Sterling Pale Ale

Everyone was really impressed with the late hopped Sterling Pearl. It tasted so fresh and vibrant! With no additions longer than 20 minutes, it had a smooth and mild bittering with loads of hop flavor and aroma. I liked it so much that I'll make some minor alterations and give it another go. This kegged version will probably be consumed in record time, after all my fellow crew members have at it. An outdoor, Spring-time shindig with pot-luck, good friends, and fresh beer is just what we all need! Mmmmm...Good!

The biggest difference in this version will be the yeast and a small bittering hop addition. The vigorous late hopping in the Sterling Pearl was big and fresh, but it didn't have quite the bite that I'd like. I will also try out a sort-of continuous hopping by adding all the late hops in 5 minute intervals...see the schedule below.

American 1056 will ferment this pale ale, and hopefully I can keep the temperature below 70°F. I like how the Northwest Ale strain, fermented at around 62°F, gave the Sterling Pearl a refreshing lager-like taste.

Originally it was going to be a normal 6 gallon batch. Since its being brewed for a large group of beer thirsty co-workers and friends, there's no reason not to brew more. I've got the hops, so why not use them? This time I'll go for a volume record of 9 gallons. This should take my system very close to its maximum output. I think it will be well worth it, and ensure that absolutely everyone will get to have some.

I must send out a big thanks to Isaac for helping out the whole day, and to Kyle, Nathan & Fischer for assistance in the beginning. After adding the mash-out water, there was only about ½ - ¾ gallon of space left in the mash-tun. Should be able to take the system to 10-12 gallons, with the batch sparge method. I suppose fly sparging would result in much larger batches. I guess thats one good reason to fly.

Sterling Pale Ale

Grains
14.0 lbs. Organic 2-Row Pale Malt
1.15 lbs. Crystal 20L
0.75 lbs. Organic Crystal 60L
1.00 lbs. Flaked Barley
0.50 lbs. Belgian Biscuit
0.25 lbs. Belgian Aromatic

Hops
1.00 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 60min
1.25 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 25min
1.00 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 20min
1.25 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 15min
1.00 oz. Cluster, 7.9%, pellet, 10min
1.25 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 5min
1.00 oz. Perle, 7.9%, pellet, KO
1.50 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, KO

Yeast
Wyeast 1056: American Ale (decanted from a 2 quart starter, then made into 1 cup krausen)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 5/12/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled:

Water Adjustment:
Strike: 1.6 tsp Gypsum, 1.4 tsp CaCl, 1 tsp Epsom, 1.5 tsp Acid Blend
2nd Sparge: 1.6 tsp Gypsum, 1.4 tsp CaCl, 1 tsp Epsom

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.25qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.4
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 153°F/1hr
Mash Out Vol: 2.5 gal
Mash Out Temp/Time: 173°F/20min
1st Batch SG: 1.061

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 5 gal/175°F/169°F
2nd Batch SG: n/a

Pre-Boil Vol: 11 gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.049
Boil Time: 90min
Post-Boil Vol: approx. 8.5 gal
Mash Efficiency: n/a

OG: n/a...approx. 1/057-1.064
IBU: approx. 45
Color/SRM: Golden/8
Ferment Temp: 65-70°F

FG:
ABW:
ABV:

Tasting Notes & Photo
coming in 4-6 weeks

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

Ordinary Bitter

I'm still finding beer styles I've never brewed before. English Bitters...these are styles that aren't too common at bars in Chicago. Even when they are found in six-packs, they are usually American versions. But, after trying two traditional English imports on tap at the Map Room, I instantly loved the taste. So unique and purely quaffable, there is nothing quite like it brewed in America. Right away, I knew I had to try brewing one for myself.

The Ordinary Bitter is undeniably one of the most drinkable beers. The balance of malts and overall hop bitterness in this style is very subtle yet precise. There also seems to be a mineral-like quality to it. I instantly fell in love with it, especially because I'm drawn to making beers that are more subtle, lower in alcohol and balanced. After looking around for recipes, I noticed many similarities. Jamil's Ordinary Bitter is really the most basic. I still have not gotten my hands on Special Roast (see side-bar link Grains 101), so I hope the combination of character malts will play the role to a degree. The following recipe is similar and what I'll try out first.

