First AG Recipe (APA)

[Eucrid]

Tomorrow I plan on doing my first all grain and first non-kit beer (skipped the whole extract thing). I want to make an American Pale Ale with a really good bang of hop aroma and flavour.

Here's what I've come up and I welcome any suggestions, tips or criticisms. Thanks

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 27.08 l
Post Boil Volume: 22.88 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 20.00 l
Bottling Volume: 18.00 l
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 6.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 41.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 77.0 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
20.00 l Water Water 1 -
4.40 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 90.7 %
0.25 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.2 %
0.20 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4 4.1 %
14.00 g Chinook [11.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 19.1 IBUs
14.00 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 4.7 IBUs
14.00 g Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 8.5 IBUs
14.00 g Chinook [11.10 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 9.5 IBUs
0.29 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 9 -
18.00 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
18.00 g Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 11 0.0 IBUs
18.00 g Chinook [11.10 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
1.2 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 13 -
25.00 g Cascade [6.60 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
25.00 g Centennial [8.70 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 4.85 kg
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 12.65 l of water at 73.1 C 66.7 C 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (6.25l, 14.04l) of 75.6 C water

 

[Weezy]

This looks like a fine beer, Eucrid. Your combinations look tasty. But it does look like it will be hop dominant though (add a little more Chinook at 60 min and its a real nice IPA recipe). I'd expect an APA to be a nice balance of malt and hops, flavor and aroma. The malt bill won't stand up to all those hops... and there will be no hop aroma vs. All those late and dry hops.
Some ideas:
Add another 3-4% of caramunich or C20 or C40.
Another character malt would help as well; Munich, victory, Vienna.
Add a little more wheat; 6-8% total.
I do not agree in general that APAs should be dry hopped. It's far too easy to hide any malt aroma. A healthy flameout/whirlpool hop schedule, like you have, is ideal imho.

 

[Eucrid]

Thanks. I've upped the wheat to 6% and added 3% C20.

I'll play it by ear on the dry hops and decide based on how it turns out before pitching. I know its a bit off style and over hopped for a by the numbers APA but I like beers like that and I really want that big hop bang but I don't want to up bittering and ABV into IPA territory. Thanks for the tips on balancing the malts though, that is my big concern. Unfortunately I have no character malts. Regret not ordering some now but I can't get any before tomorrow. Hoping the pils can make up for it somewhat.

Also as my first AG I haven't much of an idea how my equipment is going to perform so I wanted to land sort of in the middle on ABV. If I miss a bit of efficiency I'll just call it a session IPA. :fro: