How much is too much galaxy?

[rockeye84]

Hey all..

Trying to brew something with in your face hop flavour/aroma without being too harsh. Have done this brew before with about 30% less hops and it was not a bad brew. Just wanting your thoughts on the hopping rates, I know galaxy can be pretty full on sometimes, the hops are very fresh and are supposed to have an obscene amount of aroma. Do you think it will be over the top? Input would be heaps appreciated.

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 42.00 l
Boil Size: 45.57 l
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 43.68 l
Final Bottling Vol: 42.00 l
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage


Date: 05/12/13
Brewer: Rocki
Equipment: 50L ELECTRIC HERMS
Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.0 %
Taste Rating: 30.0

Ingredients
62.00 l Rain Water
7.00 g Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 -
6.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 3 -
2.00 g Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 4 -

6.50 kg Pilsner, Malt Craft Export (Joe White) (3.2 EBC) Grain 5 72.3 %
1.00 kg Vienna Malt (9.0 EBC) Grain 6 11.1 %
0.50 kg Borlander Munich Malt (Briess) (19.7 EBC) Grain 7 5.6 %
0.50 kg Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (3.5 EBC) Grain 8 5.6 %
0.34 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (160.0 EBC) Grain 9 3.8 %
0.15 kg Acid Malt (5.9 EBC) Grain 10 1.7 %

5.00 g AU Cascade [6.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 11 1.9 IBUs
5.00 g Galaxy [14.30 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 12 4.5 IBUs
25.00 g AU Cascade [6.20 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 13 5.9 IBUs
25.00 g Galaxy [14.30 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 14 13.6 IBUs
2.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 15 -
4.40 g Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins) Other 16 -
35.00 g AU Cascade [6.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 17 2.7 IBUs
35.00 g Galaxy [14.30 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 18 6.3 IBUs
45.00 g AU Cascade [6.20 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 19 0.0 IBUs
45.00 g Galaxy [14.30 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 20 0.0 IBUs

1.0 pkg American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) [124.21 ml]
3L Starter, Decant & Pitch yeast Only.


Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color
Est Original Gravity: 1.049 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.6 %
Bitterness: 34.9 IBUs
Est Color: 14.0 EBC

Mash Profile
Mash Name: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Full Body 68.5c

Ferment at 16.5c

 

[punkin]

I'd drink it. This is what i've just finnished in the last keg of apa...

Ignore the title and classification, it's a working recipe that i change up or down.

mountain goat ipa (American Pale Ale)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.048 (°P): 11.9
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (°P): 3.1
Alcohol (ABV): 4.72 %
Colour (SRM): 5.2 (EBC): 10.3
Bitterness (IBU): 33.6 (Average)

76% Peated Malt
16% Wheat Malt
8% Crystal 10

0.5 g/L Pride of Ringwood (9.6% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
2.2 g/L Centennial (9.2% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil)
2.2 g/L Citra (14.4% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
2.2 g/L Cascade (8.7% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)
2.2 g/L Galaxy (13.4% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)


Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 20°C with Safale US-05


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

 

[vittorio]

ask Galileo Galilei

 

[Dan Pratt]

Hi Rockeye84,

If your looking for a in your face hop/aroma I would suggest a couple of options;

• make the water additions at a ratio of 3:1 for sulphate to chloride - this will make it hop forward ( 6:1 is not unusual for pale ale and IPA's )
• remove the galaxy from the 60min addition and use the cascade for bittering to 15Ibu
• Then use the intended galaxy/cascade combo at 20 & 5min additions to create the remaining 23ibu (10Ibu from 20m & 13ibu from 5m addition)
• remove cascade from the 0min addition and go fo all galaxy
• dry hop with 2g/L Galaxy for 3-5 days when fermentation is 90% complete - this will pump up your aroma

my 2c of how to approach it.

Of any of these option I would adjust the sulphate/chloride ratio to make it hop forward :chug:

 

[carniebrew]

I did an all Galaxy pale that I bottled back in mid-August, with this hop schedule (in 15l of what ended up being 5.2% abv, 32 IBU):

11gm Galaxy (12.3%) @ 60
22gm Galaxy @ 15
25gm Galaxy @ 0
25gm Galaxy @ d (4 days)

I've found it really hard to drink ever since bottling, it's harsh, grassy and I find it overpowering. I let it age for a while, and cracked one last night, and still find it too full on, even after more than 3 months in the bottle.

I wasn't sure which addition was causing the problem, until I bottled my latest brew, a version of Mountain Goat/Brooklyn's Hopfweizenbock. I used only Hallertau in the boil, and dry hopped this 6.7%, 21 IBU beer with 2.5gm/l of Galaxy for 5 days. On bottling, it had the same harsh, smack in the face rawness of my pale ale above. So I'm guessing it's the dry hop...I'm either using too much, or leaving it in too long.

Mind you, I've given my all galaxy pale ale to friends to try, and a few of them reckon they quite like the hugeness of it...so it may depend upon your tastes somewhat?