It will be poured over a third generation ESB yeast cake, and at an OG of about 1.035, it will probably be finished in under three days. Not sure if that is entirely good, but one thing is for sure, we will be tapping this beer sooner than later.

I feel very good about the stats on this brew. The day unfolded without a hitch. A great vigorous boil starting in two pots and then consolidated to one for the final 25 and 1 minute hop additions. The OG came out 1 point high at 1.038 with an overall efficiency of 80% and a final volume just shy of 6 gallons. The final gravity of this brew should be well near 1.007-9, so I'm hoping there is enough residual sweetness and body.

Ordinary Bitter

Grains
6.5 lbs. Marris Otter Pale Malt
.50 lbs. British Crystal 60L
.20 lbs. Belgian Aromatic
.20 lbs. Belgian Biscuit
.10 lbs. British Roasted Barley

Hops
1.00 oz. US Kent Goldings, 4.8%aa, pellet, 90min
.65 oz. US Kent Goldings, 4.8%aa, pellet, 25min
.60 oz. UK Kent Goldings, 6.3%aa, whole, 1min
.25-.5 oz. UK Kent Goldings, 6.3%aa, whole, keg hops

Yeast
Wyeast 1968: London ESB 3rd Generation yeast cake

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 4/20/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled: 4/29/08

Water Adjustment:
2 tsp. Gypsum & .75 tsp Acid Blend to strike water
2.25 tsp Gypsum to 2nd sparge water

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.25qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.4-5.5
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 153°F/90min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 165°F/20min w/vorlauf
1st Batch SG: 1.052

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 4.5gal/176°F/168°F
2nd Batch SG: 1.018

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.5gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.034
Boil Time: 100min
Post-Boil Vol: shy of 6gal
Mash Efficiency: 80%

OG: 1.038
IBU: 28
Color/SRM: Golden-Copper/11
Ferment Temp: 68-74°F

FG: 1.014
ABW: 2.5%
ABV: 3.2%

Cost:

Progress

1. A very short blow-off hose was used without changing to an airlock. As the temperature decreased in the porch, the water from the blow-off tub was sucked into the carboy and into the finished beer.
2. Added a little dry yeast from an open package in the frig to about 9 bottles.
3. The bottles clearly show signs of infection with a growing ring of white stuff around the neck and surface of the beer. Though it tastes ok, I question the condition of the 5 gallons in the keg.
4. Added dry hops with a large tea infuser ball. The taste of the beer was getting good, until a metallic flavor began to show itself. I suspect the infuser ball.
5. Its a fairly mild metallic flavor in the mid-after taste, and I plan to throw in as much left over hops as I have to help hide it.
6. Its a mild beer with subtle flavors all around (malt, toasty, bitterness and hops) But with these two problems, it has unfortunately turned into an off tasting beer. Oh well.
7. 5/13 - Added .80 ounce of whole Cascade hops directly into the keg. Already started to foam up a bit.

Tasting Notes & Photo

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

Sterling Pearl

For Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day, I decided to invite a handful of friends and some new folks I've met recently. I had a great time sharing this experience with them. Everyone had great questions, perused the brewing literature, and had a small hand in the process.

Sterling Pearl is intended to be an easy drinking session style beer, with a pleasant burst of hop flavors and aroma. It'll be nice to chug down a couple of these in-between sips of heftier brews made for the cold season.

Malts are kept light yet medium sweet in flavor. Though mild, its medium body should help support brisk hopping. Hop presence will come from an aggressive "late-hopping" strategy. Hop flavor and aroma should be intense, and the bittering, smooth and mild. I became aware of late-hopping through Mr. Malty, and it appeals to me for a few reasons. 1. Minimal oxidation by an absence of dry hops. 2. No need for secondary fermenting or extended aging with dry hops. 3. Also, I'm very interested in better ways of gaining much more "floral/spicy" aroma.

