American Pale Ale

barracudamagoo · 06-25-2009, 03:28 PM

I was toying around yesterday with some equations and using mock recipes for the calculations. I figured I might give one of them a try; however, being a noob, I wanted to post it and get feedback. I have not decided what I want to do with the hops (nor have I done many calculations yet) so I only have the grain listed. Here she goes:

OG 1.052
FG 1.014 (+/-.003)
ABV 5.5%
IBU Have not dedcided (I might shoot for middle of the road at 30)

50% Pale Malt 6.29lbs
40% DME 2.93 lbs
10% Rye Malt 1.56 lbs

Total Grain/DME= 10.68

I am shooting for an APA that is a bit on the dry side. I was reading about the types of grain and noted that Rye lends a little dryness to it (also some spice). I like Rye whiskeys so I thought I would give it a whirl. With that said, I am unfamiliar with it and I am open to suggestions. I am looking for the hop profile of Sierra Nevada Torpedo and Schlafly Dry Hopped APA. I think the two taste similar; however, I like the dry finish of the Schlafly. I also think I might be biting off more than I can chew, and may adjust so the DME is the dominant ingredient, and cut the Pale Malt back a bit. What say you?

wildwest450 · 06-25-2009, 03:35 PM

It's hard to leave feedback with no hop profile.

**petep1980** · 06-25-2009, 03:37 PM

I'll focus stictly on your grain bill.

Sidenote: That kind of IBU will DEFINITELY appeal to the masses. Go with crystal malt over the rye malt IMO. Crystal ALWAYS appears in these recipes. Just kind of a staple.

Even with a crappy partial mash efficiency of like 50% (which can happen stove top) the following grain bill will still keep you doing well:
5# 2row pale malt
4# amber or light DME
1# crystal 20L

A lot of people hop with a crap load of cascades. I prefer to bitter with something else to avoid grape fruit beer.

As for something to make it dry, hmmm. I can't help you there.

MMW · 06-25-2009, 03:38 PM

I'm working through a Pale Rye Ale at the moment here.

I think that either you'll want the hop schedule to be pretty special or you'll want to throw in some other grains. I'd be worried about the malt profile being a little boring.

Maybe sub some Crystal 30-40 in for a bit of the Pale Malt?

Beerrific · 06-25-2009, 03:45 PM

Personally, I think the malt profile should be fine. There is no reason you have to have any crystal in there, especially since you are going for something dry. You can make a fine APA with 100% base malt, and you are right, the rye will add some complexity.

Now, on to the hops...

barracudamagoo · 06-25-2009, 03:55 PM

For educational purposes, those who suggest adding crystal malt, why? What am I missing by not adding it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beerrific

Now, on to the hops...

Yes, I apoligize for not having anything. I was just goofing off last night, and thought I sounded okay. I will try to figure out the hops tonight and post it tomorrow morning.

**petep1980** · 06-25-2009, 06:03 PM

It adds some body and is in 90% of pale ales. It's just usually in there.

My beer recipe guide says to have your grain bill done before you move onto your hops btw.

**Yooper** · 06-25-2009, 06:13 PM

I usually have some crystal in my pale ales, but not very much.

According to Jamil Z: "What makes a great pale ale is a balance between the hop bitterness and malt sweetness, between the bready, toasty and the citrus, floral."

With a moderate amount of crystal, you're veering into American amber. A small amount is ok for an APA, or even none at all. Some APAs are drier, without crystal, while some have some carmelly sweetness. I guess you need to decide what you want.

Jamil's book "Brewing Classic Styles" has two recipes. One has victory malt (for the toasty flavor) without crystal malt; the other has the crystal malt.

His grain bills:

8 lb LME
.5 lb Munich LME
.5 lb wheat LME
.75 lb victory

or

7.9 lb lme
.5 lb Munich
.75 crystal 40L

barracudamagoo · 06-25-2009, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

With a moderate amount of crystal, you're veering into American amber. A small amount is ok for an APA, or even none at all. Some APAs are drier, without crystal, while some have some carmelly sweetness. I guess you need to decide what you want.

I am looking for something on the drier side, and not so much sweetness. If I understand you correctly; I plan to not add the crystal. I may look into adding another type of malt; I'll just have to see what strikes my fancy. That's what it's all about, right!

bbrim · 06-26-2009, 01:03 PM

I brewed a pale somewhat along the lines of what you're looking for. I used
15 lbs Pale 2 row
2 lbs Rye malt
1 lbs Crystal 40

I got 9 gallons at 1.058 OG and it finished at 1.010. It's dry and delicious. I expected it to start lower so I didn't hop it quite enough, I hit 37 IBU. 45-50 IBU would have been better and I wish I would have dry hopped it. So what I am saying is that if you want a simple, dry malt character make sure you accent it with sufficient bitterness and big hop aroma/flavor to make the beer interesting. GL.