Geds APA ( of sorts)

[Ged]

Still playing guessing games with every brew so would be very keen to hear your thoughts from good to bad with improvements along the way.

5KG Pale Malt
0.6KG Crystal 40L
16 gm Southern Cross for 60 mins
20 gm Imp Cascade for 30 mins
30 gm Imp Cascade for 15 mins
35 gm Imp Cascade for 10 mins

Single Infusion Mash. Held at 67.8 c for 60 mins
Batch Sparged..

None left..Really enjoyed it as did Dylan who sank the keg !!! Have just done another with 100gm willamette for hopping during fermentation and in keg

Thx again

[studio1]

Loverly. Hops sure pack a punch. When was brew day?

[Ged]

About 5 to 6 weeks ago. Thx for feedback.its like getting your high school exam results back :) glad you enjoyed it mate

[Reviled]

Allrighty, my 1st case swap beer cos I was in need of some hops ;o) Heres my take on it - I really enjoyed it

Pours a dark copper/amber colour with a big fluffy head - good retention. Candy like orange citrus hop aroma being held up by a nice caramelly malty aroma. Nice creamy mouthfeel, which is followed by a juicy malty sweet, caramel taste which slowly dissolves into a soft lingering bitterness. As the glass warmed up the caramel flavours started to dominate a bit more, stealing a bit of the bitterness.

If I was gonna change anything id cut back the crystal and dry hop it, it seemed like more of an American Amber to me, but thats just to my tastes and it was still a bloody good beer! Thanks :o)

[Ged]

Wow...That was in depth buddy..Thx for the tips. I have never heard of an American Amber but am off to look it up. What would cutting back the crystal do? Am dry hopping another beastie so will bottle one up to you in a few weeks out of the keg...Cheers

[Reviled]

Cutting back the crystal would remove a bit of the caramel flavours, and the malt aroma, but would make the hops more prominate, as would dry hopping! But note that it will also leave you with less body. It really just depends on what youre going for, me personally I like a mega fuck off hoppy beer (I actually used too much crystal myself recently and ended up with an Amber Ale which is good but not what I was going for), but others like the malt as well, so each to their own :o)

Just my 2 cents... And yeah, I tried to be descriptive as possible ;o)

[Stu McKinlay]

Haven't read anyone else's thoughts yet...

Decanted into a 1.5L jug, as I'll be doing with all of the beers. Poured off a glass now and saving another for lunch (with lunch, not as lunch).

Pours rose gold, light haze, steady flow of carbonation and an off-white airy head that collapses and disappears but laces well. Subtle aroma of orange and pine American hops and caramel malt - nice combination and balance. The mouthfeel is a little powdery, possibly yeast but maybe mineral, with a shade more carbonation than I'd like myself. I'm surprised at the hop character given the numbers above - it has a lot of hop flavour and a long lasting bitterness. Hop flavour is a little sharp, not unpleasant but tending towards a Burtonised character. Mouthfeel and hop sharpness both suggest that. If you have Burtonised I'd probably cut it back a shade - this much would work for an English Pale with a little more malt. The malt/hop balance is about where I like it for APA's... at the upper end of both. Good hoppy burps. Looking forward to letting the second half vent and warm... I like this beer a lot and with a few tweaks I'd love it. Recipe is solid.

Giddy up - good Friday indeed. Very nice beer Ged. Thanks. Look forward to the next case swap already.

[Ged]

Thx Stu. Excuse my ignorance..Is a burtonised character - as in Burton pale ale ?? and what would I cut back a shade..

Still learning mate. So far I guess lady luck has been on my side..Bit of this, bit of that and bobs your uncle ( usually !! ).. Thanks again for the feedback. Really appreciate you taking time to comment.

[Stu McKinlay]

Calcium sulphate aka gypsum.
Not sure if you added it but there was a character there, which I wondered about having come from this. As the beer warmed, vented and softened on the second glass I wasn't so sure...

[Ged]

Hi Stu..Didn't add anything other than ingredients listed. S05 Yeast as well. Cheers

[Stu McKinlay]

And that super soft Chch water I suppose... interesting...

[MrC]

Drank this last night just before James P's stout.

Poured a hazy amber/orange color with medium size head full of large fluffy bubbles.
Aroma of US hops and US yeast (US-05 or 1056). The aroma immediately reminded me of my own recent SMaSH beers brewed with Maris Otter & US-05.
Very dextrinous mouthfeel with med-high carbonation. Head fades slowly but a swirl of the glass and she's back.
Bitterness lingers in the after taste with the US hops. I love the way the malt & bitterness hit you first and then the hops kick in and linger with the second round of bitterness.

It was at this point that I looked up the recipe & read the other reviews. This was very interesting for me. I hear people talk about oranges & pine aroma but have never been able to pick it out. This time I could, something clicked and now I get it.

What would I change? Not much. Maybe use multiple crystal malts for a more depth of caramels, etc and move some of the hops later (0 min or dry) for a juicier hop flavour & aroma. It's great as it is though!

Nice beer Ged, well done. It's the style of beer that I brew & drink.

Nice lids by the way. Never seen the red head PETs before.

Cheers

[Barry]

drinking on the couch as I type - loving the new wifi.

pours a slightly hazy deep amber with an off white pillowy head. only a bit of yeast left in the bottle means I'm maximising the 750ml - that's always a good thing.
my nose is on the fritz but I got a whiff of citrus.
carbonation is a little much - bitey for my taste, bubbles are large and thinning out the mouthfeel a bit. but that is also enhancing the bitterness.
There's some caramel and candy like sweetness, cut by that fairly hefty bitterness - the southern cross I'm guessing, very pleasant balance. Then a fairly long citrussy hoppy finish. wows, first glass empty - going to get another.

bloody good beer, my first one from the case. hope the rest are this drinkable. well done Ged!