4% apa

[dumsboa09]

Making up a recipe for a 4% APA. What are some of your thoughts?

 

[ArcaneXor]

You forgot to post the recipe.

 

[dumsboa09]

You forgot to post the recipe.

9lbs 2-row
1lb carapils
12oz Munich light
8oz crystal 40
It's a 6 gallon batch and I'm not too sure of hops yet. I'm thinking of all mosaic or maybe another rout of being bittered by magnum with late additions of kent and styrian goldings.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Looks like a good combination of malts, though I'd raise the mash temp and cut down the Carapils a bit. Also seems a bit big for a 5-gal batch size @ 4% - are you brewing 6 gal batches?

 

[dumsboa09]

Looks like a good combination of malts, though I'd raise the mash temp and cut down the Carapils a bit. Also seems a bit big for a 5-gal batch size @ 4% - are you brewing 6 gal batches?

Yes I do all 6 gallon batches when I brew outdoors. 3 gallon batches when I brew indoors. Far as the mash temp, I read that lagunitas does all their mashes at 160. I was thinking of following that to build the body up. The carapils was my real question. Not sure if its too much or not.

 

[RM-MN]

I quit using carapils altogether. Use mash temperature to get the body you want and your other cara malts will give you the heading you need. I'm beginning to think of carapils as a crutch, not a necessity. When I finish my beer (which may take me half an hour or more) I end up with 3/8 to 1/2 of foam left in the glass.

 

[dumsboa09]

I quit using carapils altogether. Use mash temperature to get the body you want and your other cara malts will give you the heading you need. I'm beginning to think of carapils as a crutch, not a necessity. When I finish my beer (which may take me half an hour or more) I end up with 3/8 to 1/2 of foam left in the glass.

If I lose the carapils and bump up my mash temp, say to 160 am I gonna have an overly sweet beer because all of the unfermentables in the wort? I know it's trial and error but I'd like to have a good plan going into the brew and like you said not use carapils as a crutch to build it up.

 

[RM-MN]

By increasing the mash temperature you should be creating more dextrines which are tasteless but add body. Your sweetness would come from Crystal 40. Carapils works to increase body without taste because it contains primarily dextrines.

 

[PtreeCreekBrew]

I like using Carapils because it lets me mash lower so that I get better efficiency but still have the body and heading. Maybe that makes it a crutch, but I can't get the same efficiencies at high temps that I can at lower ones.

Think of it like a stout, which typically finishes at a higher gravity than a pale ale. It won't necessarily be sweeter, but it will feel heavier in your mouth. (Edit: see post above mine...)

I personally like a light body in Pale Ales, and, if I were brewing this, at 4%, the idea (for me) would be lots of flavor in a light body so that you can drink a handful of them without being full/bloated/wasted.

That said, I'd use about half of that Carapils...other than that, looks awesome.

 

[Calichusetts]

More munich!

 

[dumsboa09]

I like using Carapils because it lets me mash lower so that I get better efficiency but still have the body and heading. Maybe that makes it a crutch, but I can't get the same efficiencies at high temps that I can at lower ones.

Think of it like a stout, which typically finishes at a higher gravity than a pale ale. It won't necessarily be sweeter, but it will feel heavier in your mouth. (Edit: see post above mine...)

I personally like a light body in Pale Ales, and, if I were brewing this, at 4%, the idea (for me) would be lots of flavor in a light body so that you can drink a handful of them without being full/bloated/wasted.

That said, I'd use about half of that Carapils...other than that, looks awesome.

After thinking about it for a while I'm gonna drop the carapils down to a half pound and just mash at 154 for 60 minutes.