Sweetwater 420 Clone, with decoction?

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aomagman78

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I got a clone recipe for sweetwater from Mutilated1 on the forums. Made the extract version a year ago with pretty good results. Now I've got the equipment for all grain and a full boil. Below is the recipe, with slight hops modification for what I had around.

My question is about a decoction. I watched the BrewTV on it and was interested in trying a short one for curiousity sake. Is it quite uncommon to hear of a docoction Pale Ale? I was hoping it would add some of the mouthfeel and slight sweetness I find in this beer. What are your thoughts on the mash schedule?

Malt
7lbs 2-row
1-1/2lb Vienna
1lb Munich 5L
1/2lb Carapils

Hops
60min 1oz Cascade
60min 1/4oz Willamate (need to use up)
15min 1/2oz Cascade
5min 1/2oz Cascade
5min 1/4 Citra (need to use)

US-05 Yeast

Mash Schedule:

Dough-in at 80F with 10qt
Raise to 120F and rest for 30min
Raise to 146F and rest for 30min
Pull Decoction, 10qt, and boil 10min
Return decoction+water to reach 152F, hold 30min
Collect runnings
Batch sparge twice (7qt) with 170F to bring volume to 6-6.5


Do I have those temperatures correct for the rests, pre-decoction? If I want just a 'strong hint' of decoction, should I pull less and boil longer, or pull the 1qt/lb and boil less?

Thanks for input, let me know if you've done a decoction on a Pale Ale and what your thoughts were.
 
No decotion, but your mash schedule isnt to far off. Add some centennial, drop the willamette and citra (but if you got to use it, use it). And Id try an english ale yeast, but a clean chico strand wont change much.

FYI, for a protein rest most german brewing standards starts at 122*
 
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