Brewing a centennial cascade and Chinook hopped pale ale tomorrow. All grain. 5 lbs pilsner, 4 lbs maris otter, 1 pound dark munich 15.5L, and 3.7 oz carapils. WLP california ale yeast starter. Any advice?
I would bump that carapils up to at least 4.0 oz, and consider taking it all the way to 4.2. in all seriousness tho... I may have learnt a lesson on pale ales. better to blast them late and risk under-bittering than to over-do it on the 60 minute addition. I popped a test bottle of my pale ale (the one that was supposed to be dry hopped but the dry hops went elsewhere by mistake). Seems too bitter. We'll re-test another bottle in about a week, but I'm wondering if I should have lowered the 60 minute addition and just added more at flameout. The exact theoretical IBUs I can't be sure of because I had forgotten my computer that has beersmith, and had to wing it with a blend of four hops. I went with 1.25oz at 60 (blend of citra, cascade, bravo, willamette, not quite in equal proportions, but close). Mighta shoulda ought to have cut that to 0.75oz. But anyway, blast late, conservative early. It ain't a double IPA, it's a pale ale, they ain't the same thing.
My hop schedule is as follows: .50 centennial FWH 60 min .50 Chinook 10 min .50 cascade (whole leaf) 5 min .50 Chinook hop stand 15 min .50 cascade (whole leaf) Hop stand Dry hop: 1.0 oz cascade .50 centennial
You don't state the Alpha Acid percentages, but based on typical values for those hops, and assuming this is a 5 gallon batch, this won't be too bitter. In fact, bitterness will probably be on the low end for an APA.
Do you know your water profile and are you adjusting your water? It'd be a shame to muddle those hop flavors in an overabundance of Chloride. If you are adjusting your water then ignore this. If not, then google AJ Delange brewing water. His basic water setup is a good starting point... if you know your water report. Just a thought.
