question for anyone that has done dennis king's galaxy delight

[Le beer]

I have this morning quickly checked gravity and it is already at 1.010. This seems a bit quick, though the fermentation was going like a train over the weekend. Temperature of the sample is at 20 degrees which was as advised on the recipe. Airlock is still bubbling so imagine it still has a little way to go. The fermenter is sat in my utility room so temp does fluctuate a bit, but generally the stick on thermometer is showing around the 20 - 22 mark. I have to say I am still not getting much from the taste. I was expecting a fairly bitter kick as IBU is supposed to be around 60 I think - but it is still not there. A bit underwhelming at the moment to be honest. I will dry hop as per instructions. It will sit in the fermenter to settle probably until good friday and then I will bottle up. It will be drinkable I am sure but it has to change quite a bit to really impress. Does this match any other experiences?

[swiggingpig]

The perceived bitterness will increase once the beer has carbonated and is ready for serving.

[Le beer]

thanks swiggingpig. At the moment I can only compare to tastings at the same stage of kit beers I have recently completed. Wherry had a bit of bitterness, Cwtch, a lot, which has followed through to the matured beer. This has very little. Perhaps drinking the Cwtch at the moment has numbed my taste buds as it is quite bitter! Time will tell.

[Le beer]

All bottled up. Looking good, nice golden colour and already clearing down. Stil not a lot going on taste wise though. Maybe after 4 weeks in the bottle the hops will come through. I am sure it will be an easy drinkable pint though whatever. At least I hope so as I have 32 bottles to get through!

[Stanna]

I have this in my kegerator at the moment, it's a very impressive drink especially for the price it cost to make, goes great with all food, total respect.

[Le beer]

A little update on how this has turned out. A month after bottling and I am feeling quite positive. This has turned into a very drinkable pint. Colour a golden yellow / amber. Aroma, a little floral and fruity, which follows through into the flavour. I still think it could do with being more bitter. As I did a maxi biab, I maybe did not get the hop utilisations I should. I have done a couple of other simple brews since and I am increasing hops by 20% from recipes used. I am still not bothering to use beersmith or other calculators.I will get round to that one day. Family were drinking it yesterday and I got favourable responses. So all in all, quite happy. I think if I work on my processes, I could improve it, so I will probably try again in the future

[Dennis King]

If you try again I recommend using Whitelabs WPLP002 yeast.

[Monkeybrew]

Hi Dennis,

What ballpark starting alkalinity should I be shooting for with this grainbill please?

Planning a Citra, Galaxy and Apollo version with your grain bill and hop timings

Cheers

MB

[Dennis King]

Hi Dennis,

What ballpark starting alkalinity should I be shooting for with this grainbill please?

Planning a Citra, Galaxy and Apollo version with your grain bill and hop timings

Cheers

MB

I normally aim for around 20ppm

[Monkeybrew]

Cheers Dennis,

Have you tried this grainbill with any other hop variety?

MB

[Kyle_T]

If you have the option of using pellet hops, I did it with Falconers Flight 7C's, 15g @ 90, 45g @ 15, 40g for the steep and 100g dry hop in the cask.

It was like drinking the fruit salad sweets. Admiral is also a good alternative aswell.

[Dennis King]

Cheers Dennis,

Have you tried this grainbill with any other hop variety?

MB

I tend to use this grain bill when trying a new hop for the first time, as a single hop brew. Drinking one at the moment with Styrian wolf, turned out OK at best.

[Monkeybrew]

Hi Dennis,

What ballpark starting alkalinity should I be shooting for with this grainbill please?

Planning a Citra, Galaxy and Apollo version with your grain bill and hop timings

Cheers

MB

I normally aim for around 20ppm

Brewing Citra Delight this evening and got my water down to 19.5ppm

Cheers

MB

[Monkeybrew]

Hi Dennis,

What ballpark starting alkalinity should I be shooting for with this grainbill please?

Planning a Citra, Galaxy and Apollo version with your grain bill and hop timings

Cheers

MB

I normally aim for around 20ppm

Brewing Citra Delight this evening and got my water down to 19.5ppm

Cheers

MB

I've got to say that this is the best hoppy pale ale that I've ever brewed.

It is so well balanced and it now makes me realise that sometimes less hops equals more , that coupled with a superb malt base makes for a great beer.

Cheers

MB

[Le beer]

I have completed a second stab at Galaxy Delight. Same maxi biab process as before but this time I let the hops boil freely rather than in a bag. It has been sat in a pressure barrel for three weeks now and I sampled it last night. I am most impressed. More bite than my previous attempt, I can only see it improving with age if it lasts long enough! I bottled a few for a family sampling session at Christmas so we shall see.
I have also brewed Graham Wheeler's interpretation of Old Peculiar, but made it to around 5.2 abv. It is getting great reviews from all that have tried it. I am not too familiar with the commercial brew, but I would definitely recommend this recipe for a smooth tasty winter brew, regardless of how close it is to the original.