Experimental pale session ale

[Mattb]

I usually brew fairly potent beers, but I thought I'd turn to something a bit more session-friendly. I'm after good bitterness, with plenty of hop aroma, and I want to use Sorachi Ace, as I've been wanting to try it for ages. To embellish the Japanese theme, I thought I'd add a little cooked rice to the mash, lager stylee.

Comments welcome and appreciated, as I'm a little bit off-the-beaten for me. I might have just drempt up a total horlicks of a brew, I've no idea. Chances are I'll brew it anyway to find out.

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 29.00 L
Boil Time: 90 min
Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
2600.00 gm Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 72.22 %
500.00 gm Wheat Malt, Bel (3.9 EBC) Grain 13.89 %
250.00 gm Rice, Cooked (2.0 EBC) Grain 6.94 %
150.00 gm Caramel/Crystal Malt - 30L (59.1 EBC) Grain 4.17 %
100.00 gm Wheat, Torrified (3.3 EBC) Grain 2.78 %
10.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 18.9 IBU
60.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (5 min) Hops 19.2 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.037 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.39 %
Bitterness: 38.2 IBU
Est Color: 8.8 EBC

[Rookie]

I usually brew fairly potent beers, but I thought I'd turn to something a bit more session-friendly. I'm after good bitterness, with plenty of hop aroma, and I want to use Sorachi Ace, as I've been wanting to try it for ages. To embellish the Japanese theme, I thought I'd add a little cooked rice to the mash, lager stylee.

Comments welcome and appreciated, as I'm a little bit off-the-beaten for me. I might have just drempt up a total horlicks of a brew, I've no idea. Chances are I'll brew it anyway to find out.

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 29.00 L
Boil Time: 90 min
Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
2600.00 gm Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 72.22 %
500.00 gm Wheat Malt, Bel (3.9 EBC) Grain 13.89 %
250.00 gm Rice, Cooked (2.0 EBC) Grain 6.94 %
150.00 gm Caramel/Crystal Malt - 30L (59.1 EBC) Grain 4.17 %
100.00 gm Wheat, Torrified (3.3 EBC) Grain 2.78 %
10.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 18.9 IBU
60.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (5 min) Hops 19.2 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.037 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.39 %
Bitterness: 38.2 IBU
Est Color: 8.8 EBC

I like sorachi ace and use it in my lemon-rosemary blonde ale. For what it's worth a lot of brewers are not happy with it at higher bittering levels, I only go 20 IBUs.
I'd go lower on the IBUs, taste it after primary ferment then maybe dry hop.

[Mattb]

... a lot of brewers are not happy with it at higher bittering levels, I only go 20 IBUs.

Hmm, that's very welcome feedback, thankyou.

How about, since I'm a big fan of bitterness, that I reduce the amount of both FWH and finishing Sorachi Ace, but add in another FWH for bittering. I've a little Chinook hanging around that could do with being used up:

How about:

5.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 9.5 IBU
9.00 gm Chinook [12.70 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 16.1 IBU
40.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (5 min) Hops 12.8 IBU

To end up with 38.4 IBU.

[Rookie]

... a lot of brewers are not happy with it at higher bittering levels, I only go 20 IBUs.

Hmm, that's very welcome feedback, thankyou.

How about, since I'm a big fan of bitterness, that I reduce the amount of both FWH and finishing Sorachi Ace, but add in another FWH for bittering. I've a little Chinook hanging around that could do with being used up:

How about:

5.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 9.5 IBU
9.00 gm Chinook [12.70 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 16.1 IBU
40.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (5 min) Hops 12.8 IBU

To end up with 38.4 IBU.

If you're a fan of chinook that would be pretty good, but I'd be afraid they would over power the sorachi ace hops.

[GARYSMIFF]

If it was me, I would not be asking the others and taking the "NIKE" approach, stick with an Ace only then will you know what they are like, but expect your brew is done now.

the Ace to me is like a lemon Pith but great in a Wheat beer or a beer with wheat .

[Mattb]

Haven't had a chance for a brewday yet - not very likely before the turn of the year either - so I've plenty of time for cogitation.

So, taking the feedback on board, I've decided Sorachi Ace single hop, but lower bitterness than I was originally after.


Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 29.00 L
Boil Time: 90 min

Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2800.00 gm Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 73.68 %
500.00 gm Wheat Malt, Bel (3.9 EBC) Grain 13.16 %
250.00 gm Rice, Cooked (2.0 EBC) Grain 6.58 %
150.00 gm Caramel/Crystal Malt - 30L (59.1 EBC) Grain 3.95 %
100.00 gm Wheat, Torrified (3.3 EBC) Grain 2.63 %
5.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 9.3 IBU
55.00 gm Sorachi Ace [14.90 %] (5 min) Hops 17.4 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) Yeast-Ale

Est Original Gravity: 1.039 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.58 %
Bitterness: 26.7 IBU
Est Color: 9.1 EBC

[weiht]

From what i have read, Sorachi Ace has a pretty strong lemony taste. I'm afraid it may come out tasting like a lemon flavoured detergent if used too much. Also, maybe a hop blend, if not it may just be a little one dimensional. Wy1968 does tend to mute the hops quite a bit in my experiences.

Have Fun

[Mattb]

This has been in primary for about a week now. I can totally see where the suggestions of a soapy flavour come from with the Sorachi Ace. Hopefully that'll mellow out a touch when it's conditioning.

I used Wyeast's Ringwood Ale yeast in the end, as I had a pack which badly needed using up.