What do the learned think of this

[David Wood]

Type: All Grain
Date: 25/10/2009
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 33.28 Lr:
Boil Time: 75 min
Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
6.50 kg .Pale Malt, Aussie (3.3 EBC) Grain 89.04 %
0.40 kg Cara-Pils/Dextrine (3.9 EBC) Grain 5.48 %
0.40 kg Caramel Malt - 40L (78.8 EBC) Grain 5.48 %
25.00 gm .Styrian Goldings, NZ [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 6 days) Hops -
50.00 gm Unknown [5.00 %] (Dry Hop 6 days) Hops -
10.00 gm Pacific Gem [14.40 %] (60 min) Hops 14.1 IBU
8.00 gm .Super Alpha [10.70 %] (30 min) Hops 6.4 IBU
8.00 gm Nelson Sauvin [11.40 %] (30 min) Hops 6.9 IBU
25.00 gm .Styrian Goldings, NZ [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 10.3 IBU
50.00 gm Cascade [5.80 %] (15 min) Hops 14.1 IBU
20.00 gm Pacific Gem [14.40 %] (15 min) Hops 14.0 IBU
50.00 gm Cascade [5.80 %] (1 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
25.00 gm .Motueka [7.80 %] (1 min) Hops 0.8 IBU
25.00 gm .Motueka [7.80 %] (Dry Hop 6 days) Hops -
20.00 gm Pacific Gem [14.40 %] (Dry Hop 6 days) Hops -
1 Pkgs Safale (DCA Yeast #S-05) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.073 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.070 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.021 SG Measured Final Gravity:
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.79 %

[Stu McKinlay]

Check mrmalty.com butI reckon you're a shade low in the yeast dept.

Personal opinion:
I'd use less dry hops
bump the IBU up a little.
switch the Pacific Gem to Sauvin.... Pacific Gem hasn't really got anything going for it that'd would scream pale ale to me.

[denimglen]

50.00 gm Unknown [5.00 %] (Dry Hop 6 days) Hops -

Homegrown?

I agree with Stu, Pac G is an OK bittering hop but doesn't have much going for it flavour/aroma wise. Probably that Super Alpha at 30 mins won't be too pleasing either.

Again, agree with Stu, get it up to at least 70IBU, looks like you're at about 60ish?

This will be one hoppy bastard, but I dunno if it will be in a good way. Sometimes mixing up that much stuff just leaves you with a muddy mix of hops, IMO anyway. KISS works well with recipe formulation I reckon.

[Mike Neilson]

Im a Hop Swamper!! But you have to use the right combination of hops for it to pay off, I agree with Stu ditch the Gem for Sauvin and Ditch the Styrian and Super Alpha as I think the Zesty Spicy combination of the Motueka Cascade and Sauvin would be the bollocks actualy it is I have brewed it before but with also Riwaka.

[MrC]

Looks like a very complex hop schedule. When I read a recipe I try to image what each ingredient will bring to the beer and I gave up half way down your hop list.

Is there a reason for every hop addition or are you just going for a big hoppy beer? Personally I'd drop the Pacific Gem as I can't stand the stuff, but each to their own.

IBUs? Make sure you calculate IBUs correctly. You could easily end up with a really bitter beer with all those hops.

What temp will you be mashing at? 400g of Carapils might be too much of you're mashing higher than 67c.

Other than it looks good to me.

[James P]

As M C says I'd drop the carapils to less than 5% of the grain bill, as it'll only help you with head retention if you don't mash high enough.

[jt]

Sorry to go slightly off topic.
OK so Pacific Gem is a no no as a bittering hop ? Any good reasons or just personal preferences ?
I'm nearly at the end of my supply of Super Alpha - universal bittering hop for me.
I don't expect too much from a bittering hop, that's all it is, I usually want the flavour from the later additions.

So what's a good & neutral, one size fits all bittering hop then - is there one - maybe I should just box on with good ol' SA again

[denimglen]

I use Southern Cross for most, cause I think it fits in well with the mostly American ales I brew - good alpha %, low cohumulone, and has some citrus spicy notes that if they decide to come through in the finished beer it's not out of place.

[MrC]

My dislike of Pacific Gem is simply a personal preference.

I like Nelson Sauvin as my good neutral bittering hop.

I'm planning on trying Pacific Jade for bittering and middle additions soon though.

[jt]

Would you really call Sauvin neutral Mr C ?

[MrC]

At 60mins I would call it neutral. I used it in a blonde last year and it was nicely bittered with cascade to finish. No noticable sauvinness. I suppose it could have been hidden my the cascade though.

[Doublehoppy]

I've never used Pacific Gem but the commercial beers I've tasted that use it (Monteiths Original & Winter Ale from memory) always seem to have a blackcurrent edge to them that I intensely dislike. I've put this down to the Pacific Gem. Is this right or have I reached the wrong conclusion?

BTW my neutral bittering hop of choise is Sticklebract - it even sounds bitter!

[denimglen]

Interesting, I thought I picked up a little berry type thing in Monty's Orig, could be hops, I assumed it was an ester.

BTW my neutral bittering hop of choise is Sticklebract - it even sounds bitter!

Sounds more like a dope strain I reckon :-P haha.