I am new to homebrewing and just finished my first keg, a pale ale style. Everyone enjoyed it, it was a very drinkable beer but nothing stellar in my opinion, but it was my first brew. I am working on a second recipe, all grain, and had some questions. Grain: 9 lbs Rahr two row; 0.5 lb Rahr pils 2-row; 0.5 lb Crystal 60 Hops: 1 oz Perle (9%AA); 0.5 oz Cascade (5.8% AA); 1 oz Hallertau (4.6% AA) Mutons Ale yeast I will be doing a 3 step mash beginning at 132 degrees F and ending at 168 sparging at 168. Boil schedule is Perle @ 45 min.; Cascade @ 15 min. remaining; Hallertau steep for 10 min. The Perle hops are labeled at 9% AA which is high, higher than the norm that I have found (up to 7.5%). I am concerned that boiling for 45 minutes will make the beer way too hoppy, though I understand the mash process should pull lots of sugars out of the grain perhaps the balance would be fine. Any comments, insights, suggestions?
I wouldn't be concerned that the Perle is going to be too bitter, especially at 45 minutes. The cascade and hallertau should be nice for flavoring. Maybe you want to consider a dry-hopping. Adding .5oz of either the cascade or hallertau after 7 days in the primary will add a nice amount of aroma without any more bittering. If you want something along the lines of the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, dry-hopping is the way to go. Just decide if you want more of the citrusy aroma from the cascade, or more of a floral aroma from the hallertau.
Hops aside (run the numbers if you're concerned about it being too bitter) , I think a key to a good pale ale is using a base malt with more flavor than a basic 2-row. Maris Otter is a good one (and my favorite for pales ales). Also, a single infusion mash in the low 150's would be fine, unless there's something specific you're trying to accomplish.
I agree with VikeMan. Why complicate your brew day with a step mash? 152 for 60-90 min. for a pale ale
I dont see the point of the pils malt in there its a base grain and you wont notice it in that amount hallertau and cascade seems a weird mix to me, I would suggest something more citrusy to compliment the cascade. Its also difficult to determine your IBU's if you dont give an estimate of OG/Efficiency. Assuming a 7gal boil/5.5gal batch into fermentor and 75% efficiency you would get 36 IBU's, which is the middle of the range for an APA, and should be fine. I would suggest boiling for a full 60min and tossing in the perle for the whole boil (ups it to ~38ibu) Dont do the step mash, for one its not necessary, and secondly you will most likely get a beer thats quite a bit thinner bodied than you had planned on (with more experience if you choose to go this route it would be OK). Even with things like unmalted wheat, step mashes arent really needed, so in your all barley beer it would be wasted time.
This is a recipe that I found that sounded interesting I was just sharing and asking for input. The creator of this recipe used the 3 step mash, OG ws 1.053 efficiency was 75%, IBUs 35.7 according to him. He did not have a FG reading. My first beer was 1 oz Hallertau, 1 oz Saaz and 1 oz Cascade, it was a fine mix of hops and not at all "weird" and it was very citrusy, I do not want any more citrus flavor. The Hallertau boiled for 30 min. The Saaz for 15 min. and the Cascade was added at flame out. It was a very refreshing beer and what I call a "boat beer" as we could drink it all day on the boat :-) I was told by a fellow homebrew club member that it was a perfect beer for after mowing the lawn on a hot day. Used 100% Breiss grains. Next time I do this recipe I will boil the Hallertau for the whole 60 minutes and I have gotten 9lbs Rahr 2-row and 1lb Munich malts to hopefully add some complexity to the flavor as it was very citrusy and light. I appreciate all of the comments so far, thanks! More stuff for me to consider and think about :-)
Agreed with this but I really like Rahr Pale Ale Malt. I can get it for the same price as the Rahr NA 2-row and it is a great malt. Supposed to be similar to Maris Otter at 4L but to me it is less bready and more malty/toasty and a little sweeter. I've begun to use it for all my American styles. It is nice in my Pale Ale as well which is 90% Rahr Pale Ale, 5% British Light Crystal and 5% British Medium Crystal. I'd also suggest using a different yeast. For yeast I like something that is going to leave some flavor to impact the percieved malt but allow the hops to shine. I really like 1968 in this recipe, pitch a big starter and let it go at 68-70F. Other than that I think you are on the right track.
