Feedback Please, First Apa Attempt

[The Scientist]

Hi all,

About to put down my first APA and would like some feedback on my recipe before I begin:

Alpha Charlie Sierra Pale Ale

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 25.00 Wort Size (L): 25.00
Total Grain (kg): 6.30
Anticipated OG: 1.054 Plato: 13.43
Anticipated SRM: 11.6
Anticipated IBU: 37.8
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
47.6 3.00 kg. TF Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt UK 1.037 3
31.7 2.00 kg. Weyermann Pilsner Germany 1.038 2
7.9 0.50 kg. JWM Light Munich Australia 1.038 10
6.3 0.40 kg. Crystal 75L Great Britian 1.034 75
4.8 0.30 kg. Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt 1.033 2
1.6 0.10 kg. Crystal 105L Great Britain 1.033 105

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.00 g. Amarillo Pellet 8.60 0.0 0 min.
10.00 g. Cascade Pellet 7.80 0.0 0 min.
10.00 g. Cascade Pellet 7.80 2.0 10 min.
10.00 g. Amarillo Pellet 8.60 2.2 10 min.
10.00 g. Simcoe Pellet 12.20 5.3 20 min.
20.00 g. Simcoe Pellet 12.20 28.3 First WH


Yeast
-----

US-05

Any thoughts?

Cheers

TS :icon_cheers:

 

[Frank]

Too much Crystal. Drop it down to 5% or less total.
Have a look at Tony's recipe here. Use this as a base, and change hops and malt to match the gear you have.

 

[beachy]

its your beer so you know what you like but for my tastes i think the OG 1054 is good but would swap the carapils for pale wheat malt and just use 5% lightish crystal(i use carared 20L)
also with that og i would up the ibu to 45 escpecially with simcoe because it is so smooth and i would up the 0 and 10 min additions to 2g per litre

 

[beers]

From memory I think Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is about 8-9% crystal.
It will be a maltier APA, & with 37ibu I don't think it's too much crystal. Depends what you want I guess.

 

[The Scientist]

Thanks for the replies guys, happy with having a maltier beer and if its anywhere near a Sierra Nevada for my first attempt I'll be over the moon. :icon_drool2:

Cheers,

TS

 

[Fourstar]

Too much Crystal. Drop it down to 5% or less total.
Have a look at Tony's recipe here. Use this as a base, and change hops and malt to match the gear you have.

I agree, drop it down the around 5%.

its your beer so you know what you like but for my tastes i think the OG 1054 is good but would swap the carapils for pale wheat malt and just use 5% lightish crystal(i use carared 20L)
also with that og i would up the ibu to 45 escpecially with simcoe because it is so smooth and i would up the 0 and 10 min additions to 2g per litre

Stay with the carapils, there is nothing wrong with it. As for the hopping rate, it will be a nice bitterness, mellow flavour and lingering aroma. Nothing IPA style on the nose (which is what allot of people shoot for with APA) but a standard APA job. Obvious hop aroma, but nothing in your face.

 

[The Scientist]

I agree, drop it down the around 5%.

Stay with the carapils, there is nothing wrong with it. As for the hopping rate, it will be a nice bitterness, mellow flavour and lingering aroma. Nothing IPA style on the nose (which is what allot of people shoot for with APA) but a standard APA job. Obvious hop aroma, but nothing in your face.

Just finnished brewing it then and no major dramas occured, hoping the ferment goes as smooth

I ended up dropping the darker crystal but kept the % the same with the med crystal.

With the Hops, my trian of thought was Simcoe for its smooth bitterness, Amerillo for the stone fruit flavour and Cascade for the citrus aroma punch. I wanted to keep the evergreen of Simcoe away from the citrus of the other two.

Might end up dry hopping it if the aroma isn't quite up to the level I'm after.

Cheers

 

[Fourstar]

Sounds like you have a decent idea of what you where after and i'd say thats what you will get. Depending on how prominent the cascade are, you will notice them in the forefront quite abit with amarillo taking the backseat. Simcoe will have a firm bittereness to match. Looks like you have a decent beer lined p.

Simcoe = godly hop. :icon_drool2:

 

[Jimmeh]

mate if you do want to brew a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale beer, the actual recipe is here: http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic....f=4&t=15532

enjoy

Jim

 

[bum]

I'm putting that brew down on my next brewday, Jimmeh, and while I hope it does get very close, I dunno if I'd call it "the actual recipe" - even if it was designed with help from the brewery. Probably best to think of it as a clone rather than the real deal. Great thread though - anyone wanting to brew a similar beer should give it a read (thanks for sending it my way originally, Cocko).

 

[browndog]

I've brewed 4 experimental APAs recently using TFFMMO, Munich and a good whack of caramunich (0.5kg). Bittering varied from 30 to 45IBUs and I used a lot of late cascade. I have to say they are some of the most dissapointing beers I've brewed to date. The cascade flavour combines with the crystal to produce a very cloying flavour. Here on in if I'm going to use cascade late I won't be adding any crystal to the grist.

cheers

Browndog