Suedehead Pale Ale 2

[simple one]

I enjoyed my last ale made with just pale malt, so I have decided to make another. Last one was strong on cascade, but I have none, and I am starting to tire of fruity hop tastes, and would like something a bit more adult and challenging. So after reading Matts thread on Pilgrim hops, I thought I would give it a go. I have only used them for bittering before, and only in stouts. He found it gave him an orangey taste, I am hoping that I get something more challenger like.... well I can hope, and I have to use them up. So here we go...

Mash on 0745.

SUEDEHEAD PALE ALE 2
Malt
Pale Malt 4000 grams

Hop
Pilgrim 11.6 % 90 mins 20 grams
Pilgrim 11.6 % 10 mins 30 grams

Final Volume: 19 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.011
Alcohol Content: 4.9% ABV
Total Liquor: 28.9 Litres
Mash Liquor: 10 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 77 %
Bitterness: 46 EBU
Colour: 8 EBC

I was aiming for 23L of 1.042 ish, but I took the option of 19L 1.049 rather than diluting.

Used (loosely) the values for Pale Ale on GW water calc.

I ditched SO5 in favour of nottingham, because it seemed the SO5 thinned out to much once matured properly.

The brew day was very smooth compared to my last disaster. Took only 5 hours, and most of that was sitting around. Funnily enough Morrissey was on desert island discs today.

Now just waiting to see how these pilgrim take to a pale ale.

[sllimeel]

Good to hear your brew day went well. Look forward to tasting some in the future

[simple one]

I stick you one aside with the bitter, swap fo some porters?

[sllimeel]

Thats a deal..! just going to post up my brewday soon.

[simple one]

Well its down to 1.012 so I have wanged it in to the corny and a few bottles... I don't think its finished, maybe one or two points might drop away. It was still slightly cloudy (yeasty), and I would normally let it drop clear, but I needed to get it out of the fv and put my brewing kit to bed for this year.

Now the taste..... Very strange. I will have to have a good sample once its clear and report back.

Dry hopping is always an option if its lacking.

[sllimeel]

Will leave the bottles you gave to me time to condition in the garage, will pop them open around christmas time

[simple one]

Hope they add some christmas cheer! If you want one of these ones to that'll be no probs. Unsure of this one myself at the moment though.

Oh and that westmalle bottle has already been filled! There were some really good beers at that fest. Although I have made my mind up that Belgian beers are just one big marketing trick.

It'll be a while till I'm let out again!

[simple one]

Well its crystal in the bottles, but still a slight yeast haze in the corny. But tastes far better than when it was very green.

It now tastes good. Like like tutti fruiti, although not as sweet. The smell is faint but lovely. I think I am going to dry hop this with 15g of Stryians and 15g of Pilgrim. Hopefully it will add to the percieved sweetness.

If I did this one again I think I would add maybe 100g of caramalt or 50g of crystal just to add to the sweetness. Add 20g more to the late hopping and drop the FWH to around 10g.

[simple one]

Now then.... This was good. But this morning I dry hopped with 15g of stryians. Wow. This has now transformed... in 8 hours I add, in to the nicest beer I have made, and tasted for a few years. Fantastic.
I will be charting this one and doing it again, albeit with a touch of crystal.... just a touch!

Cheers!

[mysterio]

What a result! I love that feeling of making a beer, and genuinely being able to say it's better that most of the stuff you can buy.

I agree you need a little bit of Caramalt or crystal just to round out the flavour when you're using Nottingham or US-05.

[crookedeyeboy]

Ive done a very similar beer for a friends NYE party and its come out quite bland...maybe Ill dry hop next time....

[simple one]

Ive done a very similar beer for a friends NYE party and its come out quite bland...maybe Ill dry hop next time....

Using Pilgrim?

[crookedeyeboy]

Not sure, the only one I have been blown away with so far are Challenger! They are soooo fruity!

[simple one]

Pilgrim are worth a try. They really are a multi purpose hop.... wish I had dry hopped using them to carry on the all pilgrim theme.

I believe dry hopping adds more than just aroma too, contary to everything I have been told. I may drop my late additions completely in favour of dry hopping.

Using chally next, but mainly in the bittering additions.
I had a chally IPA on my wedding night, wasn't impressed. Probably a crap recipe. What was your recipe Crooked?

[crookedeyeboy]

I dont know what the recipe was to hand....Im at work !!
I shall have a look later but it was very simple something like 4kg of MO pale ale malt and then probably 40g-ish of challenger with maybe 15-20g late addition. Fermentaed with Nottingham...my friend is very happy with it although he hasnt yasted it yet! Its sat in the back of my car waiting to be dropped round at his house tonight.