Pale Ale Recipe for review

[jageraholic]

Evolve Pale Ale (Plan on swapping out an ingredient at a time with something else to see how it changes the profile of the beer)

5 gallon batch at bottling. Boiling 6 gallons.

Steeping Grains
1lb of CaraMunich at 155 for 25 minutes

Boiling schedule
3 lbs Wheat DME 60 minutes
3 lbs Light DME 15 Minutes
Irish Moss/Yeast Nutrient 15 Minutes
1 oz Simcoe 5 Minutes
.5 oz Citra 5 Minutes
1 oz Simcoe at Flameout for 25 Min (until around 175 degrees)
.5 oz Citra at Flameout for 25 Min (until around 175 degrees)
1 oz Simcoe Whirlpool with Wort Chiller (around 20 Minutes)
.5 oz Citra Whirlpool with Wort Chiller (around 20 Minutes)
California Ale Yeast (WLP001)
Dry Hop 7 days 3 oz Simcoe and .5 oz Citra

I know its late in the boil to add bittering hops, but I'm not looking for very bitter and the 25 minutes after flameout will still add bitterness. BeerSmith is showing an OG of 1.054 and final of 1.014 with ABV of about 5.2 which is perfect for me for hot summer days.

 

[Drummerbrew1985]

Hiya. Looks like a good recipe to me, gonna be yummy with the citra additions in there.
I would consider swapping out 8oz wheat dme and replacing with 8oz cane or corn sugar, as this will help the gravity get down another couple of points and help the dry extract ferment out more fully.
Just my 2c.
Good luck and be sure to post updates and taste reviews.

 

[JordanKnudson]

Looks pretty decent. One thing -- don't trust BeerSmith's IBU calculations for whirlpool/steep additions. It always estimates very high. Isomerization is diminished as the temperature decreases, so IBU contribution is similarly decreased. BeerSmith doesn't seem to reflect this correctly.

I actually have no problem with all late hops (and I love hopstands), but be aware that even though you're not shooting for much bitterness, you might end up with even less than you mean to if you're trusting BeerSmith's numbers.

 

[LexusChris]

There are lots of ways to approach hop additions, and I am not familiar with this strategy. I've never used it. However, I had a few questions in my mind on this..

The long flame-out sit times, and then the whirlpool, are complicating factors in trying to balance IBU/SG. How much isomerization are your really getting after the boil?

I found this thread on the topic. One poster referenced that isomerization still happens at temps below 100-C, but the effectiveness halves in the first 10-C drop.

So, I guess you could add your 1oz Simcoe hop addition time of 5 minutes to the 25 min flamout-set-time and consider it a 30 minute addition. Then as you drop in temp, weight-out the remaining hops additions to get a better idea of IBU contributions.

But, why not just do a more typical 60-minute addition of a bittering hop, and know where you IBU will be at flame out? Then, use your flavor & aroma hops at the right time, and dry-hop the rest for that really fresh aroma!

Also, I worry that all those nice aromatics of the Simcoe & Citra additions at 5-mins left, and at flame-out, will cook away at those high temps. If anything, I would wait until the wort cools down some before adding the flame-out/whirlpool hops if they are going to sit that long. I remember reading somewhere (sorry no link) that volatile hop oils stop boiling off in between 200-F and 190-F, depending on the oil. So, maybe wait until the wort hits 190-F, add the whirlpool hops and let them do their magic for 25-minutes as you cool the wort.

Just a few thoughts.. I'm sure it will make good beer either way, it just depends on what you were shooting for.

Good luck!
--LexusChris

 

[jageraholic]

Looks pretty decent. One thing -- don't trust BeerSmith's IBU calculations for whirlpool/steep additions. It always estimates very high. Isomerization is diminished as the temperature decreases, so IBU contribution is similarly decreased. BeerSmith doesn't seem to reflect this correctly.

I actually have no problem with all late hops (and I love hopstands), but be aware that even though you're not shooting for much bitterness, you might end up with even less than you mean to if you're trusting BeerSmith's numbers.

Yeah, i've noticed that it doesn't calculate flameout and whirlpool hops right when my last too beers it said were around going to be 150+ IBUs. But I'm looking for more around 30 or so. nothing crazy for this beer, just an easy drinking citrusy ale with a mild pine in the background.

 

[jageraholic]

There are lots of ways to approach hop additions, and I am not familiar with this strategy. I've never used it. However, I had a few questions in my mind on this..

The long flame-out sit times, and then the whirlpool, are complicating factors in trying to balance IBU/SG. How much isomerization are your really getting after the boil?

I found this thread on the topic. One poster referenced that isomerization still happens at temps below 100-C, but the effectiveness halves in the first 10-C drop.

So, I guess you could add your 1oz Simcoe hop addition time of 5 minutes to the 25 min flamout-set-time and consider it a 30 minute addition. Then as you drop in temp, weight-out the remaining hops additions to get a better idea of IBU contributions.

But, why not just do a more typical 60-minute addition of a bittering hop, and know where you IBU will be at flame out? Then, use your flavor & aroma hops at the right time, and dry-hop the rest for that really fresh aroma!

Also, I worry that all those nice aromatics of the Simcoe & Citra additions at 5-mins left, and at flame-out, will cook away at those high temps. If anything, I would wait until the wort cools down some before adding the flame-out/whirlpool hops if they are going to sit that long. I remember reading somewhere (sorry no link) that volatile hop oils stop boiling off in between 200-F and 190-F, depending on the oil. So, maybe wait until the wort hits 190-F, add the whirlpool hops and let them do their magic for 25-minutes as you cool the wort.

Just a few thoughts.. I'm sure it will make good beer either way, it just depends on what you were shooting for.

Good luck!
--LexusChris

Although i might lose some aromatics with the 5 minute additions, I do think adding them in around 5 minutes give good flavors from the hops and the whirlpool and dry hop will provide the aromatics. At least thats what I'm hoping for.