In Search of the Perfect Pale Ale...

Anyone ever used Sorachi Ace with Centennial and Cascade? Seems to me it fits the mix pretty well, but just wondering.

Here's the recipe:

Partial Mash

5 gal batch
4 gal boil
60 minute boil
OG 1.044
FG(should be) 1.010-1.012

Nottingham yeast

5lbs 2-row
1lb Crystal 10L
1lb Cara-Pils
1lb Light DME(late addition)

.25oz Centennial 10% (60)
.25oz Sorachi Ace 14% (15)
.75oz Centennial 10% (10)
.75oz Sorachi Ace 14% (5)
.5oz Cascade 6% (5)

After 7 days, dry hop with 1oz each Centennial and Cascade.

Everything went great, 1.044 after boil and 5 gals exactly into fermenter.

Can't. Freaking. Wait. :rockin:

 

Cool, sounds like a hoppy beer without being too bitter.

 

What is the predicted IBU?

 

I don't have it in front of me, but if I remember correctly it was around 40-45.

Oh, and FG came out to be 1.008! Seems no matter how high I mash, I always finish dry. Any ideas on how to fix that?

 

what was the mash temp? (how high is high?)

nottingham is a pretty attenuative yeast as well, you could consider something a little less so

 

When I doughed-in it was at ~158. By the end it had dropped to about 154.

I thought that a pound of Cara-pils would add enough unfermentables to make the FG a little higher. Does it actually add unfermantables, like malto-Dextrine does?

Oh, and predicted IBU is 35.

 

Didnt realize, you are right next door.

When it is done, I will be over to taste it and tell you what you need to do next.

Id have expected the FG to be higher with a mash temp of 158F. The carapils should have added SOME unfermentables.

Thermometer off?

Ferment temp high?

I dunno, Id expect it to have a higher FG too.

 

Yeah, it's a cheapy thermo from Walmart, but it usually matches my other one, so I figured it was fine.

I kept it at 68 all but one day, it got up to about 74, then I brought it back down to 68 and it's been there since.

I just dryhopped with an ounce of Cent and and ounce of cascade, it tasted great at hydro testing.

We shall see in about 3 weeks.

Pol, you get your stuff at Great Fermentations?

 

Mmmm, no. Thier prices are CRAZZYYYYY high. If I am desperate I will, but I have 3 pounds of hops, 110# of grain and about 8 packs of yeast in stock here at home. I may get a sack of 2-Row there for $41 this fall, but I wont buy anything but the sack there.

 

So, as expected this has minimal malt flavor. It is so dry, I can't believe it. It's kegged now, three weeks from the brew date.

Will leaving this to age longer help at all? I've never had a beer that is too dry, but this is is .008, and that's a bit low for me.

The hop profile is pretty much exactly what I expected, so that is good. Pretty good grapefruit with a touch of lemon from the Sorachi. The only problem is the lack of malt depth to back it.

Any tips for improving this?

 

Reduce your mash time to 40-45 minutes and hold your temp at 157.

Mash time plays a vital role in how far your beer attenuates.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/controlling-attenuation-through-mash-times-60576/