This looks great. I had the APA at Tustin Brewery in California, who uses Summit hops like this one. Awesome. I'm going to try this in the next few weeks. What is the target mash temp?
I like mine on the malty side so I usually go for around 155-157 or so.
I was planning to ferment with a new Safale-05 packet, but then I re-read your recipe, which uses an -05 slurry. I haven't used dry yeast since I started brewing a decade ago, so I'm leery. Now I'm considering using a liquid American ale yeast instead. What's your opinion - are dry yeasts reliable these days, and which would be better for this beer in lieu of a slurry?
I was planning to ferment with a new Safale-05 packet, but then I re-read your recipe, which uses an -05 slurry. I haven't used dry yeast since I started brewing a decade ago, so I'm leery. Now I'm considering using a liquid American ale yeast instead. What's your opinion - are dry yeasts reliable these days, and which would be better for this beer in lieu of a slurry?
I made this about 2 months ago. Only difference was I skipped the Willamette dry hop, since I wanted to learn about Summit hop flavor & aroma. After a 2 week ferment, 1 week dry hop secondary, and a few days in the keg, I must say I was turned off by the taste of this beer. People talk about stinky/onion-like flavors with Summit hops, which I certainly get when sniffing the fresh pellets. Not sure if it was psychosomatic or what, but it seemed to translate to the hop flavor of the beer as well. Oniony and very ripe citrus fruit hops with a nice malt background.
I let it sit in the keg for 2 more weeks, and it mellowed out quite a bit, with more of the pleasant flavors coming forward and the other stuff fading away. Problem was that house guests liked it so much ("What fruit did you add to this beer?") that I will never know how much more it would have improved. Until I brew it again, of course. I will also include the Willamette next time, as I think it would be a nice counter for the pungently fruity Summit hops. Nice recipe, BM.
I'm looking forward to it! I look at your recipes quite a bit and drool; and this time I happen to have a boat load of summit, so I'm looking forward to it!