 

[punkin]

I did an all Galaxy pale that I bottled back in mid-August, with this hop schedule (in 15l of what ended up being 5.2% abv, 32 IBU):

11gm Galaxy (12.3%) @ 60
22gm Galaxy @ 15
25gm Galaxy @ 0
25gm Galaxy @ d (4 days)

I've found it really hard to drink ever since bottling, it's harsh, grassy and I find it overpowering. I let it age for a while, and cracked one last night, and still find it too full on, even after more than 3 months in the bottle.

I wasn't sure which addition was causing the problem, until I bottled my latest brew, a version of Mountain Goat/Brooklyn's Hopfweizenbock. I used only Hallertau in the boil, and dry hopped this 6.7%, 21 IBU beer with 2.5gm/l of Galaxy for 5 days. On bottling, it had the same harsh, smack in the face rawness of my pale ale above. So I'm guessing it's the dry hop...I'm either using too much, or leaving it in too long.

Mind you, I've given my all galaxy pale ale to friends to try, and a few of them reckon they quite like the hugeness of it...so it may depend upon your tastes somewhat?

Are your galaxy's pellets or flowers?

I'm moving right away from flowers as i find them unusable (grass) as a keg hop and not as good as pellets as a fermenter dry hop.

 

[carniebrew]

I've only ever used pellets.

 

[JB]

Hey Rockeye84, in my experience plus what I've read on these forums, I'd avoid using galaxy for bittering but mainly avoid dry hopping with galaxy. I've dry-hopped with galaxy & also got the grassiness taste carnie mentioned above. Since then I've dry hopped galaxy ales with citra & been very happy :icon_drool2:

With galaxy hops I recommend going MASSIVE for your late hopping - especially 10mins & under.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

What JB said. Galaxy is a harsh bitterer, and not a great dry hopper (Citra is fantastic for this, and Cascade in moderation).

Galaxy shines at 10 minutes.

I quite like using about 15 IBU at 60 minutes (IPA) or 30 minutes (APA) of something 'pine, resinous' descriptor - you know, the Chinooks and the like. It tends to bring the fruit salad under control and really adds another dimension.

 

[SimoB]

I did a single hop Galaxy pale ale, it's on keg at the moment. It's almost too fruity, huge notes of passionfruit. I like it but I don't think I would use it so heavily again.

I agree that the bitterness can be a little harsh and when it has a dry finish it's even worse as it isn't well balanced when your missing that malt which is what mine is like now. IMO.

I agree with Lord & JB on this. I got the grassy biz on the dry hop also.

 

[maldridge]

I'm kegging my smash this weekend. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. Interesting read, hoping mine doesn't come out too grassy! I dry hopped just over 1g/L for 5 days about 90% through primary ferm, then racked to secondary. WAS going to dry hop in the keg also but don't think I'll risk it going from this thread.

 

[rockeye84]

Cheers for all the feedback lads! Heaps appreciated!

Gunna pump this one out over the weekend. With a few minor changes as per the suggestions, hopefully it turns out ok..

Think ill dodge the dry hops tho. Dont really like grassy beer.. Dont want to risk it.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Glad I caught this thread, was planning on dry hopping with galaxy in a chestnut pilsner I'm currently bringing down to lager temps. Will hold fire as I also cube hopped it, hopefully with enough (probably not!).

 

[carniebrew]

I only did it on my hopfweizenbock 'coz Mountain Goat were raving about how much Galaxy they used "in the conditioning tanks". Here's the excerpt from Crafty Pint:

" A tonne (not literally) of Tassie Galaxy hops were added to the conditioning tanks – two grams per litre, according to Goat, to give the beer a distinctive Aussie twist"

What it doesn't say is for how long. I recall tasting my weizenbock about a day and a half after dry hopping it with Galaxy, and it tasted alright...but after 5 days it was waaay too full on. Maybe a 2 or 3 day dry hop would be ok...but I dunno that I want to lose another batch to it, so might piff it for dry hopping from now on.

 

[Not For Horses]

I dry hopped my last pale ale with galaxy at 2g/L for 3 days. It was very delicious. Huge passion fruit aroma, no lawn clippings. I'd definitely do it again.

 

[carniebrew]

Maybe 3 days is the cutoff for dry hopping with Galaxy....

 

[thedragon]

I love galaxy. The Aussie Amber ale in the recipe DB is brilliant.

Try not to over do it at less than 40 minutes. I like to dry hop with it, but usually for only 3 days.

 

[sav]

I have been using galaxy on and off for a few years in different styles,American wheat,amber,pale ales and I think I think it is really harsh hop.
Even using it late for a smash at 20 it's bitey. Just my theory I am done on galaxy.
Sav

 

[Droughtmaster]

i have a galaxy/amarillo APA just about to go into the keg this weekend .
was dryhopped with 25g of both.
Last time i brewed this it was the first to disappear and the hop aroma was in ya face with pellets fuk i wish i could get some amarillo flowers