Attempting my first APA, what do you think?

Type: Extract
Date: 6/5/2009
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.00 gal
Boil Time: 60 min

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 42.86 %
1.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 14.29 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 14.29 %
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 8.7 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (60 min) Hops 13.5 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 1.7 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (5 min) Hops 2.7 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
2.00 lb Candi Sugar, Amber (75.0 SRM) Sugar 28.57 %
1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [Starter 1000 ml] Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.02 %
Bitterness: 36.1 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 16.9 SRM

Steep grains as desired (30-60 minutes)

Notes

2.00 lb Turbinado Candi Syrup was substituted for Amber Candi Sugar, Beersmith does not offer Candi Syrup as an option.

I don't have my ingredients yet, so as for the AA% of the hops it is what Beersmith has set as default, and as the notes state I will be using 2lbs of turbinado candi syrup that I made (it was intended to be Candi Sugar, but I either added too much water, or did not hit the correct temperature for "hard crack", of course I wasn't using a thermometer).

I really enjoy NB Mighty Arrow Pale Ale so I wanted to use Amarillo and Cascade hops, but I wasn't sure which to dry hop with, I have not used these hops myself yet.

Any input and advice would be greatly appreciated.

i woulddry hop a little cascade also

It seems like a lot of sugar, with only 4 pounds of malt. I like a little "backbone" to my APAs, so I'm thinking that getting only 56% of your fermentables from malt might give you a thin beer. The hopping looks ok, but I'd also add some at 10 minutes, to give you some hops flavor.

+1 for adding some hops @ 15-20 for a flavor addition

i agree the sugar seems high... add some more extract and cut that down a bit.

+1 for dropping sugar and adding another can of LME

You'll be much happier with the results. Also, hold of on half the LME addition until the fifteen minute mark of the boil to improve the isomerization of the bittering hops.

Alright, so I will edit the recipe and use .5 oz of the cascade and amarillo at 10 minutes, and cut the 2 oz on the dry hop back to .5 oz each (1 oz total), I will cut the Candi syrup back to 1 lb and add some more DME to make up for it. Sound about right?

I'm gonna say for an APA that you might not have enough hops, especially since you're doing a partial boil the utilization won't be that great. Though another ounce at the 10-15 minute mark as suggested would probably make your beer better as would adding more DME/LME instead of the sugar.

But your hops combo sounds tasty.

Cheers.

AJ_in_HD said:

I'm gonna say for an APA that you might not have enough hops, especially since you're doing a partial boil the utilization won't be that great. Though another ounce at the 10-15 minute mark as suggested would probably make your beer better as would adding more DME/LME instead of the sugar.

But your hops combo sounds tasty.

Cheers.

Click to expand...

The reason you see the DME broken into 1lb and then 3 lb increments is because the 1 lb goes into the 60min boil with the bittering hop addition, all other DME and Candi Syrup will be late extract addition to get a more efficient hop utilization. Beersmith calculates my IBU's within style guidelines so I should be good, however, I do need to change its default setting to Rager, right now I think it is Tinseth, so you may be right about the IBU's, I'll have to check when I get home.

I will definitely take Yooper's and your advice to add some hops at the 10 minute mark for more flavor.

I'd hit it!!

Allright so this APA was brewed yesterday, and I added a flameout hop addition and let them steep for 10 minutes, plus I have 2oz each of Amarillo and Cascades left over to dry hop with.

Should I use all 4 oz's to dry hop or would that be too liberal?

IMO a half once of both would be plenty.

EDIT: I think I will use 1 oz of each, I'm definitely looking for hop character. If I had to ask if 4 oz's was too liberal, it probably is, thats a quarter pound man! What was I thinking???

I used the same combo of hops in my APA. It's going into dry hop tomorrow night. It already tastes so good I've been restraining myself from drinking it out of the primary with a long straw.

Schnitzengiggle said:

I think I will use 1 oz of each, I'm definitely looking for hop character. If I had to ask if 4 oz's was too liberal, it probably is, thats half a pound man! What was I thinking???

Click to expand...

[ame=http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS311&=&q=oz+in+pound&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=:]oz in pound - Google Search[/ame] it's a QP.

My bad, your right a QP, duh...

Lemme edit that!

i think the 2 oz of total hops is gonna be nice!

AJ_in_HD said:

i think the 2 oz of total hops is gonna be nice!

Click to expand...

I notice you've got a couple of APA's kegged, what amount of hops do you "normally" dry hop with for your APA's?

Schnitzengiggle said:

I notice you've got a couple of APA's kegged, what amount of hops do you "normally" dry hop with for your APA's?

Click to expand...

well i dry hopped with 1 oz each of whole leaf cascade (9%AA range) and I think it could have used more.

I dry hopped an all centennial IPA with 1 oz of centennial pellet and I think i could have used more.

so for my next batch I'm gonna up the hops to 2 oz of whole leaf and see how that works out. oh...and i need to amend my sig, i'm down to only 1 keg

Thanks for the input!

I'm shooting for a hop flavor/aroma profile similar to NB Mighty Arrow, that is one tasty refreshing summer beer!

Schnitzengiggle said:

Type: Extract
Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.02 %
Bitterness: 36.1 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 16.9 SRM

Click to expand...

My question to you is simple and I'm just asking because i'm doing research.

Your OG and FG fallinto the APA style
Your Alcohol % is good
Bitterness is withing the "guide"

However your color is 16.9 and the style says 5.0-14.0.

Actually I dont really know what my question is now that I think about it. Everything falls into spec aside from color and in the end... who cares right?

Please ignore me.. I got hung up on color of the style too.

Does it matter how you arrive at the Hops/bitterness? Any combination of hops and AA as long as you fall into the range?

thanks
jake

BADS197 said:

My question to you is simple and I'm just asking because i'm doing research.

Your OG and FG fallinto the APA style
Your Alcohol % is good
Bitterness is withing the "guide"

However your color is 16.9 and the style says 5.0-14.0.

Actually I dont really know what my question is now that I think about it. Everything falls into spec aside from color and in the end... who cares right?

Please ignore me.. I got hung up on color of the style too.

Does it matter how you arrive at the Hops/bitterness? Any combination of hops and AA as long as you fall into the range?

thanks
jake

Click to expand...

Well I am using Turbinado Candi Syrup that I made which is amber-ish in color, but I did cut it down to about 1.25lbs, and increased my EXL DME, so I think my SRM is actually about 14.5 according to Beersmith (I'm at work now, so I don't have it at my disposal), however, I used Amber Candi Sugar as an ingredient that was as close to the Turbinado Sugar Syrup I made, so I am assuming the syrup I made is close to the Candi Sugar SRM and gravity contribution.

In the end I think it may have turned out lighter, we'll see in a few weeks. My OG also came out higher (1.057). Almost all of my OG's have been coming out higher than estimated, so I may invest in a digital scale to start weighing my DME, having said that the candi syrup was in spaghetti jar and I'm not sure exactly how much syrup went in, but it was close to 1.25 lbs, (the syrup weighed a little over 2 lbs in the jar, and after I had emptied it I weighed the jar at a little over 0.5 lb.) close enough. This may have led to a higher OG, as well. The Turbinado sugar that made the syrup is raw sugar, I would assume it may have had a higher gravity than Amber Candi sugar. I'm not sure.

I can post the finished recipe tonight when I get home if you'd like.

As for your last question, yes.