I've had a late hopped beer before, and the body was way too thin. So I'm hoping to get enough body into this lighter style. A higher temp for the saccharification rest will provide more unfermentables. Suspended proteins from flaked barley should help too.

Originally, the sharp/minty qualities of Perle hops were in my mind for this ale. But after getting some Sterling in the mail, I prefer their fresher/brighter aroma. In addition, I've only read good things about Sterling, so they will provide the largest contribution to the hop presence. Kept a little Perle for its herbal accents.

Sterling Pearl

Grains
7.0 lb. Organic 2-Row
.60 lb. Amer. Crystal 20L
.30 lb. Organic Crystal 60L
.25 lb. Belgian Biscuit
.30 lb. Flaked Barley

Hops
0.75 oz. Sterling pellets, 5.3%, 20min
0.25 oz. Perle pellets, 7.7%, 20min
1.50 oz. Sterling pellets, 5.3%, 10min
0.30 oz. Perle pellets, 7.7%, 10min
1.75 oz. Sterling pellets, 5.3%, KO
0.35 oz. Perle pellets, 7.7%, KO

Yeast
Wyeast 1332: Northwest Ale (Sediment from 2 step 1.5qt yeast starter)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 11/11/07
Racked: 11/23/07
Bottled: 12/4/07

Water Adjustment: ¼tsp Gypsum & ¼tsp CaCl in strike & sparge

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.4 qt/gal
Mash Ph: ---
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 154°F/1 hour
Mash Out Temp/Vol: 211°F/1.3 gal
Mash Out Temp/Time: 166°F/10min w/vorlauf

2nd Batch Sparge Temp/Vol: 176°F/3.25gal

Pre-Boil Vol: 6.25 gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.041
Boil Time: 1.5-2 hours
Post-Boil Vol: 4.75 gal

OG: 1.055
Plato: 13.63°
IBU: 37
Color/SRM: Pale-Golden/5-7
Mash Efficiency: approx. 85% (same value from tastybrew & promash)
FG: 1.014
ABW: 4.3%
ABV: 5.38%

Fermentation Temp: 12 days @ 62°F;5 days @ 70°F;7 days @ 55°F
Cost: $25.50, .50¢/12oz., $3.00/6-pack

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Bright & pale golden color with a touch of copper/orange, hazy, a strong white head forms and hangs around a while till it falls into good lacing patterns
Aroma: Fresh, vibrant, citrus blend, floral, sweetness like soft honey
Taste: Bright, very hoppy upfront, soft bittering allows sweet and light malts to balance the fuller fresh hop flavors
Mouthfeel: Sweet residuals and full carbonation give this beer a moderately full and rich mouthfeel
Aftertaste: Balanced beer with a clean aftertaste, perhaps some citrus
Drinkability: Very drinkable and nearly everyone at my New Years chili party wanted much more than one, its just too bad there was only a very limited supply.

Matrimony Ale

There's not a better reason to brew a beer than for a grand occasion such as my sister's wedding. I am so happy for Lauren and Doug. I'm looking forward to celebrating with them on their wedding day. I'm also happy to brew up a batch of summer time pale ale for the occasion.

They are planning a morning ceremony and an early formal reception. After the reception our parents are hosting an after-party at their house. I will be brewing American Pale Ale for the after-party festivities.

It's going to be very bright, and hoppy. It will have a sweetness but will also have an attenuated dryness. Hop bitterness will come from Centennial. Hop flavors will come from a blend of Centennial and Cascade. Hop aroma will come from Cascade. A tasting at racking time will determine if this beer will get dry hops.

So we got around to brewing this beer yesterday morning. A record start time a little after 8AM. The advantage is we're done by yearly afternoon. The drawback is our lunchtime...Jimmy John Subs arrived right when we were in the heat of the boil. Usually Sarah brings subs home before the boil, and we get to take shifts eating and watching the boil.

