American Pale Ale Cascades / Orange Pale Ale

[elproducto]

Thinking of doing a spur of the moment brew tonight. I don't have dried orange peel from the HBS, but could obviously zest some oranges fresh. Is it worth it, or should I just wait until I have the dried peel?

 

[blacklab]

Thinking of doing a spur of the moment brew tonight. I don't have dried orange peel from the HBS, but could obviously zest some oranges fresh. Is it worth it, or should I just wait until I have the dried peel?

I honestly can't tell the difference.

 

[guinnessface]

Blacklab, thanks for the recipe....it's definitely a hit.

I brewed this AG version as my first "non kit" adventure. I'm pretty happy with the results. I made a few substitutions: I used crystal 20l instead of the prescribed 10L. I also skipped dry hopping and added a few oz. of Sorachi hops at 1 minute prior to flameout. My temps were pretty much on par and instead od racking to secondary, I cold crashed the primary after 2 weeks and then force filtered it into a corny.

Here are my gripes:
1. The beer has a bitter over tone. I attribute that to the Sorachi addition as well as skipping the dry hopping. The aroma might have masked and balanced the over tone. I think adhering to the recipe would clear that up.
2. As per usual, my beer remains opaque until the last gallon remianing in the keg. I could've have waited an extra month before drinking, but that's just style points....screw it.
3. Good or bad, depending how you look at it, the coriander and orange were subtle. I'm a smoker, so my palate is nowhere near it needs to be. I would add a little more orange next time.

Here are my compliments:
1. It's a damn good beer, just the right strength and pretty to boot. If I had followed the directions to a t and been a little more meticulous in the process, it would have been a professional brew.
2. The crystal malt mainly (I presume) and gave it almost a guinness-like froth. I love it.
3. It's just the right strength...it'll sneak up on ya.

Lessons learned: follow the recipe and skip the Sorachi.....you'll be glad. Cheers

 

[guinnessface]

Here's a pic:

 

[bryanjints]

Here's a pic:

Looks identical to mine. Too bad the keg kicked yesterday.

 

[blacklab]

Blacklab, thanks for the recipe....it's definitely a hit.

I brewed this AG version as my first "non kit" adventure. I'm pretty happy with the results. I made a few substitutions: I used crystal 20l instead of the prescribed 10L. I also skipped dry hopping and added a few oz. of Sorachi hops at 1 minute prior to flameout. My temps were pretty much on par and instead od racking to secondary, I cold crashed the primary after 2 weeks and then force filtered it into a corny.

Here are my gripes:
1. The beer has a bitter over tone. I attribute that to the Sorachi addition as well as skipping the dry hopping. The aroma might have masked and balanced the over tone. I think adhering to the recipe would clear that up.
2. As per usual, my beer remains opaque until the last gallon remianing in the keg. I could've have waited an extra month before drinking, but that's just style points....screw it.
3. Good or bad, depending how you look at it, the coriander and orange were subtle. I'm a smoker, so my palate is nowhere near it needs to be. I would add a little more orange next time.

Here are my compliments:
1. It's a damn good beer, just the right strength and pretty to boot. If I had followed the directions to a t and been a little more meticulous in the process, it would have been a professional brew.
2. The crystal malt mainly (I presume) and gave it almost a guinness-like froth. I love it.
3. It's just the right strength...it'll sneak up on ya.

Lessons learned: follow the recipe and skip the Sorachi.....you'll be glad. Cheers

Dude, I came up with this recipe after experimenting with Edwort's and various others. It's rarely a bad thing to try something new. I love Sorachi, but the lemony attributes it contributes may have been a bit much for this particular recipe. The orange and coriander were intended to be subtle - there were iterations where the coriander was just crushing the palate. The orange piece is mostly about the aroma - this is not an 'orange' tasting brew.

Also - I don't believe that crystal/caramel malts have any impact on the head of a beer, but I could be wrong. Regarding the opacity of the beer - did you use whirlfloc or any other clarifiers? They help big time.

 

[guinnessface]

Blacklab-
I just saw that you replied....sorry for the delay. I'm glad to hear your reasoning for how you came up with the recipe. Like I mentioned, if I brew again, I think I'll stick to your recipe without any changes...it's a winner.

