Yet another "How bad is it?" newbie thread

[scotchguy]

I am not afraid to admit when I make a blatant mistake.. and oh did I.

This was my second batch. I am fairly confident with the basic process and comfortable with brewings a kit.

All was going splended through the steeping. I added the LME and hops, no problems. Got it to a nice rolling boil with no boil over. 20 minutes pass before I realize the DME is sitting comfortably on the counter!

The recipe calls for 20-30 minutes of rolling boil then chill. What I ended up doing was 20 minutes boil with LME and hops, 5 minutes of boil after adding DME. Minor panic during boil-over when my back was turned for 2 seconds (maybe a couple of oz). From that point I. Boiled the wort/concoction for another 15 minutes.

My redeaming factor was getting the wort temp to 75F in roughly 20 minutes. I pitched the yeast and it is sitting in the basement covered, ready for fermentation.

Soo, how bad is it? Will it be completely off from a Pale Ale? Will I luck out and make a mild IPA? Will it be drinkable (I can't imagine it being that bad)?

 

[maffewl]

Sounds like it's going to make a great beer.

 

[Yooper]

Adding most of the extract at the end of the boil is actually my preferred method! so it sounds like you did fine. I'd actually normally add 1/2 of the extract at the beginning (dry usually, only because it clumps at the end, but whatever you've got is fine) and the other half at the end. That gives a better beer in my opinion with less extract-y flavor and better/firmer hops bitterness.

so it sounds like you did great!

 

[Mparsons327]

I agree! Nothing to worry about here buddy.

 

[Shaneoco1981]

Rdwhahb!!!

 

[scotchguy]

Adding most of the extract at the end of the boil is actually my preferred method! so it sounds like you did fine. I'd actually normally add 1/2 of the extract at the beginning (dry usually, only because it clumps at the end, but whatever you've got is fine) and the other half at the end. That gives a better beer in my opinion with less extract-y flavor and better/firmer hops bitterness.

so it sounds like you did great!

Great! So now that my concerns are out of the way, I have 2 weeks or so so decide what hops to dry-hop with. The golden hops used in the boil were very fragrant and slightly pine driven. I am sure most will recommend Cascade, but I am not entirely fond of them in APAs like Sierra Nevada's. I am thinking Centennial if I can get my hands on some whole!

Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[tmurph6]

Centennial and cascades are pretty similar hops. If you don't like cascades you probably won't like centennial. What hops did you use in the beer?

 

[scotchguy]

Centennial and cascades are pretty similar hops. If you don't like cascades you probably won't like centennial. What hops did you use in the beer?

From my experience drinking beers (not much in the way of homebrews.. yet), I have found that Cascade tend to have a bit of chewy pine notes where the nose releases only a bit of grapefruit -- where it's just the opposite with Centennials. I enjoy a mouthful of hops, so either way I will enjoy the results. I will call my local (2) shops to see what whole leaf hops they have on hand. From there I will research the options that pair with a similar pale ale.

As for the hops, I used the True Brew Pale Ale kit which include British Golden Hops for bittering. Now I know I am not brewing an IPA, but I would prefer to have something a bit more intense than a traditional British Pub Pale Ale style. Would dry hopping in two stages add any bitterness or just make it more fragrant?

 

[tmurph6]

Why not just use the golden hops to dry hop? You can dry hop with pellets with good results, don't limit yourself to whole leaf unless you're really wanting to use them.

Dry hops add no bitterness, just fragrance.

 

[scotchguy]

Why not just use the golden hops to dry hop? You can dry hop with pellets with good results, don't limit yourself to whole leaf unless you're really wanting to use them.

Dry hops add no bitterness, just fragrance.

The golden hops were included in the kit, but only bittering hops are provided since most kits assume you do not own a carboy for dry-hopping. I will have to buy hops anyway, might as well be whole hops? Right?

I was under the impression pellets don't deliver as much flavor. Would it be worth using whole hops or just use extra pellets?

 

[brewit2it]

The golden hops were included in the kit, but only bittering hops are provided since most kits assume you do not own a carboy for dry-hopping. I will have to buy hops anyway, might as well be whole hops? Right?

I was under the impression pellets don't deliver as much flavor. Would it be worth using whole hops or just use extra pellets?

If you are using a carboy you are much better off dry hopping with pellets in my opinion. It is a PITA to get whole hops into and out of a glass carboy and they tend to float on top so it takes days or a week for the ones on top to even get wet. If the pellets are fresh and have been stored properly they are just as good as whole and you can put the pellets in a small bag with a couple of marbles and they sink right away.