Your best APA ?

[jt]

OK chaps & chapesses, I've got a kilo of fine New Zealand Cascade hops in the freezer and I've been warming up with an amber ale or two, but I really want to have a crack at an APA.

I've had a look at Palmers Lady Liberty Ale http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter19-3.html and I've always had a hankering to try this http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=970&st=0

What good tips, recipes or ideas do you have - are they best nice & simple or do you add the kitchen sink (so to speak )

cheers, jt

[bj]

i know it seams wastefull in these times of the 'hop-shortage' but im a sucker for an 'all-late hopped' pale ale. ie hops at 15mins and later only.
for example, with the John Palmer recipe, if your doing a full boil for 20L i would use 60g cascade at 15 and the same at flame out.
It makes for a hop bomb, but thats what l like to drink. (i had a sample from the fermenter over hour ago and i still get the most beautiful hop taste when i belch!)
Just an idea.
Cheers
BJ

[jt]

I late and dry hopped an amber recently (along with 60 minute additions) and found it was tooth grating in the keg, took a fortnight to calm down and even after a month it hurts. That was 1gm / litre @ 10, 1, 0 and dry hopped
The bottled version was fantastic @ a month (despite my poor bottle priming but more on that later)

How's this late hopping mature, do you have to leave it to smooth out, or is it go from word go ?

[bj]

to my (unrefined) taste its fine straight out of the keg (im sure it would smooth out after a month but its ever lasted that long.) The water here in Dunedin is soft, which may make a difference? For what its worth, the example i gave was just to give you an idea. Ive not tried 60 g of cascade at 15 min and to be honest and the times that i have used this method have been at the upper end of the Gravity scale for 'APA' and i also carbonate on the low side. (i think this effects perception of bitterness??)
On a side note, ive used this method for a 'New World Pils' using riwaka, which was pretty tidy.
Anyway, iv prattled on long enough,
heres is an article that you may have allready read on the technique.
http://www.mrmalty.com/late_hopping.htm
Cheers
BJ

[Ollie]

Each to their own but I reckon both those recipes look pretty wussy - especially if you've got a whole kilo of cascade to play with. By all means completely ignore my rank amateur opinion but for APAs I've found it can be nice to use softer water and higher IBUs. You know the bitterness is there but it's relatively inoffensive with less sulphate - just use tartaric or whatever to correct mash pH. Also - I know it's blasphemous (I've always been a shocker with style rules) but I actually quite like the passionfruity thing of D Saaz mixed in with the aroma cascade.

Peace.

[jt]

I didn't go with any saaz in my last buy, looking for a change an bought some NZ Hallatau.
Thought I might use some Willamette to bitter.

Any thoughts on grain ? Palmer is pretty basic, the Aussies a bit fussy - anyone out there got a classic to share ?

Been drinking a Blonde lately, pale, munich & wheat with pacific Hallertau (just like summit, snigger) which is bu:og 50% and I'm very surprised how good it is. Maybe I should just go an American Blonde ?

[Alasdair]

The hopheads will only get you so far - you'll need a good malt bill too.

I'd suggest something like:

83% pale
7% munich
6% amber
4% wheat

This is based on a Jamil recipe that I tried and it was great. About 40 IBUs should do it for a 1056 beer.

[jt]

Amber ? Now there's a relatively unmentioned malt. And nothing caramel in that grain bill Alasdair.
A relatively low hopping rate - 71% of OG - compared to others or other advice.
Maybe I should look at thuis a bit further .. thanks

[Alasdair]

I'll post the full recipe later (when I'm home). The recipe called for victory malt, but I used amber.

When I brewed it I screwed up the bittering - it came out at 90% of OG which was too bitter. Even with the imbalance in the bitterness, it was the tastiest pale ale I've brewed. It certainly stood up to the bitterness - a hint of richness, but also a toasty-dry finish to let the hops through.

I think with no caramel the IBUs can be lower than you might expect (less sweetness to balance). I've read in several places, including the latest "All about beer" magazine, that APAs tend to be lighter on the caramel than the English ales.