I used irish moss and let it sit in primary for 2 weeks, then kegged and started drinking a week later. It's been a common theme for my beers not to be really clear, however, I just discovered the miracle of gelatine and it seems to be working quite well. Perhaps in the past, mine haven't sat long enough to really clarify like some of my lagers do

I came up with my first recipe for a blond style ale a month ago (making a few changes on a theme). It was pretty much vienna malt and cara 20 (I think). I was under the impression that the cara specialty malts helped with head structure/retention. As a result, my beer came out with almost none of the head attributes that your recipe had......the foam entirely vanishes after a few minutes. Whatever your recipe does, works. So, now it's back to the drawing board for the next recipe.....

 

[blacklab]

Finings FTW

Blacklab-
I just saw that you replied....sorry for the delay. I'm glad to hear your reasoning for how you came up with the recipe. Like I mentioned, if I brew again, I think I'll stick to your recipe without any changes...it's a winner.

I used irish moss and let it sit in primary for 2 weeks, then kegged and started drinking a week later. It's been a common theme for my beers not to be really clear, however, I just discovered the miracle of gelatine and it seems to be working quite well. Perhaps in the past, mine haven't sat long enough to really clarify like some of my lagers do

I came up with my first recipe for a blond style ale a month ago (making a few changes on a theme). It was pretty much vienna malt and cara 20 (I think). I was under the impression that the cara specialty malts helped with head structure/retention. As a result, my beer came out with almost none of the head attributes that your recipe had......the foam entirely vanishes after a few minutes. Whatever your recipe does, works. So, now it's back to the drawing board for the next recipe.....

 

[Utmustang]

This was my third AG batch, and it has turned out the best. I think this is a great recipe. Thanks blacklab.

 

[blacklab]

This was my third AG batch, and it has turned out the best. I think this is a great recipe. Thanks blacklab.

Cool man. Glad you enjoyed.

 

[ThickHead]

Also - I don't believe that crystal/caramel malts have any impact on the head of a beer, but I could be wrong. Regarding the opacity of the beer - did you use whirlfloc or any other clarifiers? They help big time.

Crystal malts are often used to improve body and head retention. My only gripe about my first pass at this recipe was that the head retention was a bit on the poor side for my taste. I was thinking about making a slight modification by adding some carapils or upping the mash temp slightly (I mashed at 150F). Otherwise the beer is absolutely delicious....even given the fact that I actually used 2oz of coriander instead of the 1oz called for in your recipe.

Edit: Oh, and +1 on finings FTW. Whirfloc clears this beer beautifully.

 

[garae10]

I've been wanting to add honey to a beer for some time. Maybe this one next time around.

Did you add honey to this brew???
Thinking about adding 1lb of honey to the original recipe.

 

[garae10]

I've been wanting to add honey to a beer for some time. Maybe this one next time around.

Did you add honey to this brew???
Thinking about adding 1lb of honey to the original recipe.

 

[dobe12]

This is a fantastic beer! It's become a house beer and one I've brewed more often than any other. Having said that, I've tweaked the recipe quite a bit from the original for my own personal tastes. Hope the OP isn't offended. My version:

5 gallons:

SG 1.053
FG 1.010
Eff 73%
SRM 12
IBU 42
ABV 5.75

10lbs 8oz 2-Row
12oz Victory
8oz C120
8oz Carapils

Mash (BIAB):
4gal @ 150F for 60min
2.25gal @168F for 10min batch sparge
60min boil

1oz Cascade pellet FWH
1oz Cascade pellet 15min
1oz Cascade pellet 10min
1oz Cascade pellet 5min
1oz Cascade pellet 1min
2oz Cascade Leaf dry hop 14 days.

1tsp nutrient 10min
fresh zest from 3 medium sized organic oranges 5min

Wyeast American Ale II 1272 with 1L starter

 

[burninmules]

I am brewing this again tomorrow. I am making a few slight changes this time, though. Instead of 9 pounds of maris otter, I am going to use 8 pounds of two row and 1 pound of belgian biscuit malt. I am dropping the carmel malt and adding an extra pound of vienna. How does this sound?

 

[blacklab]

I am brewing this again tomorrow. I am making a few slight changes this time, though. Instead of 9 pounds of maris otter, I am going to use 8 pounds of two row and 1 pound of belgian biscuit malt. I am dropping the carmel malt and adding an extra pound of vienna. How does this sound?

Sounds good to me. That's the beauty of making your own beer, tweak something and see if you like it.