One strange occurrence was a bi-polar mash Ph. Lately I've been getting low mash Ph's. So this time I decided to go let the mash go without any Gypsum. The night before I diluted Chicago water by half with distilled. About 10 minutes into the mash the litmus test displayed a high Ph around 5.8-6.2. Then I added a half teaspoon of gypsum and the Ph read very acidic. A little later it read again around 5.8. Added a little more and it read very acidic. Then it read around 5.6-5.8. Added another half teaspoon, and it read very acidic. Then again it read around 5.6-5.8. Surprisingly, the mash didn't lose much heat, but I decided to just leave it alone. Especially because the iodine conversion test was positive. After diluting the water in half with distilled, I also added .5 tsp of gypsum per gallon, to give the water enough calcium and sulfates for a good hop presence.

Lastly, we decided to stagger the hop additions for both kettles. I really don't like adding finishing hops to both kettles at the same time, because while one kettle is cooling the other one is still ridiculously hot. So those late addition and knockout hops are really becoming flavor hops. So staggering 20 minutes helps.

Amidst all the commotion in the kitchen, I totally forgot to take gravity readings, so there's no stats for this beer. I can only approximate the ABV to be about 4.8%, and the IBU's to be around 53.

Matrimony Ale (an American pale ale)
6 gallons

Grains
9 lbs. American 2-Row
.75 lb. American Crystal 40L
.25 lb. British Crystal 60L
.25 lb. Belgian Biscuit Malt
.5 lb. CaraPils

Hops
1.13 oz. Centennial, 9.5%, pellets, 60min
.25 oz. Centennial, 9.5%, pellets, 20min
.5 oz. Cascade, 7.6%, whole, 20min
.75 oz. Cascade, 7.6%, whole, 5min
.75 oz. Cascade, 7.6%, whole, KO

Wyeast 1056 American Ale
Pitched about .3 quart slurry from the Hop Blend IPA

Fermentation got going in record time. It was fairly active within 3 hours, and started blowing off within 6 hours. I've got it in a cold water bath inside the 10 gallon mashtun. This morning the inside and outside liquid temperatures equalized right at about 68*F. I will slowly raise the temp towards the end of primary fermentation to get some final attenuation. The yeast was pitched at around 1:30PM, and these photos were taken just after 6:30PM. The fermented beverages in the boiler room are Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Hop Blend IPA, Ardennes Cranberry Wine, and this Matrimony Ale.

Hop Blend IPA

I'm not very good at making decisions. As some of you may know, when I'm caught up in indecision, it can take me quite a long time to make a choice. Well for this beer I decided to not make a choice. Instead of picking one or two flavor and aroma hops, I'm going with three. And gosh-darn-it, to save me from deciding which goes in first and last...they're gonna be blended together...equally!

The malt base, I think, may be on the sweeter side because of the medium Crystal malts. Since the conversion temperature will be on the low side, some dryness may come through to help out. I also threw in some Biscuit malt for balancing the Crystal. I don't have a favorite IPA (in terms of dryness, fruitiness, citrus or sharp piney hops...etc.), and enjoy any IPA that has a fairly bold presence. So as long as there is a good hop nose and flavor, with some malt character, I'll be very happy.

Not sure what to expect with this hop blend. I've never used any of these hops to any great proportion. In fact, I can't remember using any of them because most of my beers have been Scottish, English and German in origin. Its been such a long time brewing an "American" hopped style. Last year's competition entry..."Swamp Rat Super IPA," was all too strange. Not undrinkable, but not all that great. It was unanimous what the judges wanted to taste more of...those "citrus"/3C hops (Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade). So this IPA is designed to go with their recommendations. I also threw in some Amarillo for the heck of it, and cause I've never used'em before.

Chinook (12%AA, pellets) will serve as the bittering addition at 60 minutes. Then 4 more additions of the "hop blend" will go in at 15, 5, KO and Dry. The blend consists of one part each of Centennial (9.5%AA, pellets), Cascade (7.6%AA, leaf) and Amarillo (8.9%AA, leaf).

