Amber Ale - Need help with Hops

[iram84mx]

Hi,

I am about to brew an American Amber Ale and according to the recipe it requires Cascade & Willamette hops, I just went to the store and picked up Centennial instead (dumb).

My question is do you think centennial hops will work as great as Cascade for the style? i noticed that a lot of Amber recipes use Cascade hops.

Thanks so much. This is my first post.

Cheers!!

 

[rodwha]

Yes! It's similar except that it has more IBU's so you'd need to use less for the same level.

What's the recipe call for and what does it say they are on the package?

 

[Clonefan94]

Yes, they will work fine. I brew an Amber Ale that calls for Centennial and Cascade. One trip, when my lhbs was out of Cascade, I just brewed it all Centennial and it was great.

They are actually listed as a substitute for Cascade on the Brew365 hop chart.

 

[iram84mx]

Yes! It's similar except that it has more IBU's so you'd need to use less for the same level.

What's the recipe call for and what does it say they are on the package?

Thank you guys for the quick response.

The recipe calls for:

0.25 oz. Centennial Hops (2.75% Alpha Acid) @ 90 mins
0.75 oz. Willamette Hops (3.5 Alpha Acid) @ 15 mins
1 oz. Willamette Hops (3.5 Alpha Acid) @ 15 mins

the Centennial Hops that i bought says 8.9AAV

Also, i have never done a 90 minute boil. Do you think i can get away by boiling for 60 minutes instead?

Thanks again.

 

[rodwha]

You'll need an idea of what was intended to figure out what to do with them. If you use them all in the same manner it'll have a big impact.

You can always dry hop with extras.

Sorry for the late response…typed it but on the phone.

 

[freisste]

A 90 minute boil can be nice with certain grains (like pilsner malt) and it will get you marginally more hop utilization.

Personally, I would cut the boil down to 60 minutes and use half an ounce of your bittering addition. But I also like most beers on the hoppy end of the scale.

This assumes no pilsner malt.

 

[rodwha]

So what you posted doesn't make sense.

Centennial and Cascade both have well over 2.75% AA.

And did you mean .75 oz Willamette @ 15 mins, and 1 oz @ 5 mins?

 

[rodwha]

I've also heard that a 90 min boil/hop addition also smoothes out the bitterness.

Can you provide a link to your recipe?

 

[iram84mx]

I've also heard that a 90 min boil/hop addition also smoothes out the bitterness.

Can you provide a link to your recipe?

here is the link for the recipe.

http://byo.com/component/k2/item/1841-american-amber-ii

http://byo.com/component/k2/item/1841-american-amber-ii

thanks.

 

[rodwha]

The numbers baffle me for the Centennial.

I'd wait and see if anyone else can clarify what's intended.

If nothing else I can help you alter the hop schedule with the recipe given.

The only problem with the recipe is unused portions of hops. If you have another recipe that will use the remainder up it's not an issue.

Me personally, I don't like leftovers for more than a month as I don't know how degraded they might have become, if there's even enough of a difference to tell. Some fade quickly it seems, but I haven't found a positive answer to this, and each hop behaves differently.

 

[rodwha]

Do you like citrusy hop flavors?

You might even have enough Willamette to make it with just that, though your IBU's would likely be at the low end.

 

[rodwha]

What are the AA's of the Willamette?

 

[rodwha]

I ran this 5 gal extract recipe through Brewtoad and came up with much different results than BYO. Would someone mind checking it?

I got 1.062/1.012 and 6.5% ABV with 17 SRMs using US-05 yeast.

 

[MarcusKillion]

seems to me that 90 minutes of boil on the hops is going to drive out a lot of the good stuff . Perhaps they meant to boil wort for 90 minutes and add in hops at 60 ? I do this a lot .

the recipe calls for .25 centennial @ 90
.75 wilamette @ 15 and 1 oz @ flame out .

this all looks good to me except that .25 for 90 . Seems like a long time for a small amount of hop . But then it is 23 IBU .
have you ran this through beer smith to see if it is correct ?

 

[rodwha]

It seems rather strange. The recipe doesn't add up, and the hop schedule is strange and doesn't make sense.

 

[MarcusKillion]

Okay so I actually read the instructions this time .
Let us break this down . " Total boil time is 90 min. At beginning of boil add Centennial hops and continue for 75 min. more. "

This instruction says to add hop at beginning of boil and then boil for 75 minutes . ( this is a 90 minute hop addition ) .
Then after the 75 minutes you will be at 15 minutes left in the 90 minute boil . Add the willamette .

$$ I would add more centennial to .50 oz to get 25 IBU . 90 minutes boil is supposed to make better beer , I do it sometimes but I really see no difference in that and 60 but you will need 90 to get the bitterness out of them hops $$ .

