Questions about my new Pale Ale

I have a Pale Ale, a Kona Fire Rock Clone, in the primary. It's been there since February 19, so about 3 weeks. Everything went well with the brew and OG was around 1.057. I pitched a vial of White Labs America Ale Yeast.

My fermentation was a bit slow to show signs, at least in the air lock. Fermentation temperature stayed between 66-68 degrees since day one. I checked the specific gravity today and it was 1.012 or 1.013. It was hard to tell. The directions said it should be 1.013. When I pulled to top off my bucket it smelled like a Belgian Ale to me. When I tasted it from the testing tube it tasted like it too. It had very little malt body as well. Here was the kit ingredients.

Steeping Grains:
1 1/2 lbs Honey Malt
1/2 lb Pale Ale Malt
1/2 lb Munich Malt

LME:
6 lbs Extra Pale Extract
1 1/2 lbs Munich Extract

Hops:
1/2 oz Galena @ 60min
1/4 oz Galena @ 15min
3/4 oz Cascade @ 15min
1 oz Mt Hood @ 5min

Granted I know this brew is young but should the taste and smell be that much off? It doesn't taste bad.....just not too much like Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale or any Pale Ale for that matter. Thoughts?

Maybe you added too much flux capacitor because your brewing from the future Or did you mean January 19th?

DaveMcPhee said:

Maybe you added too much flux capacitor because your brewing from the future Or did you mean January 19th?

Click to expand...

HA !!!! That's pretty good. Yes, Jan 19th.

i just did a trail 1 gallon of ipa that I tasted 1 week after bottling then 2, 3, 4, then 5 on the 5th week it was like 2 different beers from the 1st week. It did not taste like an IPA after the 1st week but as each week went buy the taste got beeter and better. Maybe just leave it alone for another week then bottle and leave it alone for another 3 weeks. If it still taste like a Belgian you just found a good Belgian recipe.

Yes, I know that how much the flavor can improve over time with a new beer. I experienced that with my first brew. I was expecting to taste green Pale Ale not green Belgian. Maybe once I keg, cool and carb it the taste will be more in line for a Pale Ale.

I'll look up the differences in the two styles and see if they use similar hops.

The "steeping" grains need to be converted. Did you mash or steep? Mash would be ~150-155F for 60 min. Steep is ~160 for 30 min.

The kit's directions said to steep for 25 min @ 155˚, so that's what I did. I actually did a pretty active steep, raising and lowering the grain bag in and out of the wort. I have seen some brewers that just plop the bag in and basically leave it. I figured I was extracting more sugars that way. I did not squeeze the grain bag for fear of releasing excess tannins.

The pale malt and Munich should be mashed to be converted. If you hit 155F for 25 min you probably got partial conversion.

These might help explain the difference

http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter12-1.html

http://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/07/11/malted-grain-types-and-mash-profiles/

Well in the JP link it says 160°F +/- 10° for 30 min. so maybe I didn't get 100% conversion. I am in the ballpark though. Next time I shoot for 160˚ for 30 min. to be safe.

I have the color and the malt sweetness. Hops are there as well. It just smells and tastes different than I was expecting. Yes, I know it's green. I'm going to keg and carb it after I get back home later today.

Well, looking back at my notes I know what the problem might be. I didn't exactly follow the recipe.

Here is the original hop additions according to the recipe.
1/2 oz Galena @ 60min
1/4 oz Galena @ 15min
3/4 oz Cascade @ 15min
1 oz Mt Hood @ 5min

The kit came with 1 oz pack of each type of hop. I dumped the remaining 1/4 oz of Galena and 1/4 oz of Cascade in at the 15 min left mark. I hated to waste them and they smelled so good. I think that I am smelling and tasting the Galena. I love Cascades and know their flavor, so I'm sure it's not the Cascades. Lesson learned.

Just as reference, there's a Fire Rock clone from one of the posters here that people have been brewing: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/kona-fire-rock-pale-ale-ag-clone-52220/

I know that doesn't help your current situation, though, but just giving you another recipe to try if this one doesn't work out for you.

I'd just wait it out and see what happens...

Yes, I saw that post. Thanks.

I may give it a shot if I can convert it to extract. I'm pretty sure that me altering the hops in the recipe is what is causing the different flavor and smell. What I have now isn't bad, it's just not Kona Fire Rock. I thought by adding the additional hops I would be adding to the hop flavor. What it did was change the taste. The Galena hops were higher in AA and are used mainly as bittering. It really isn't overly bitter though. I wish I had taken the time to read up on them before brewed.

Oh well. I'll have to put this keg out of it's misery soon.