American Pale Ale

I was toying around yesterday with some equations and using mock recipes for the calculations. I figured I might give one of them a try; however, being a noob, I wanted to post it and get feedback. I have not decided what I want to do with the hops (nor have I done many calculations yet) so I only have the grain listed. Here she goes:

OG 1.052
FG 1.014 (+/-.003)
ABV 5.5%
IBU Have not dedcided (I might shoot for middle of the road at 30)

50% Pale Malt 6.29lbs
40% DME 2.93 lbs
10% Rye Malt 1.56 lbs

Total Grain/DME= 10.68

I am shooting for an APA that is a bit on the dry side. I was reading about the types of grain and noted that Rye lends a little dryness to it (also some spice). I like Rye whiskeys so I thought I would give it a whirl. With that said, I am unfamiliar with it and I am open to suggestions. I am looking for the hop profile of Sierra Nevada Torpedo and Schlafly Dry Hopped APA. I think the two taste similar; however, I like the dry finish of the Schlafly. I also think I might be biting off more than I can chew, and may adjust so the DME is the dominant ingredient, and cut the Pale Malt back a bit. What say you?

It's hard to leave feedback with no hop profile.

I'll focus stictly on your grain bill.

Sidenote: That kind of IBU will DEFINITELY appeal to the masses. Go with crystal malt over the rye malt IMO. Crystal ALWAYS appears in these recipes. Just kind of a staple.

Even with a crappy partial mash efficiency of like 50% (which can happen stove top) the following grain bill will still keep you doing well:
5# 2row pale malt
4# amber or light DME
1# crystal 20L

A lot of people hop with a crap load of cascades. I prefer to bitter with something else to avoid grape fruit beer.

As for something to make it dry, hmmm. I can't help you there.

I'm working through a Pale Rye Ale at the moment here.

I think that either you'll want the hop schedule to be pretty special or you'll want to throw in some other grains. I'd be worried about the malt profile being a little boring.

Maybe sub some Crystal 30-40 in for a bit of the Pale Malt?

Personally, I think the malt profile should be fine. There is no reason you have to have any crystal in there, especially since you are going for something dry. You can make a fine APA with 100% base malt, and you are right, the rye will add some complexity.

Now, on to the hops...

For educational purposes, those who suggest adding crystal malt, why? What am I missing by not adding it?

Beerrific said:

Now, on to the hops...

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Yes, I apoligize for not having anything. I was just goofing off last night, and thought I sounded okay. I will try to figure out the hops tonight and post it tomorrow morning.

It adds some body and is in 90% of pale ales. It's just usually in there.

My beer recipe guide says to have your grain bill done before you move onto your hops btw.

I usually have some crystal in my pale ales, but not very much.

According to Jamil Z: "What makes a great pale ale is a balance between the hop bitterness and malt sweetness, between the bready, toasty and the citrus, floral."

With a moderate amount of crystal, you're veering into American amber. A small amount is ok for an APA, or even none at all. Some APAs are drier, without crystal, while some have some carmelly sweetness. I guess you need to decide what you want.

Jamil's book "Brewing Classic Styles" has two recipes. One has victory malt (for the toasty flavor) without crystal malt; the other has the crystal malt.

His grain bills:

8 lb LME
.5 lb Munich LME
.5 lb wheat LME
.75 lb victory

or

7.9 lb lme
.5 lb Munich
.75 crystal 40L

YooperBrew said:

With a moderate amount of crystal, you're veering into American amber. A small amount is ok for an APA, or even none at all. Some APAs are drier, without crystal, while some have some carmelly sweetness. I guess you need to decide what you want.

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I am looking for something on the drier side, and not so much sweetness. If I understand you correctly; I plan to not add the crystal. I may look into adding another type of malt; I'll just have to see what strikes my fancy. That's what it's all about, right!

I brewed a pale somewhat along the lines of what you're looking for. I used
15 lbs Pale 2 row
2 lbs Rye malt
1 lbs Crystal 40

I got 9 gallons at 1.058 OG and it finished at 1.010. It's dry and delicious. I expected it to start lower so I didn't hop it quite enough, I hit 37 IBU. 45-50 IBU would have been better and I wish I would have dry hopped it. So what I am saying is that if you want a simple, dry malt character make sure you accent it with sufficient bitterness and big hop aroma/flavor to make the beer interesting. GL.

I'm always on the fence about dry hopping my APAs. I'm really the only who appreciates it. No one else sniffs the beer before they swig. Also if you don't buy hops in bulk you could be looking at $4/oz to add a little aroma no one else will notice.

Barracuda have you finished your recipe? Are you throwing this down this weekend? I'm also doing an APA this weekend.

I'm a big fan of rye in APA's, but I think with the rye malt being only 10% of the grist, you may find it understated. My rye APA has closer to 25% rye in the grain bill, and it's definitely there, but not overpowering. (Mine has Crystal also, but is tending toward amber in SRM).

jds said:

I'm a big fan of rye in APA's, but I think with the rye malt being only 10% of the grist, you may find it understated. My rye APA has closer to 25% rye in the grain bill, and it's definitely there, but not overpowering. (Mine has Crystal also, but is tending toward amber in SRM).

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I went with 10%, as what I read suggested to be cautious with the use of rye. Maybe I'll try 20% if you say it is noticeable, but not overpowering.

Maybe I should get to the hops!