Requesting thoughts on my recipe and how it came out...

[AR-Josh]

I am just getting back into the hobby after a 6 or 7 year break. I wanted to brew something simple since I was having off flavor issues with all my batches when I stopped. My off flavor issue tasted like too warm fermentation flavor. Any way here is the recipe I used to make a come back...

5 gal batch
9lb Pale Ale Malt mashed at 148F for 60min.
Cascade Hops: 0.75 oz @60min, 0.42 @ 30min, 0.42 @ 15min, and 0.42 at 1min.
Safale US-05
Yeast Nutrient

I was hoping for some cascade nose and flavor but what I got was a yellow beer that everyone has had before. Meaning...it's yellow, a little bitter, but no real hop flavor or aroma. I picked those hop amounts because it broke up 2 oz of hops evenly. I would have thought I would have gotten some nose and flavor out of that. I fermented at 62 degrees. I may just be sensitive to that hot ferment off flavor but I feel like it is barely in this beer. It may just be the US05 doing what it normally does and I'm just sensitive. But I feel like those yeast flavors might be masking hops that are there. I keep a "bilge" bucket to bleed off the yeast and flat line beer when I first draw from the keg. I hot water in the bucket and I know I smelled some grapefruit. I expected that grapefruit would be in my beer.

So as you can see I'm torn between fighting with an off flavor and trying to make something. Anyway, what do you think of that recipe and what I'm reporting as far as the resulting flavor?

Thanks

 

[Jtvann]

Nothing wrong with your recipe for a low hopped pale ale. If you want more hop flavor, you have to use more hops and at appropriate times. Any hops that touch boiling or hot water will lose aroma fast. Flavor is lost as well for the longer you boil. Bitterness comes through with longer boils.

If you want hop flavor and aroma, you need more hops later. Maybe add another oz or two at whirlpool or dry hop. 2 oz totall for a hoppy beer is not much at all. Go minimum 4-6 total, even as high as 8 or higher for very hoppy beers.

 

[Sammy86]

5 gal batch
9lb Pale Ale Malt mashed at 148F for 60min.
Cascade Hops: 0.75 oz @60min, 0.42 @ 30min, 0.42 @ 15min, and 0.42 at 1min.
Safale US-05
Yeast Nutrient

That is not a lot of hops for a 5 gallon batch...for my APA's I shoot for an IBU range between 30-40 IBUS. Are you using a program to help figure out your numbers? If not I would recommend doing so!

 

[AR-Josh]

I have Beersmith2. I did use that. I guess I was thinking I'd get more flavor out of what I added in the flavor window. I haven't done this in a while so I'll try something else with a larger flavor and aroma addition. I enjoy the dryer west coast hoppy beers. I was going for dry with lower but present hop flavor and aroma. I have no aroma and no flavor. It seems to be all bitter which I would not have thought given this recipe. It was my first stab at brewing in a while so I'll chalk it up as a learning batch. Thanks!

 

[eric19312]

Agree with more hops especially something in the whirlpool and some dry hop.

I’ve always heard US-05 can throw some peachy esters at lower end of temp range. I normally start that yeast at 66 and then ramp it up to 72 over a couple days when fermentation is about 75% done.

 

[eric19312]

Also if you had grapefruit early and then lost it you might be losing Hop character to oxidation. Early oxidation kills hop aroma and flavor well before you get to cardboard flavor. Are you bottling or kegging?

 

[AR-Josh]

I am starting to think that has been my problem. I had read that you should ferment at the lower end of the yeast temp range for "cleaner" flavor. I guess that's not the case for US05. I also recently saw a post by Yooper saying the same thing you just did. Other yeasts like US-04 do benefit by fermenting lower on their range according to what I've been reading here. I guess the yeast strain and fermentation temperature effect is really a strain by strain problem.

 

[AR-Josh]

Kegging...I use an autosiphon. I recently invested in the SS brew bucket so I'll be able to eliminate the autosiphon potential issue on my next batches.

 

[Jtvann]

One of my favorite commercial beers is Fresh Squeezed by deschutes. That recipe surprises me for how few hops it uses, but how flavorful it turns out. I want to say that it only uses about 5.5 oz of hops total. Half oz nugget at 60, 1 oz mosaic at 15, 2 oz mosaic/citra at flame out or whirlpool and 2 oz citra at dry hop. That's off memory, but it's close.

Grain bill is mostly 2 row with a little crystal 75, and some carapils. It's a simple recipe that is still one of my go to.

 

[thehaze]

Just looking at the recipe - it will be an ale, but not an especially flavourful one. If you wanted a more assertive hop presence, you should have used more hops. I use a whole lot more hops for German Pilsners - just as a comparison. Just shy over 2 oz of hops will not get you there. Cascade is still a very nice hop. 1 oz at 60', 1 oz at 5-10' and 3-4 oz in the whirlpool would have made a huge difference. Throwing a few ounces in the dry hop will also enhance the aroma. Beer will smell better when dry hopped, as dry hops ( besides adding perceived bitterness in higher amounts ) will first of all increase the hop aroma of the beer.

The only hop additions that might have added some aroma ( maybe ) would have been those at 15 and 1 minute, but the amount was so small. But in getting hop aroma and flavour, other things will play in, such as amount of hops, quality of hops, limiting oxidation, etc.

 

[AR-Josh]

Thanks all. I feel better it was the recipe and not me struggling with off flavor. I’ll probably run this again with a lot more cascade. I like the idea of SMaSH. I guess I’ll have to also look into a different base grain for a dry APA. It’s a fun hobby.

 

[smata67]

Agree with everyone, 2oz is just not enough hops for a 5 gallon batch. But you don't say how long its been in the bottle. I had an all cascade beer, albeit with twice the hops, improve substantially between week 3 and 6 in the bottle. The initial one dimensional overpowering bitterness toned down and the hop flavor came to the fore. So sit on it for 6 weeks, it will almost certainly improve.

 

[AR-Josh]

Oh I'm drinking it. I've been drinking it. It has already improved. It is basically a light bitterness in a yellow beer. A beer I'm sure you've had before from a can.