Pale Ale recipe check... Comments plz!

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

mattldm

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2010
Messages
172
Reaction score
0
Location
Rancho- Redlands
I going to be brewing my first batch to go in a keg soon and I was thinking of doing a Pale! I would like to hear any comments or suggestions on this recipe I came up with, thanks!

5 gallons

7 lbs. Maris Otter Pale
2 lbs. Munich Malt
1 lb. Crystal 40L
1 lb. Victory Malt

1 oz. Centennial (60 min)
.5oz. Centennial (15 min)
.5oz. Amarillo (15 min)
.5oz. Centennial (Flameout)
.5oz. Amarillo (Flameout)

Whitelabs WLP023 Burton Ale Yeast

Beersmith says:
OG 1.057 (@ 70% efficiency)
12.0 SRM
51.7 IBU

Let me know what u think!
 
You may want to consider adjusting your grain bill a bit. Maris Otter is a pretty rich base malt on its own. If I were you, I would leave out the Victory malt, and replace it with more Maris Otter. You could even go as simple as 10 lb. Maris Otter and 1 lb. Crystal 40. From your hop bill, this certainly looks like an American pale ale. I think you want a nice malt backbone without going over the top. Too much Munich and Victory on top of the Maris Otter would, IMO, prevent the hops from shining through.

I have never used the Burton ale yeast strain. A lot of American craft brewers are using English yeasts in American beer styles, these days, so you will probably be OK. You may want to keep your fermentation temps down to keep the fruity esters low, and produce a nice, clean beer.
 
I look at APAs as a fairly delicate beer. As ISU claimed you want the hops to really come through. Not like a pils but still delicate. I think just a touch of munich, victory, and crystal will make it a really nice beer. When I say a touch maybe around a few oz each. To me the hops look pretty good. I would mash low. Lately i've kinda been "over" american ale yeast. I just look for a little more fruity flavors. They seem to meld well with american hops.
 
I brewed this beer yesterday and everything went great... However I'm concerned as there was NO hop aroma at all! I tasted the wort and it was good... But there was just no hop nose at all and I used and ounce of hops at flameout....

Will this improve as the beer ferments or should I consider dry hopping to add some aroma?
 
Give it a few weeks, then you can dry hop prior to bottling or dry hop in serving keg which is a better way IMO.
 
I think if I were to brew this recipe I'd adjust down the Victory and Munich just a bit. Maybe half as much of each, and replace with Maris Otter. 1lb of victory is going to contribute a big biscuit flavor, might dominate the Pale Ale.
 
I think if I were to brew this recipe I'd adjust down the Victory and Munich just a bit. Maybe half as much of each, and replace with Maris Otter. 1lb of victory is going to contribute a big biscuit flavor, might dominate the Pale Ale.

I ended up cutting the victory in half and adding 1/2 pound more pale malt.
Mashed @ 151 for 60m
 
So I pulled a sample of this today and.... well I know its only a week in, but...
It smells funky! It tastes ohk, but its hard to get past the yeast funkyness!

Is this normal with Burton yeast?
 
That Burton yeast is a funky one. You will get lots of flavor from that yeast, and it will mask some of the hops.

I think the late hop addition along with some dry hops will balance it out and be a nice pale ale.

Keep us posted as you do taste tests.

TB
 
I tasted this again a few days ago, and there was a huge difference! The "Funkiness" had faded almost completely away... although there was still a hint. Im going to Dry hop it wednesday, so it will age out like this:
18 days primary
7 days secondary (dry Hop)
3 days Cold crash
Keg, carb, and serve!
 
I kegged this morning and the beer tastes great! No yeast funk at all! I take back all the nasty things I thought about Burton yeast lol ;)

Still, there is not as much hop aroma as I would have liked... maybe it will increase when fully carbed? or maybe I need more than 1 ounce to dry hop?

But at any rate, so far so good for my first attempt at a pale ale! I cant wait to drink it!
 
I kegged this morning and the beer tastes great! No yeast funk at all! I take back all the nasty things I thought about Burton yeast lol ;)
By funky, I didn't mean nasty. It is high in esters, though, as you'll see less of the hops come through than with a cleaner yeast, and more fruity notes on the finish. Of course, results vary with fermentation temperatures and malt/hop bills, but this is my general experience with this yeast.

Still, there is not as much hop aroma as I would have liked... maybe it will increase when fully carbed? or maybe I need more than 1 ounce to dry hop?

But at any rate, so far so good for my first attempt at a pale ale! I cant wait to drink it!

You could probably use more dry hop, but again, it's the Burton yeast that's masking some of that hop you were hoping to find in it. Like I said a few posts before, it will mask some of the hop, so you will have to increase your hop usage (especially late additions/dry hop) to make up for it. You can make one damn fine IPA or Pale Ale with Burton yeast, it just takes the right balance.

Cheers!
TiberfermentlowandaddmorehopsBrew
 
By funky, I didn't mean nasty. It is high in esters, though, as you'll see less of the hops come through than with a cleaner yeast, and more fruity notes on the finish. Of course, results vary with fermentation temperatures and malt/hop bills, but this is my general experience with this yeast.



You could probably use more dry hop, but again, it's the Burton yeast that's masking some of that hop you were hoping to find in it. Like I said a few posts before, it will mask some of the hop, so you will have to increase your hop usage (especially late additions/dry hop) to make up for it. You can make one damn fine IPA or Pale Ale with Burton yeast, it just takes the right balance.

Cheers!
TiberfermentlowandaddmorehopsBrew

thanks for the comments. I am really happy with the way the beer turned out, and yeah there are lots of fruity esters but I think it makes a real interesting beer!

And I didnt realize that the yeast would overpower the hops, but it makes sense! I may try this recipe again but use something like WLP001 and see how much different it is! (I have access to all the 001 I could ever need from a local brewery)
 
thanks for the comments. I am really happy with the way the beer turned out, and yeah there are lots of fruity esters but I think it makes a real interesting beer!
Indeed, but once you get a hang for this yeast, you can do wonders with it! Even with more hop driven beers. It's all about balance, my friend!

And I didnt realize that the yeast would overpower the hops, but it makes sense! I may try this recipe again but use something like WLP001 and see how much different it is! (I have access to all the 001 I could ever need from a local brewery)

Haha, I warned ya!

Split a 10 gal batch into two fivers, one with the Burton, one with the American ale yeast. You will see the differences first hand. Although different, none can claim to be the "best." It's all up to you, and how you use it.

TiberwearealllearningBrew
 
Back
Top