I ran this in beersmith . Came out close . Only the IBU off .It came out 16.5 . If you decrease the boil time for bitter hop then you will also decrease the bitterness .

Next thing I thought was odd was chocolate . I am not sure but this does not sound like a usual ingredient for an amber . I could be wrong .

 

[rodwha]

So the gravity was close enough???

Brewtoad's numbers didn't come close at all. I didn't bother much with the hops as I don't know the numbers for his Willamette.

 

[MarcusKillion]

I think the gravity was only off by a bit . I forget what it was . I just used the generic numbers on the hops that are in beersmith .
chocolate malt still sounds odd to me .

 

[rodwha]

The SRM's were a bit too high for an amber according to Brewtoad.

I'm not sure if a little chocolate would be too odd, but coupled with C 80 and 120 it seems too dark. I like to blend C 40 and 80, not that it's right….

 

[MarcusKillion]

beersmith showing 1.051 sg 16.5 ibu 15.1 srm 5.3 abv


Now here is a amber ale for you . Gold medal winner . So you know this one is tasty. On top od that it is a SMaSH .

5.5 G all grain
SG 1.052
19.3 IBU
3.4 SRM
4.9 abv you can bump this up with a pound or so of rice without changing flavor or mouth feel

.75 oz willamette @60
.50 @ 30
.25 @ 0
11 lbs 2 row
wlp051

 

[rodwha]

I find it odd that Brewtoad was so far off.

Is the SRM's correct on the recipe you posted?

I've often wondered why hops are used in such a way that an ounce pack can't be completely used. I've only done so when I could share them with another brew. I typically will create my recipes so that I can use it all, and will even reduce the bittering addition to as low as 45 mins to help if needed.

 

[MarcusKillion]

yes i think so 15.1 . did you get in that chocolate malt ? How weird is that in an amber . That would bump the color up for sure . 9.4 SRM if the chocolate is removed and 1.050 sg

17 srm is still in range for a amber according to bs 11 - 18 is normal . I have no idea . I do not pay much attention to these things . I just want my beer to taste good .
the only thing I think BS did different' is use a couple more quarts of water to mash in .

Personally if I were him I would go with the recipe I just posted . A proven winner and no chocolate malt in the amber . Although a nice light roasting of a pound of the 2 row might result in a good flavor but I think I would leave it alone on the first run.

 

[rodwha]

I meant the one you posted (3.4 SRM's). No crystal or anything for color?

I did add the chocolate in Brewtoad.

I've never used chocolate in an amber, but I suppose a little might add something. I do like things that stand out differently such as Fat Tire. Most other ambers all seem too similar, including mine.

 

[rodwha]

I just noticed 1.5 oz of chocolate in a Fat Tire amber clone.

 

[MarcusKillion]

I just noticed 1.5 oz of chocolate in a Fat Tire amber clone.

I saw a half a cup in a amber . What ever amount that is . But .25 pounds is a lot I would think . More like a brown ale .

 

[MarcusKillion]

I meant the one you posted (3.4 SRM's). No crystal or anything for color?

I did add the chocolate in Brewtoad.

I've never used chocolate in an amber, but I suppose a little might add something. I do like things that stand out differently such as Fat Tire. Most other ambers all seem too similar, including mine.

Oh , post #20 . that is a different recipe . The recipe is just as I found it somewhere . maybe I missed something . I did put it in as a cream ale for some reason but see no cream to it . I thought it was amber ale because I had forgotten to change the beer style that automatically starts off at american amber ale . Of course by changing the style of beer nothing changes in the outcome section .
I guess it is not amber colored so it is a cream . Similar recipe to OP 's .

 

[rodwha]

I'd think a 1/4 lb would likely be much, though crystal malts could be reduced for color. It might be interesting, but I'm not sure.

It didn't seem to take much before it took on a more roasty taste, though I used it more with browns and stouts.

 

[freisste]

beersmith showing 1.051 sg 16.5 ibu 15.1 srm 5.3 abv


Now here is a amber ale for you . Gold medal winner . So you know this one is tasty. On top od that it is a SMaSH .

5.5 G all grain
SG 1.052
19.3 IBU
3.4 SRM
4.9 abv you can bump this up with a pound or so of rice without changing flavor or mouth feel

.75 oz willamette @60
.50 @ 30
.25 @ 0
11 lbs 2 row
wlp051

Is the 3.4 SRM a typo? Shouldn't an amber be...ummm...amber colored? Seems too light.

Sorry, don't mean to be critical. You definitely piqued my interest, but that seems odd to me.

Edit: Sorry...questioned this post without reading the second page of the thread.