My First Apa

[wbosher]

So maybe change the hops to something more like this?

30.00 g Cascade [7.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 22.9 IBUs
20.00 g Cascade [7.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 4 9.2 IBUs
30.00 g Cascade [7.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 5 8.3 IBUs

That will give it closer to 40 IBUs

 

[warra48]

So maybe change the hops to something more like this?

30.00 g Cascade [7.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 22.9 IBUs
20.00 g Cascade [7.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 4 9.2 IBUs
30.00 g Cascade [7.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 5 8.3 IBUs

That will give it closer to 40 IBUs

Looks fine to me. 40 IBU is a decent level, and you can see how it suits your taste, and adjust for your next brew.

As it happens, I brewed an APA last Friday, and my hopping schedule is:
21 IBU FWH Northern Brewer 6.6%
11.7 IBU 30 min Magnum 11.3%
7.0 IBU 15 min Cascade 5.0% and Citra 13.4%
1.5 IBU 2 min Cascade and Citra

 

[Bribie G]

Just happened on this thread. I'm mashing (BIAB) right now an APA which is a 80/20 mix of Maris Otter and domestic malt, 200g of Caraaroma for colour and "richness" - it's my favourite spec malt for APAs but I wouldn't use more than that.

Should turn out around 1052 and for Hops, I'm bittering with Columbus then some late Centennial to give around 40 IBU, so I'm on similar track to Warra.

Lower bitterness is ok for APAs but they can end up tasting a bit like commercial "wannabe" APAs like our James Squire 50 lashes, or Fat Yak. Nicest Commercial Aussie one I've tried lately is the Coopers Celebration but most "civilians" I've spoken to who have tried it complain that it's too bitter for them. :huh: I'd guess that's up around the 40 mark.

 

[krausenhaus]

Just happened on this thread. I'm mashing (BIAB) right now an APA which is a 80/20 mix of Maris Otter and domestic malt, 200g of Caraaroma for colour and "richness" - it's my favourite spec malt for APAs but I wouldn't use more than that.

I'm looking doing future APAs with Maris Otter and Caraaroma too.

I used Caraaroma for the first time in an amber recently and was really happy with the results, so I would like to use that instead of the plain ol' medium crystal I've been using in the past.

I've also found that Maris Otter can stand up to the hops a lot better than pale malt after using the same hop schedule with each base.

So just wondering - is that 200g of CA in a standard 23 litre batch? And why the 80/20 mix of MO? Is 100% a bit too much, or is there little noticeable difference so you're conserving your MO?

 

[wbosher]

Well got the day off work, beautiful sunny day. Perfect for spending the day out in the garage.

Got the mash going, Beersmith says a little under 67C for 75 minutes, it's at 68. That should be fine, I don't mind a bit more body and less alcohol, in fact it's exactly what I want.

Getting the hops measured out and then we wait...can't even have a beer it's only 9:40am...well I could but I won't.

 

[wbosher]

Interestingly finished with 24L, it was a 21L recipe. I guess that makes up for trub loss? Seems to have been factored into Beersmith.

Still, with an OG of 1.050, I'm pretty happy with that. Est OG was 1.053, so that worked out quite nicely.

 

[Blitzer]

Interestingly finished with 24L, it was a 21L recipe. I guess that makes up for trub loss? Seems to have been factored into Beersmith.

Still, with an OG of 1.050, I'm pretty happy with that. Est OG was 1.053, so that worked out quite nicely.

Your original recipe mentions finishing @ 25l post-boil. So looks like you hit everything pretty much spot on.

 

[wbosher]

You're right, didn't notice that. :lol:

Things went much smoother the 2nd time around, and got my pre-boil volumes all set up using Beersmith...didn't use any software last time, just some dodgy recipe.

Starting to feel a little more confident now.

 

[wbosher]

OMG!!! I just got home from work at it's at 27C!

As soon as my boy is fed and in bed I'm going to go and dump it in some cold water. Spent the first day at around 24C, probably the whole of today at 27. Hope it's going to be ok.

 

[Blitzer]

OMG!!! I just got home from work at it's at 27C!

As soon as my boy is fed and in bed I'm going to go and dump it in some cold water. Spent the first day at around 24C, probably the whole of today at 27. Hope it's going to be ok.

What yeast did you use?

 

[warra48]

OMG!!! I just got home from work at it's at 27C!

As soon as my boy is fed and in bed I'm going to go and dump it in some cold water. Spent the first day at around 24C, probably the whole of today at 27. Hope it's going to be ok.

Time for a dedicated fermenting fridge and a TempMate or equivalent!

 

[wbosher]

Hmm, my fermenter wont fit in my garage fridge and no way I'll be able to get another one. Might have to get a swamp cooler set up.

The weather has been quite mild until today, I guess summer is about to strike.

 

[wbosher]

I've managed to get it down to 20C, hopefully not too late.

 

[Camo1234]

Hmm, my fermenter wont fit in my garage fridge and no way I'll be able to get another one. Might have to get a swamp cooler set up.

The weather has been quite mild until today, I guess summer is about to strike.

Just get a fermenting vessel that will fit in the fridge you currently have
If you search on here for "jerry can" fermenters you'll see some options. I use a mixture of fermenters and the water jerry cans from bunnings fit nicely into my small bar fridge... If you can't find a fermenter to fit your fridge then it's time to get rid of that fridge and get a different one.
Bugger going to all the trouble of brewing to destroy it with bad temp control.
Camo

 

[wbosher]

I did get another fridge that my FV would have fit into, but my wife decided she'd like it in the kitchen and the old one can go into the garage for me.

The temp here in NZ is generally pretty mild, in the mid to high 20s in summer, so should be able to control it quite easily with a tub of cold water. Yesterday just caught me by surprise as it was unusually high compared to the last few weeks.

As soon as I put it into some cold water the temp came down quite quickly. Will have to do that from now on I think untill Autumn rolls around again.

 

[wbosher]

Been a week now and it looks like the fermentation has finished. Took a gravity reading and it is 1.012, which is pretty much bang on.

I'll give it a few more days and take another one, might be ready to bottle this weekend.