American Pale Ale or India Pale Ale? You be the judge!

[Seato]

This is about the forth variation to this malt base and I've really been loving it, been tweeking the hop additions on every run and I think this is going to rock.

Equipment: Keg king two pot biab system with immersion chiller, three ring LPG burner.

Target volume 50 litres
Expected efficiency 67%
Expected OG 1048

9 kg Pale malt
3 kg Munich malt

Mash tun initial temp 62 degrees and ramped and held at 64 degrees for 90 minutes.

Fly sparged the internal pot which was suspended on fridge shelf above external pot.

Hop additions
20g Galaxy 60 min
20g Galaxy 40 min
20g Nelson Sauvin 20 min
20g Galaxy 15 min
20g Amarillo 10 min
20g Nelson Sauvin 0 min

Immersion chiller dropped temp to 20 degrees in 30 minutes.

Put into 2 fermenters with US-05 in each and into fermenter fridge at 18 degrees for approx 13 days.

Brew mate calculates IBU's at 46.4 which is just over its APA range.
Actual OG 1050
Actual efficiency 69%

Thoughts...?

 

[sponge]

Homebrewed - APA

Commercial - AIPA

 

[verysupple]

Sounds nice with a good fruit punch from the hops.

For me, in a 50 L batch that's nowhere near enough late hops to be an AIPA. So even though the IBU's are a bit higher than the guidelines say for an APA, I think it'll taste more like an APA.

 

[indica86]

50l and 120g of hops? Not close to an IPA.

 

[manticle]

Are you entering in a comp or concerned the BJCP will send out an inspector?

Hoppy beer. Drink and enjoy.

 

[Seato]

Just thought the AHB community insight might have some ideas

 

[danestead]

APA for sure.

Its below IPA Og, only has about 1.6g/l hops in the last 20mins.

If you were aiming for an 'All day IPA' you would want 2g/l late hops at least so its not really that either.

With 46 IBU's and a mash temp of 64 degrees, Id expect it to come out pretty dry and bitter. The bitterness/final gravity balance would be IPA like though.

Sounds like a bitsa however id be calling it a bitter APA.

 

[Seato]

Ok. You might be right about the dryness, hydrometer sip was sweet but you would expect that.

If you were going to modify this recipe to be more APA would you mash at a slightly higher temp (68)ish and back off the early additions a bit to aim for around 40IBU's?

I was having a mash tun temp spike issue so I have become accustomed to accepting that if starch conversion is happening, don't get too bent out of shape about which side of the scale it's in rather than pushing too far and beyond 70 degrees.

The concept of this recipe was always to be an APA. So any suggestions are welcomed.

I am confident this will be an impressive beer. It might not go in a comp but it will still be a tasty beer.

 

[danestead]

Ok. You might be right about the dryness, hydrometer sip was sweet but you would expect that.
If you were going to modify this recipe to be more APA would you mash at a slightly higher temp (68)ish and back off the early additions a bit to aim for around 40IBU's?
I was having a mash tun temp spike issue so I have become accustomed to accepting that if starch conversion is happening, don't get too bent out of shape about which side of the scale it's in rather than pushing too far and beyond 70 degrees.
The concept of this recipe was always to be an APA. So any suggestions are welcomed.
I am confident this will be an impressive beer. It might not go in a comp but it will still be a tasty beer.

Personally, id be going with 35 IBUs and mashing at 66 for a dryer apa or 67 for a little more full bodied.

 

[manticle]

Just thought the AHB community insight might have some ideas

Ideas on improvement or style?

I don't like galaxy or Nelson but the malt bill looks nice (munich or vienna is nice in apa types) and the IBU and gravity look nicely balanced. I also like the late hop schedule. Chilling/no-chilling will make some difference but I find the 0 minute addition added at whirlpool after a 20 minute stand and a dry hop addition gives me everything I chase in flavour and aroma.

 

[indica86]

Ideas? I'd lose the 40 and 20 minute additions and sub the 60 Galaxy for Magnum.
The spare hops from 40 and 20 throw in at flameout for 15. Check IBU and make it up with the Magnum @ 60.
That is what I would do. But I have only been AG brewing for 10 months.

 

[Vini2ton]

Dry hop with something you like could be the go.

 

[dent]

I find the 0 minute addition added at whirlpool after a 20 minute stand and a dry hop addition gives me everything I chase in flavour and aroma.

Is that with chilling or not?

 

[Seato]

Was chilled, gets it down under 70 degrees in about 10 minutes and down to 20 degrees in about 30 minutes

 

[manticle]

I'm almost exclusively a no chiller dent.