How does this Pale Ale look?

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lyacovett

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 12, 2009
Messages
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Location
Cartersville, GA
I'm looking for a Pale Ale that isn't overly hoppy, but has a good presence and has decent body. Does this look like it would work out?

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 9.50
Anticipated OG: 1.048 Plato: 11.96
Anticipated SRM: 8.2
Anticipated IBU: 32.9
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.3 0.50 lbs. Caramel Pils Malt Belgium 1.034 2
5.3 0.50 lbs. Crystal 10L America 1.035 20
5.3 0.50 lbs. Crystal 40L America 1.034 40
78.9 7.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) Great Britain 1.038 3
5.3 0.50 lbs. Victory Malt America 1.034 25


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.50 oz. Centennial Pellet 10.50 23.5 60 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.75 5.1 10 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.75 4.3 5 min.


Yeast
-----

Fermentis S-05 S-05


Mash Schedule
-------------
152 for 60 min
 
I think that is a lot of crystal especially with the carmel pils. I would only use 1/2# most of crystal try .25 of crystal 20 and 40 and drop teh carmel pils.

Also, I would recommend Marris Otter malt as your base...This provides a good malty backbone that will get you inline with a milder pale ale like you want. That's how I like my pale ale's as well.

Here is basically what I use for my recipe.

Marris Otter
.50 ibs of Honey Malt
.50 carapils
Mash at 152
 
I would agree with cutting your Caramel in about half. My first few Pale Ales had a similar grain bill to yours with 1 1/2lbs of Caramel and they all came out to sweet with no hop presence. Other than that, I think your looking pretty good.:mug:
 
I agree with cutting the crystal back by 50%.
I also think that you won't need the victory with the British malt.
I personally would also drop the cara-pils and add another lb 2 row to make up the gravity.

-a.
 
Thanks for the replies, but the grain bill is set. I just threw in the first hop addition. I'm not concerned about the crystal too much, as it won't add too much sweetness, but just some body... I ended up using a half # of crystal 10 instead of 20 because it's what I had on hand.

So far this brew has been a real pain. Drill gave out on me when milling, and my cordless had 2 dead batteries, so I milled most of this by hand. While preheating my MLT a washer gave way, that was a blast.... But somehow I fixed it and still hit my temp... 12:30 am and I still got 45 left in the boil.


The good news ... I just tapped a keg of my IPA ... Pretty good.
 
Don't usually post a follow up on my recipes, but .....

Just tapped this keg .... really good. Definitely not a hop forward Pale Ale. I really like this one. Didn't turn out very sweet at all. I ended up getting 85% eff, so a OG of 1.050 and 6 gallons. The victory comes through nicely, has a really nice malt backbone, with a slight hop aroma/flavor and not too bitter. Good body, the best way I can describe it is creamy.

This came in just on time, as I have had hoppy beers on tap recently, a great break from the super hop forward brews.
 
I'm looking for a Pale Ale that isn't overly hoppy, but has a good presence and has decent body. Does this look like it would work out?

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 9.50
Anticipated OG: 1.048 Plato: 11.96
Anticipated SRM: 8.2
Anticipated IBU: 32.9
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.3 0.50 lbs. Caramel Pils Malt Belgium 1.034 2
5.3 0.50 lbs. Crystal 10L America 1.035 20
5.3 0.50 lbs. Crystal 40L America 1.034 40
78.9 7.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) Great Britain 1.038 3
5.3 0.50 lbs. Victory Malt America 1.034 25


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.50 oz. Centennial Pellet 10.50 23.5 60 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.75 5.1 10 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.75 4.3 5 min.


Yeast
-----

Fermentis S-05 S-05


Mash Schedule
-------------
152 for 60 min

The caramel pils is a nice thought but in the end it'll just make it real sweet. The crystal 10 is kinda cool. I've made pales using CaraMalt 10L and it's real toffee tasting.

Make the beer and see how it comes out. Then make it again by pulling the caramel pils and cutting the crystal 10L in half and substituting the crystal 40 for crystal 60.
 
I agree with the use of the Victory, even though you were using UK Pale Ale Malt. Victory malt is always welcome in my brews, as long as it fits the style.
 
Yeah, I really think the Victory is what made this. It really doesn't take much for the flavor to come through. I really can't put my finger on what style this beer should be. It's pretty well balanced, bitter, but has a strong malt flavor .... kinda somewhere in between a brown ale and an American Pale ale . Regardless .... I like it.
 
Yeah, agreed. It kinda walks the line between an Amber an Pale. It's either a malt forward Pale, or a hoppy Amber ..... either way, it's good.
 
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