# Apa - Mash Schedule?



## Bribie G (15/2/11)

I'm doing a bit of a thrust on APAs this year and being a new style for me, I'm trying to get to grips with the mash schedule. 

BJCP says:

Low to moderately high clean malt character supports the hop presentation, and may optionally show small amounts of specialty malt character (bready, toasty, biscuity). The balance is typically towards the late hops and bitterness, but the malt presence can be substantial

Low to moderately high clean malt character. Thanks a million <_< 

For UK ales I just do a single isothermal infusion mash and have done so for the two APAs I have made so far. However I'm wondering if the APA guys out there do step mashes? I've been using a Hochkurz mash for lagers and the advantage is that you can control the fermentability of the wort and the "maltiness". Short 62 rest and longer 70 rest for maltiness, the opposite for a dryer higher attenuating beer. 
I see the BJCP says FG can be as high as 1016. 

Any advantages in step mashing for an APA?


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (15/2/11)

BribieG said:


> I'm doing a bit of a thrust on APAs this year and being a new style for me, I'm trying to get to grips with the mash schedule.
> 
> BJCP says:
> 
> ...



I don't step mash with APAs. My mashing temp varies according to whether I want a "low" or "moderately high" clean malt character. I've found, however, for the most part, a low mash temp (64-65 degrees) tends to leave wort that attenuates well, presenting the hops as a more cleaner and prominent part of the beer and bring out the fruitiness of the hops I choose, whether it tends toward bitterness or aroma. If I want some malt support to balance out bitterness, I'll separately mash some spec grains at a higher temp (spare pot, spare voile, thank you very much Mrs Sloakham) and add them in to the boil.

However, I do tend to prefer and it seems to support what I like to do with fruity, hoppy APA to have a thin wort. However, bank that on personal taste.

Don't tend to brew high FG APAs, as this tends to be my UK styles' preferred range. As above, based on personal taste.

Goomba


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## argon (15/2/11)

I think a very simple sach rest at 65 is all you really need. Malt is not the hero in the APA. It's all about the big aggresive fruity/piney late kettle hops, with justa touch of balance to make it an easy quaffer. If you want more body and/or sweetness look at adding some crystal. 

Most of the APAs in the states are usually something like; 75-90% 2-row, making the rest up with some kind of crystal and maybe some spec malt here and there. Pretty simple stuff. I've never heard of any multi rest steps coming out of the states. Could be wrong though... would like to know more of course.

Edit: One thing that does keep cropping up in some of the reading and podcasts i've been getting into, is the want of the Seppos to drive fermentation... eg pitch at 16 let it raise to 18 till 80% complete then finish off at 21, chill to 4 over 48hrs, package.


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## RobW (15/2/11)

I've only ever done APAs with a single infusion mash around 66.
Never seen anybody mention anything else other than the blokes who routinely do a protein rest first.


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## mje1980 (15/2/11)

My 10 min apa ( no chilled and not calc adjusted, scandalous!! ) was 10% wheat, 10% Munich, and trad ale. With all the hops in there ( a shitload ), and a simple infusion mash at 66c, it had good malt character, even with all the hops.


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## argon (15/2/11)

mje1980 said:


> My 10 min apa ( no chilled and not calc adjusted, scandalous!! ) was 10% wheat, 10% Munich, and trad ale. With all the hops in there ( a shitload ), and a simple infusion mash at 66c, it had good malt character, even with all the hops.



That grain bill is a fav of mine... give or take a 5% carapils... plenty malty enough for style


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## schooey (15/2/11)

argon said:


> Malt is not the hero in the APA. It's all about the big aggresive fruity/piney late kettle hops, with justa touch of balance to make it an easy quaffer. If you want more body and/or sweetness look at adding some crystal.



I tend to disagree... With an IPA or IIPA it's all about the hops, but with an APA, you need it to be well balanced. Sure the hop aroma and flavour has to be there; we're not making a hefe, but without the malt profile and body holding up some of those hops, the beer will be thin and hop-offensive IMO. 

