Renaissance Discovery and APA recipe advice

[Andrew Dixon]

Hi,

 

I recently had my first taste of Renaissance Discovery APA which I really really liked.  I've never had an APA before so it was very new to me.  I loved the hop flavour without too much bitterness (I'm guessing this is where and APA would differ from an American IPA?)  Is this beer typical of the APA style?  I'd love to brew something along the lines of Discovery and I've seen a lot of APA recipes but I have no way of knowing if any of them would be anything like it.

 

Can someone with a bit more experience give me a starting point for an all grain recipe that would be something like Renaissance Discovery.  I know that Renaissance use NZ Cascade and Willamette which I know I can get from Liberty Brewing.  But other than that I'm in the dark.

 

Thank

Andy

[David Wood]

My formula for hoppy pale ales is: a bit of medium crystal ~5-10% and a bit of cara pils ~3%, bittering hops, and heaps of late hops and dry hops. Add beetroot occasionally. Repeat.

[Andrew Dixon]

Thanks for that David.

 

What's the story with the beetroot?

[denimglen]

I'm guessing this is where and APA would differ from an American IPA?

 

Yup.  IPAs are pretty much just a bigger version of APAs, and then there's imperial IPAs which are bigger versions of IPAs.  Bigger meaning a bit more bitterness and a bit more gravity/alcohol.  If you head over to bjcp.org and check out the style guidlines it might clear it up a bit better for ya.

 

Is this beer typical of the APA style?

 

It's been a while since I've had it and when I have they haven't been great bottles, so take this with a grain of salt.  IIRC it's more of an 'East Coast' APA, a little more crystal and body, and a little less aggressive in the hops than their West Coast counterparts.

 

I've seen a lot of APA recipes but I have no way of knowing if any of them would be anything like it...Can someone with a bit more experience give me a starting point for an all grain recipe that would be something like Renaissance Discovery.

 

Part of the problem with APAs (and most beer styles for that matter) is that they're really easy to brew a good one, but it's a task and a half to brew an outstanding one.  That's my point of view anyway.

 

At a guess for something along similar lines I'd go about

 

95% English Pale Malt

5% Pale crystal

 

Aim for about 1.048 and 35 IBU mash at 67C.

 

Use a low cohumulone hop as your bittering addition eg Southern Cross or Warrior (they're the two I use the most).

 

Then about 20g NZ Cascade + 10g Willamette at 15 minutes, then the same again at flameout.  Taste it when it's finished fermenting and if it needs a bit more use same amounts as above to dry hop.

 

Ferment with US05.

[Andrew Dixon]

Thanks a lot for your reply Denimglen.  Very useful information.  Especially the hopping schedule. Exactly the info I needed.

 

I think this will be the next beer I brew after the milk stout I have planned.

 

Thanks

Andy

[JR]

Cant say what the Renaissance one is like but this one got me a medal at NHC.  Its on the big end of the scale and was 6 months old by the time the contest was judged.

 

4.35 kg	Pale Malt Gladfields NZ (3.0 SRM)	Grain	76.32 %
0.85 kg	Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)	Grain	14.91 %
0.40 kg	Bards Medium Crystal Malt (80.0 SRM)	Grain	7.02 %
0.10 kg	Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)	Grain	1.75 %
17.00 gm	Cascade [7.70 %] (85 min)	Hops	17.2 IBU
30.00 gm	Cascade [7.70 %] (Dry Hop 3 days)	Hops	-
30.00 gm	Cascade [7.70 %] (30 min)	Hops	15.5 IBU
45.00 gm	Cascade [7.70 %] (5 min)	Hops	7.6 IBU
45.00 gm	Cascade [7.70 %] (0 min)	Hops	-
1 Pkgs	London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968)	Yeast-Ale