American Blonde Pale Ale Recipe critique (Using Falconer's Flight hops)

[Wooden]

Here's my idea for an American Pale Ale (ok maybe more of a Blonde or Session Ale):

Goal: a yummy, drinkable beer that showcases the hops aroma/flavor, without being overly bitter.

Something I can have in the fishing boat and be enjoyed by hop-heads and non-hop-heads alike.

Also, want it to be not overly dry, and simple to brew.

Here it is: (5 gal partial boil batch)

Fermentables:
5# Light DME
.5# Victory (steeped)
.5# Carapils (steeped)

Hops: Falconer's Flight (10%AA)
.5 oz - 30'
.5 oz - 10'
.5 oz - 5'
.5 oz - Flameout

Looking to have about 4.5%ABV, and finish somewhere in the ballpark of 1.012?

Yeast: S-04
(I have S-05 too, but was thinking maybe it will have a lil more body if I use the S-04 and have some unique esters that could pair nicely with the aromas from the late hops additions, but that is just me).

Especially interested what you guys have to say about the yeast choice.

Thanks,
Wooden

 

[carloslavin]

Not sure if Victory would be the best malt to use in such a light beer. Have you tried those malt amounts in the past? I'd probably swap the Victory out with some Vienna.

 

[TimBrewz]

Looks OK, I am not a fan of Victory but that is a taste preference thing. I like the hops choice. Did you run this through a recipe calculator? I'd keep the IBU at 30 or lower on this light of a beer. As for yeast, if you want a bit more character, then yes the S-04. S-05, especially fermented cool can be very clean and lager-like. If you ahve 2 fermenters you can split the batch and figure out the right yeast for your recipe development.

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

Keep the victory! I like it in one of my main Pale Ale's that I make. It's a nice biscuity malt, and a half pound should be alright.

 

[Wooden]

Not sure if Victory would be the best malt to use in such a light beer. Have you tried those malt amounts in the past? I'd probably swap the Victory out with some Vienna.

Well, for this one, it's gonna be the Victory/Carapils combo, since I have the ingredients and they are already mixed up from LHBS.

But, that's not to say I couldn't add another pound or 2 of DME if having an overall bigger beer would fit better with that combo.

Note, it doesn't have to be that "light" per se; I don't really care about the color, or keeping it within the BJCP guidelines for a Blonde Pale ale, etc. No comps, this is purely brewed for the enjoyment of consuming it.

So, unless a certain combo would just plain taste bad, or not taste as awesome as it could, I guess I am not that worried about it.

Regarding IBU's, I am looking to keep it around 20, maybe as low as 15. I recently did an Extra IPA kit where I adjusted the hop schedule to come in at around 30 IBU's on the high end, and it did not seem at all lacking in bitterness/balance at all. I was happy with it in that regards. So I guess I'm not afraid I will undershoot IBU at this point in my naive brewing career!

Cheers and thanks for All the good feedback!

Wooden