Just Brewed Pale Ale - Thoughts?

[andyhank]

I brewed this the other day and am looking for a little feedback and what you think I should expect. Here's the recipe:

All Grain, 5.5 Gallon Batch

8 lbs. Maris Otter
8 oz. Carared
8 oz. Munich 10L
4 oz. Honey Malt
4 oz. Golden Naked Oats

Mashed at 153 for 60 min

1 oz. Warrior (15.00% AA) 60 min
1 oz. Galaxy (14.00% AA) 10 min
1 oz. Galaxy (14.00% AA) 5 min
1 oz. Galaxy (14.00% AA) FO

1 tsp Gypsum 20 min
1 tbsp Irish Moss 15 min

OG: 1.051

Considering dry hopping some more galaxy in secondary but not sure. I'm going for a hybrid European/American/Pacific Pale Ale that is biscuity and full in body with a significant but not overwhelming hop profile that leans toward fruity.

What do you think?

 

[BreezyBrew]

Depends on how citrusy the Galaxy comes across. Not having use oats much, citrus and oats don't sound like a good combo.

 

[pstrohs]

I am not sure that I have ever heard the term "European" or "Pacific" pale ale.

What are your calculated IBUs? Seems like they would be pretty high based on your hop schedule.

 

[tallguybrewer]

I don't think this beer will have the biscuit profile you are looking for. That being said, I like your recipe and think the beer will turn out very well. The biscuit properties of the MO will be masked with that amount of crystal plus the honey malt. The lighter crystal malts come across more as a honey type sweetness rather than a carmel sweetness. I also use the lighter crystals in my pale ales in about the amount you have used. I think the honey malt will up the sweetness, but at that level, you may not detect it.

I think the oat addition will be fine and won't clash. Especially at the levels you have used. Plus, golden naked oats will give you awesome head retention.

With Galaxy hops, you won't lean towards fruity, you will be full blown fruity. At the levels you have used, it will be nice but not overwhelming. The dry hop could push that though. I would just taste a sample after about 3 weeks in the primary and see if you want to dry hop or not. As they say, let taste be your guide.

 

[andyhank]

I don't think this beer will have the biscuit profile you are looking for. That being said, I like your recipe and think the beer will turn out very well. The biscuit properties of the MO will be masked with that amount of crystal plus the honey malt. The lighter crystal malts come across more as a honey type sweetness rather than a carmel sweetness. I also use the lighter crystals in my pale ales in about the amount you have used. I think the honey malt will up the sweetness, but at that level, you may not detect it. I think the oat addition will be fine and won't clash. Especially at the levels you have used. Plus, golden naked oats will give you awesome head retention. With Galaxy hops, you won't lean towards fruity, you will be full blown fruity. At the levels you have used, it will be nice but not overwhelming. The dry hop could push that though. I would just taste a sample after about 3 weeks in the primary and see if you want to dry hop or not. As they say, let taste be your guide.

Thanks for the reply tall guy. My idea is that the golden oats will give a satiny finish to the beer and aid in head retention like you mentioned, and perhaps it will pair with the fruitiness of the galaxy to create a creamsicle-like effect. Fingers crossed. I hope the overall grain bill gives the beer a good backbone with a couple nuances, but I'm new to all grain and really want to experiment with a lot of different styles.

I am yet to get the galaxy profile I want despite three attempts that try to bolster and really feature it. Hopefully that issue is because of other mistakes that I've ironed out (beer design, hop schedule, lack of a yeast starter for big beers) and galaxy really shines through here.

I'm doing a similar pale ale today with MO as the base but cascade as the only hop. I found the recipe on here and it looks like a popular one for all the right reasons. What specialty grains and base really bolster fruity hops?

 

[tallguybrewer]

I think it all depends on what are you are looking for. Specialty malts will often take away from, rather than bolster hop flavor. However, the perception of fruity hops is sweetness, and therefore, the specialty malts that add sweetness will help. The lower crystal malts and honey malt will give you that. I am not a huge fan of the mid to dark range crystals in my pale ales and IPA, but that is only a personal preference. Some peope prefer them.

When I started doing all grain, I started with a basic all-base grain malt profile with single hops for flavor, aroma, and dry hop. There is a Goose Island beer called Green Line Pale Ale that you can only get on tap in Chicago (at least the last time I checked). I love that beer and could drink it all day. It only uses Briess 2 row for its malts and is not terribly hoppy, but you know they are there. Then again, I wouldn't exactly call it a complex beer.

I will also tailor my specialty malts to the hops I am using for pale ales. If I am using more pungent or danky hops (chinook, columbus, willamette) I will use the darker crystal malts (40-60). If I am using super fruity hops (Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy) I will lean towards the lighter crystals (10-20). One of my favorite recent brews was a pale ale with about 8% crystal 10 and a bunch of Mosaic hops late. Didn't even dry hop it and got huge flavor and aroma.

If you want that silky mouthfeel and don't want the flavor contributions of the golden naked oats, small amounts of wheat will help (~5%). I like golden naked oats in some beers now and then. I think Yooper uses them in her amber or "amost" amber beer, and she is great at formulating recipes.