8th batch

[TLeahey]

My first post and hello to all who appear as addicted to home brewing as I've become.
To date I've brewed a imperial nut brown, English style nut brown, IPA, a dry hopped pale ale, a light summer ale and a few other pale ales. My favorite.
Here's the one from yesterday. Looking for some feedback on wether I've lost it.
I call it a pale apple ale.
Grains. .5 carapilis malt. .5 crystal malt
DME. 6 lbs Muntons extra light
Bittering hops. German Pearle 1oz
Flavoring hops. Sorachi Ace. 1/2 oz.
Yeast. Safale s-04 dry
Steeped grains in 1 gallon water heated to 160 and removed. Added 5 gallons water and DME. Brought to a good rolling boil and added bittering hops. Boiled for a full hour adding the flavoring hops last 5 minutes. Brought the wort down to 70 degrees. OG was 1.050. As I racked it to the primary I added 1 quart 100% pure apple juice. Pasteurized with no additives or preservatives. Pitched the yeast and today it is fermenting nicely.
So let me have it. Nuts?

 

[jmprdood]

Welcome to the board! Nuts, no. Creative, yes. I've never added apple juice to my fermenter, but it is a very fermentable sugar and may impart a "dryness" to the beer more than flavor as it is more fermentable than the malt.

One thing for sure, it's beer!!

Keep us posted.

Cheers!

 

[gladius270]

I've very interested to see how this one turns out. Sounds like this could be great.

 

[TLeahey]

Your not kidding about the apple juice being highly fermentable!
Had to rig up a blow off tube with my airlock. Airlock alone couldn't handle it.

 

[unionrdr]

You'd have gotten more flavor out of the hops if you boiled them 20 minutes instead of 5. 5 minutes won't add much flavor.

 

[TLeahey]

True on the flavoring hops. In retrospect probably shouldn't have bothered as my intent was to not over power the apple taste I'm hoping for.

 

[unionrdr]

The Sorachi Ace having that lemon flavor,it should add some tartness to whatever apple flavor remains. So even 10-12 minutes would've been good.

 

[TLeahey]

Good point. Depending on how this batch turns out I will definetly take your advice.

 

[unionrdr]

See where your 5 minute addition gets you. Then you'll more easily be able to figure out how much additional time the hops need to get it where you'd prefer it.

 

[LeverTime]

I don't think you're crazy. Let us know how it turns out. I'm curious if you'll be able to taste the apple over the beer. I noticed that when I added lactose to an apfelwein it tasted more like apple than when I didn't, I'm guessing because we aren't used to tasting apples that are not sweet.

If you want a tried and tested beer / apple combo, check out Graff. I made some a few weeks ago, and it's excellent.

 

[TLeahey]

Great looking recipe. I'll give a try closer to Fall. Thanks.