When I taste beers amongst a group of people, I usually find that the general consensus for the best examples of style lean towards the better balanced beers. The malt profile is as important as the hop profile and the yeast profile (Sure, the yeast profile may not add much on the flavour or body stakes in an APA, but a clean non offensive yeast profile from something like 1056 is as important in balancing as a complex fruity profile frome something like 1272) when trying to achieve this balance, I think.

I've only ever mashed APA's in a single step infusion mash, ranging from between 64-67C. Too hot and you get that cloying sweetness on the palate; too cold and you get a really long, dry ass finish... I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you already don't know here, Bribie.


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## Nick JD (15/2/11)

An APA with a great/strong malt profile is an AAA, IMHO.

AAAs are the bestest beers ... _in the world._

For me an APA almost _should _have less malt character to let the hops dominate. 

Check out the AAA - better than the APA. More balanced. 

I don't think either one really needs a flash mash - just bung in some caramel wheat.


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## Bribie G (15/2/11)

Thanks guys, 65 it is.. I also like the idea of a tad wheat 

Moderately large white to off-white head with good retention


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## bum (15/2/11)

Think of the following more as an observation than anything else:

Do any of you guys read US HB boards? I do, quite a bit. You know what I nearly never see? I nearly never see US brewers using wheat in their APAs. I also almost never see wheat featuring in well regarded clone recipes either. Or when I look at the websites of breweries that give out that sort of information. Not sure why you guys always seem so certain wheat screams APA.


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## Nick JD (15/2/11)

bum said:


> Think of the following more as an observation than anything else:
> 
> Do any of you guys read US HB boards? I do, quite a bit. You know what I nearly never see? I nearly never see US brewers using wheat in their APAs. I also almost never see wheat featuring in well regarded clone recipes either. Or when I look at the websites of breweries that give out that sort of information. Not sure why you guys always seem so certain wheat screams APA.



American homebrewers regularly use a bit of wheat malt, but a lot more use carapils in their APAs. Personally, if it's only about 5% of the grain bill it really doesn't make much difference whether it's carapils or wheat - neither can be tasted.


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## schooey (15/2/11)

Nick JD said:


> An APA with a great/strong malt profile is an AAA, IMHO.
> 
> AAAs are the bestest beers ... _in the world._
> 
> ...



I agree. An AAA should have the big malt profile that outshines the hops to some extent; the inverse of the IPA if you like...

I guess this is the way I see it;

HOPS <------- BALANCED --------> MALT

IPA <----------- APA ------------> AAA


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## jyo (15/2/11)

This is my go-to grain bill for a quaffer everytime. This one picked up a 4th loser place at the nationals this year  .


American Pale Ale

*Recipe Specs*
----------------
Batch Size (L): 23.0
Total Grain (kg): 5.350
Total Hops (g): 75.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.052 (P): 12.9
Colour (SRM): 9.3 (EBC): 18.4
Bitterness (IBU): 38.8 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 73
Boil Time (Minutes): 90

*Grain Bill*
----------------
4.500 kg Pale Malt (84.11%)
0.350 kg Wheat Malt (6.54%)
0.250 kg Carapils (Dextrine) (4.67%)
0.250 kg Crystal 120 (4.67%)

*Hop Bill*
----------------
20.0 g Centennial Pellet (9.7% Alpha) @ 40 Minutes (Boil) (0.9 g/L)
15.0 g Centennial Pellet (9.7% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (0.7 g/L)
40.0 g Amarillo Pellet (8.6% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil) (1.7 g/L)

*Misc Bill*
----------------

Single step Infusion at 65C for 90 Minutes. No chilled.


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## DJR (15/2/11)

bum said:


> Think of the following more as an observation than anything else:
> 
> Do any of you guys read US HB boards? I do, quite a bit. You know what I nearly never see? I nearly never see US brewers using wheat in their APAs. I also almost never see wheat featuring in well regarded clone recipes either. Or when I look at the websites of breweries that give out that sort of information. Not sure why you guys always seem so certain wheat screams APA.



Thank JSGA and also that we grow a lot of wheat and malt it here...

Edit: Should respond to the original post.... 67C is always what i use and loads of Vienna (anywhere between 30% and 75%), which makes it not really an APA but who cares, i like it


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