 

[Jtd6628]

Has any one in this thread tried using orange peel in secondary instead of boil? Why I ask is because I was going to brew this beer with out the orange and coriander in the boil then when I secondary siphon off a gallon to do just the orange to to make sure it is what I want before making 5 gallons of it. I can tell the base beer is defiantly something i want a whole lot of! Also I have read up on adding to the secondary so I know some use zest some use fresh or dried peel some soak in vodka some use peeled whole oranges. It is just this is my first adding anything to secondary besides hops and coffee so I would like to know a few preferences before I do it. Thanks.

 

[swerner]

@ blacklab, I made this beer as my first partial mash ever. I hit all my target temperatures and was very happy with my result. I went with an additional 15 minutes on the boil because I started with 6.5 gallons pre-boil and I needed extra time to reach 5 gallons. I was able to adjust my final hop additions. My OG was 1.052 a little low but I'm not worried. 24 hours later and primary is going crazy. Thankfully I put a blow off tube because the Krausen would have been everywhere. Thanks for the recipe and all the tips and suggestions. I am definitely moving to AG for the next brew day.

 

[wilfonzo]

I just brewed this and toasted 2# of the MO for 30 min @ 350f, came out a little darker than beersmith estimated. But looking real good.

 

[jaynik]

This sounds really good. I am brewing a pale ale tomorrow and might zest a couple oranges.

 

[tbright0223]

Hey all,

Fairly new member and first post here. I recently started brewing a few months ago and have a few batches under my belt. I already made the decision to go AG and just finished getting all y equipment together and think I wanna do this as my first AG. Quick question, I already purchased a 50lb bag of American Pale Ale grains. Would this be ok to use for this brew. I am pretty sure that it is very similar to the two row but just wanted to make sure or see if I should use more or less of the American pale ale vs the two row. Any help is much appreciated and I am really loving this site. Got all my idea for my equipment off here and I think it turned out pretty good.

 

[guinnessface]

Welcome to the club! That's exactly the base grain you want to use. Most domestic grains are 2-row, unless otherwise marked like "6-row". There are just different varieties of 2-row and "pale" is one of them.
The crush is very crucial, so if you have a local HB store, it might be a good idea to try to have them crush your first batch. If you already have your own equipment, then I'm jealous!
It sounds like you're well on your way to your first AG batch, and you picked a good recipe to try. Be sure to be patient and give yourself a plenty of room for error. It's a learning process, but you won't regret making the switch. In the meantime, you know where to turn for your questions.

Cheers-

Guinnessface

 

[tbright0223]

Yes, I am definitely going to have the LHBS crush my grains for me and thanks for the explanation on that. I guess I was just confused because I have seen some labeled as 2 row pale ale and mine was just labeled as American pale ale. Thanks again and I will update how everything goes.

 

[crookedibrews]

i am putting this on my list. sounds great

 

[tbright0223]

Got this one sitting in the primary right now and it smells delicious. I put 2 oz of orange peels and in the boil and I still have 1 oz leftover and was thinking of throwing it in the secondary. Do you think that would be too much orange or is it all on personal preference. Has anyone else tried this at all?? Any feedback is helpful.

 

[guinnessface]

I could've used a little more orange flavor when I brewed this. I would caution you however not to just toss the orange peel in secondary as it might contaminate the beer. If you want added orange flavor, I suggest you boil the zest only in a cup of water for 5 minutes ( the remaining pith of the peel could cause some bitterness). Let the "tea" cool a bit, then add it to your secondary.

 

[Jtd6628]

Put this in fermenter 4 hours ago can not wait to drink this first time using fruit! I sub the dryer orange for fresh!!!

 

[Jubilee]

I would caution you however not to just toss the orange peel in secondary as it might contaminate the beer.

Is this something we should be all that worried about? I'm fixin' to do a batch of this, and considering a little more zest in the secondary as well. I'm not sure why I'd have contamination problems with orange zest and not with dry hopping...

 

[kapbrew13]

Is this something we should be all that worried about? I'm fixin' to do a batch of this, and considering a little more zest in the secondary as well. I'm not sure why I'd have contamination problems with orange zest and not with dry hopping...

Hops are known as persavatives. Orange peels harbor nasties.
Something on those lines.

 

[Jubilee]

Hops are known as persavatives. Orange peels harbor nasties.
Something on those lines.

Hmmm. While I'm a true believer in cleanliness in brewing this strikes me as a little over-protective. I'd not throw bird-crapped orange zest in a brew (I'd wash it first) but methinks the alcohol would probably take care of the typical nasties that might be present.

But hey, to each their own and RDWHAHB!