Gang: I may have inadvertently made Moon Man. I know I didn't really but hear this... I was at a craft beer fest in the spring and the host brewery (Tighthead Brewing in Mundelein, IL) had a great APA called Chilly Water that my wife and I kept going back for. I happen to know the brewer and asked him if it had Amarillo and Citra and he confirmed that it did. I figured I would make a batch of something similar and I knew the wife would like to have it on tap in the bar. So I put this recipe together and it's on tap right now. I'm drinking a glass of it as I type. It looks, smells and tastes exactly like Moon Man. It's clear as a bell and delicious as hell. That should be the tagline for this beer. The one made by Tighthead was more bitter than mine but my flavor and aroma is outrageously good and closer to Moon Man. Here's what I did...
8 lbs Rahr Pale Ale Malt
1 lbs Weyermann Munich 10L
6 ounces Crystal 60L
1 oz Mt. Hood pellets 5.9% for 60
1 oz Amarillo 8.2% for 5
1 oz Citra 13.2% for 5
1 oz Amarillo 8.2% for 2
1 oz Citra 13.2% for 2
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
OG: 1.052, FG: 1.013, IBU: 51, SRM: 7, ABV: 5.0%
I mashed at 151.6° for 60 minutes... single infusion. I diluted my bicarb-heavy water with some distilled and added back some gypsum and CaCl to get the calcium back up. I only used the Mt. Hood because I was looking for some clean bitterness and I knew they would be lost in the weeds with four ounces of late hops added in the last 5 minutes. Plus, I always have a bunch of Mt. Hood anyway. This is not Moon Man but honestly, this is close enough to Moon Man for me. This is Moon Man. No, this is not Moon Man. Someone slap me before I contradict myself again. If you like MM, brew this beer and then call me when it's ready and I will come and tip a few with you! Cheers Beerheads!