3 or 4 oz. (due to their low AA level) at finishing, I’d be interested in seeing what the beer would be like. I never really have experimented much with the Saaz variety, so I can’t say what they’d be like in this style of beer. Incidentally, though, why wouldn’t you want to use the Centennial hops at 90 minutes? What would be wrong with that?[/quote]

If making a Pale ale, I’d want those centennial hops for finishing… during the last 20mins and for dry hopping, but I agree with you, more are needed. For a basic pale ale, I’d use 1/2oz at 15 & 10min and 1 oz at 5min and flame out. I’d dry hop with another 1 or 2oz. \

I like to use a more neutral hop for bittering like Magnum.

I love Saaz hops, but not in a pale ale. They’re more for lagers and specifically pilsners. IMHO.

Back to Shopping at NorthernBrewer.com