Pilgrim hop

[Matt]

That looks good. I may brew it if that's OK with you SO? Which yeast are you fermenting with?

I bottled my Pilgrim Pale last night and its tasting good right out of the fermenter. Happy Days.

Matt

[simple one]

Of course you can. I am using Nottingham now for all my kegged pale ales.

I used to use SO5 but I find it slow to clear and a bit too high attenuating. So it'll be notts until I start getting the liquid bug again.

Is the flavour really orangey then? I am praying for a more harsh flavour to make this one a sipper.

[Matt]

Nice. I've just done three with S04 and was gunning for something with Nottingham next.

My sample is orangey, but it is only 32ibu, with some caramalt and fermented with SO4, so I'm sure you're going to get quite different results - it will be interesting. My fv is now free again so i'll brew your recipe soon.

Matt

[simple one]

Great. My brew has gone off like the clappers. Big fluffy white head and no trub on top... unusual... fermenting away at a steady 18/19C. Will be good to have a comparison. Is yours going in to bottles, kegs or cornies?

[StrangeBrew]

That's weird. I only use Pilgrim when I run out of Target. I would've thought the alpha would be way too high for multiple additions, but if they're homegrown who knows? Brave man for trying. Well done

How close are Pilgrim to Target, are they a similar replacement?

[Philipek]

In the end I felt a lower ABV IPA wasn't really doing it properly, so I made a 4.6% pale ale with MO and some caramalt. Its already at 1010 and the sample tastes citrussy - orange and grapefruit, like marmalade. In a good way - like First Gold.

Matt

Was the hop schedule the same with this ale?

I'd like to try your recipe. I recently picked up some Pilgrim. They were free, I'd never heard of them before, and it said 'UK hop' on them, so I nabbed about 65 grams of them. They're pellets.

[Matt]

Great. My brew has gone off like the clappers. Big fluffy white head and no trub on top... unusual... fermenting away at a steady 18/19C. Will be good to have a comparison. Is yours going in to bottles, kegs or cornies?

I've bottled this one as i've run out of corny space.

Philipek, my recipe was:

(for 22.5 litres, based on low 70s efficiency)

4.8% ABV
32 IBU

4kg Maris Otter
500g Caramalt

Pilgrim hops @ 11%AA
15g First wort hopped
15g 10 mins from end
10g 5 mins from end
20g during cooling below 80°c

Cheers,

Matt

[Philipek]

Thanks matt,
Pretty similar to your first recipe.
I'll give this a go in the near-ish future. Thanks again for sharing the recipe.

[simple one]

Matt, any update on the hop flavour? Mine are pretty odd at this green stage. Quite challengerish, but more vinous. Not great at moment. Hoping a few weeks might bring it on a bit.

[Matt]

Really, interesing SO. I was going to try a bottle tonight - its had a week conditioning now. I'll update in the morning.

Planning to brew your IPA this coming Saturday

One thing has occured to me. My hop plants were loose in a box, I just picked them up from the farmhouse at a big hop farm here in Kent. If we get differing results they may have perhaps told me the wrong variety I think its unlikely but just mindful that its a possibility.

[Matt]

We're still in marmalade territory.

Not *really* powerful but that's definitely the area, with a hint of grapefruit.

This ties up with Charles Faram's description too.

[simple one]

The aroma is definitely grapefruit. And is really pleasant. The flavour is a bit lemony, so definitely matches that description. But there is something else in that flavour, something... odd, almost a thinning taste, hard to describe. Almost like the background taste to a lemon barely drink. Hopefully thats due to a bit of yeast in suspension and tasting it so young.

I would hang fire on doing my recipe, just yet. I will give you a better verdict in a week or two.

If it doesn't improve I may even dry hop with stryians after its matured for 6 weeks.

[Matt]

Ahah. OK, thanks for the words of caution. I'm sure it will be cool, but I'll hang on and get another mild on in the meantime.

Hope it pans out well.

Matt

[simple one]

Just revisited the keg (after promising myself I wouldn't).... hmmmm, I may have been a little quick to judge. Its dropped a lot clearer, tatses a lot nicer nicer. I am on my way to actually recommending this, give it a few weeks and I don't think it will be half bad.

Tastes like.... and I am now having to challenge the memory, "Purity Mad Goose" on cask. Almost like a very subtle use of cascades, and a challenger like bitterness. Definitely a subtle lemon/grapefruit flavour. Might just pour me another half.

Not bad.

[Matt]

Sounds good to me.

If you think of any tweaks you'd do if you brewed it again, let me know.

Matt