American APA-- Any advice

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pa-in-utah

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Went to a new LHBS and we came up with this recipe. I wanted to brew a "Northwestern Style Pale Ale". The guy was a real prick, so the name of my brew is going to be "Arrogant APA".....

1 lb American Pale Ale (will lightly toast before steeping)
6 lb Light LME
1 oz Mt Hood (4.8%) - 60 minutes
1 oz Chinook (12.1%) - 3 minutes
WLP 041 Pacific Ale yeast (will leave slight malty character)

Will Dry hop with 1 oz Chinook in the secondary for about 2 weeks.

I thought about adding another lb of DME to kick the abv up a little. Other than that, what do you guys think?
 
Chinook hops are rather sharp. Have you used these before as the flavor hop? I like them for bittering and with a combination of Centenial towards the end.
 
pa-in-utah said:
what do you guys think?
Click to expand...

I think that good HBS's are few and far between and you should let this guy and his employer know that you are unhappy with their service. These places will not servive without better customer service. They feel like they are the only game in town so they don't have to be polite but what they forget is the same products are easily aquired on line for less money! If they are not carefull they will soon be without work.

sorry for the rant I just hate poor customer service. It seems ythere are far more bad HBS's than good ones!

edit to say your recipe looks tasty...
 
Blender said:
Chinook hops are rather sharp. Have you used these before as the flavor hop? I like them for bittering and with a combination of Centenial towards the end.
Click to expand...
As for the hops, I have not used Chinook before. I wanted to use cascade but the HBS thought chinook would be better for the style I was going for. The owner is a real hop head so maybe that is why he persuaded me to chinook.

As for the owner and his customer service---

He is a owner/operator and has been around for years!! He is very knowledgeable but rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning of our conversation. I wasn't even going to buy from him. Once we got past his ignorance, things went better. He knows his stuff, but lacks in personal skills.

Do youguys think the chinook is to much? Should I switch to cascade or maybe dryhop with cascade instead? I have never used chinook or cascade (only 3 batches) so I am open to suggestions.
 
I don't know how you could go wrong using Cascades. Now, if it was my brew I would bitter with the Chinook and dump a nice load of Cascades in at the end and dry hop with the Cascades. How many IBU's you shooting for? Chinook and Cascades are 2 of the hops in SN Celebration Ale and I really like that beer. You would just have to tone it down on the hops for an APA.

I like the yeast selection.
 
Not looking for a real bitter brew. I didn't think the chinook would be to overpowering since the are only used for aroma. I am sure it will change the flavor and profile but I want a lot of hops aroma and taste. Maybe this wil be an expiermental brew.... If I like it, maybe next time I will use cascades and a different bittering hops.

I have only used 3 different types of hops so far. So I am still "feeling the ropes" but I know I like Northwestern style brews that use lots of hops for aroma.
 
Assuming you're doing a full boil (?), I'm getting an OG in the mid 50s and 22 IBUs (even lower if a partial boil); probably need a few more IBUs based on what you're after.

I like Blenders idea about bittering w/the Chinook and finishing with something else (1 oz Chinook @ 60 min would give ~45 IBU in a full boil)
 
I've been thinking about American themed APAs. Think about these Hop combons:

Warrior / Tomahawk

First Gold / Nugget

Galena / Aurora (towns in Illinois)

Phoenix / Amarillo

I know that they're not all native to America, but it's just fun to come up with combos like this.
 
Cheesefood said:
I've been thinking about American themed APAs. Think about these Hop combons:

Warrior / Tomahawk

First Gold / Nugget

Galena / Aurora (towns in Illinois)

Phoenix / Amarillo

I know that they're not all native to America, but it's just fun to come up with combos like this.
Click to expand...


I just did something similar for an APA I plan on drinking for the fourth. I used Victory Malt, Northern Brewer and Columbus hops and an American ale yeast. I was going to use Liberty Hops as well, but the LHBS didnt have any at the time. h
 
Bike N Brew said:
Assuming you're doing a full boil (?), I'm getting an OG in the mid 50s and 22 IBUs (even lower if a partial boil); probably need a few more IBUs based on what you're after.

I like Blenders idea about bittering w/the Chinook and finishing with something else (1 oz Chinook @ 60 min would give ~45 IBU in a full boil)
Click to expand...


Will be doing a 3 1/2 gallon boil. I come up with 28 IBU. I would rather use the hops I have on hand. If I boil the last 1oz for 5 min it bumps the IBU to 36. Could I use chinook to bittter, Mt hood to flavor and Dry hop with the chinook.

I am still to new to understand all the "fine lines" of hops. I personally am not a huge fan of "bitter" beer. So I want to keep the IBU lower until I can fully understand what I am doing.

Basically in short--- I want a lot of hop aroma and flavor, without the high bitterness. So maybe calling it an APA is not correct. More of an American "light colored" Amber. I guess it is an experiement with high hopes of a good brew!
 
If you're not looking for bitter, than your original recipe is probably fine. Do you have a specific "northwest Pale Ale" that you like? If so, see if you can find the IBU and gravity specs on that as a guide. (The brewery web site often will have this info).
 
.... If I like it said:
Your recipe sounds good. Dry hopped my APA with .5ozs Cascade pellets and wound up with a subtle aroma. Gonna bump the dry hop up to 1oz next time. Another good way to get hop aroma is to add hops at the end of your 60min boil and allow them to steep for ten minutes. :mug:
Click to expand...
 
I'm not a fan of chinook- it seems too harsh for me. My last IPA was dryhopped with 2 ounces of cascade and that is about right for me. It's not harsh, it's smooth yet hoppy. I think chinook for dryhopping would not be my idea of a real good smooth beer. For bittering, it'd be good, though.
 
3 minutes with the chinook should be okay. I'd suggest you open the bag, stink your snout in there and give a whiff.

3 minutes of boil will give you that flavor. Ya might even think about tossing in half at 3 minutes and half at flame-out.
 
krispy d said:
I think that good HBS's are few and far between and you should let this guy and his employer know that you are unhappy with their service. These places will not servive without better customer service. They feel like they are the only game in town so they don't have to be polite but what they forget is the same products are easily aquired on line for less money! If they are not carefull they will soon be without work.

sorry for the rant I just hate poor customer service. It seems ythere are far more bad HBS's than good ones!

edit to say your recipe looks tasty...
Click to expand...

That's funny, because the people at my LHBS aren't super knowledgeable, but they've all always been as helpful and friendly as possible, so I forgive them for not being as geeky and obsessed as I am. :D
 
Yooper Chick said:
I'm not a fan of chinook- it seems too harsh for me. My last IPA was dryhopped with 2 ounces of cascade and that is about right for me. It's not harsh, it's smooth yet hoppy. I think chinook for dryhopping would not be my idea of a real good smooth beer. For bittering, it'd be good, though.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I am looking for.... Hoppy but smooth and easy to drink.


Seems like I should lean toward Cascade then. That is what I told the HBS but the wanted me to use chinook, read earlier in the thread about the new LHBS i tried....

I am going to a different store on Friday. I will chit-chat with them (very helpful as well) and see what they think. Maybe pick up some cascade and see what happens.
 
As I live in the Cascade foothills of Washington, I feel it appropriate to recommend Cascade hops.

Mmmmm Cascade hops, you can actually taste Washington State. Stay away from any ingredients that impart the flavor of the other Washington, crap flavored ale sounds like a looser to me.
 

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