Brew day was

Hop Blend IPA...aka..."Hop Blood IPA"

Grains:
7 lbs. American 2-Row Pale
.5 lb. American Crystal 40L
.3 lb. British Crystal 60L
.25 lb. Belgian Biscuit
.25 lb. Wheat Malt
.03 lb. British Roasted Barley

Hops:
1 oz. Chinook 12%, pellet, 60min
.75 oz. Hop Blend, 15min
.75 oz. Hop Blend, 5min
.75 oz. Hop Blend, KO
.75 oz. Hop Blend, Dry

Yeast:
Wyeast 1056: American Ale (48 oz. DME starter)


Brew Day Stats:

Brew Day: 6/22/07
Water Adjustment: .75 gallon distilled, 1 tsp Gypsum

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.25qt/lb
Mash Ph: low
Sacch. Rest Time: 1 hour
Sacch. Rest Temp: 151*F
Mash Out Time: 10 min
Mash Out Temp: 160 (low)

2nd Batch Sparge: 2.5 gallons at 175*F

Pre-Boil Vol: 5.25 gallons
Pre-Boil SG: 1.045
Boil Time: 1.5 hrs
Post-Boil Vol: 4.5 gallons

OG: 1.052
IBU: 77
Color/SRM: 11
Mash Efficiency: Approx. 76.9%
FG: 1.013
ABW: 4.1%
ABV: 5.12%

Fermentation Temp: 74 on up to about 79*F
Cost: $20.10, $0.42/12oz. bottle, $2.51/6-pack

Notes:

1. Brewing alone is a bit more difficult, especially when operating in a messy kitchen.

2. Tried siphoning and it when very well. Until the end when I lost the siphon flow and there was about a gallon left. Also, whirlpooling (literally spinning the wort very fast to cause a cone of sediment at the bottom...see photo) only works to a certain point where hops and protein sediment gets sucked into the syphon anyways.

3. Ended up pouring the rest through the funnel screen. It was really muddy. I like squeezing out all the hoppy goodness, but there's now a thick sediment at the bottom of the fermenter. Note...by the look on her face, my baby didn't care much for the "hop mud" either. Its her..."Eiew...doggy poo poo" face.

4. It smelled hoppy in the house.

5. Made the DME yeast starter only 24 hours prior. Not enough time to allow complete fermentation, and settling of the yeast. So the wort sat around until the starter chilled to allow more settling. I did pour out a third of the liquid before pouring the rest into the fermenter. Fermentation started in about 5 hours!

6. Mash out temperature was low AGAIN! It's always been very difficult to hit a target of 168-172. Not sure why. I added what I thought was the right amount of boiling water. With batch sparging, its still good to add enough water to bring up the first batch runnings to about half the total pre-boil volume.

Progress:

1. On June 28, I racked to secondary over .75 ounces of the Hop Blend.
2. The gravity at racking time was about 1.012.
3. Though the fermentation temperature eventually rose quite high (80*F), I thought it might result in higher levels of fruity esters or even solvent-like tastes. Surprisingly, it tasted very clean with low esters and pleasantly on the dry side.
4. Overall, it tastes pretty darn good. Can't wait to see how the dry hops finish the scent and taste.

5. Bottled it on July 12th.

6. First sampling on July 21 at my Belgian Pale Ale summer party. This beer is really really good. At only 9 days in the bottle, it was very fresh and the smooth/soft lighter carbonation made it taste and feel just like a cask conditioned ale. A better discription will be coming soon.

Belgian Pale Ale - Conception - Recipe & Brewday Stats

First off, I have to give a lot of credit to my wife Sarah. She's been more "open" to trying my beers, and beer in general. As a result, she's found out which styles please her taste buds. For quite some time her beer of choice was Lindemans Framboise. She has also enjoyed a number of IPA's, including the DC Rye IPA I brewed a couple years back. But now she's found a new favorite called Tripel Karmeliet put out by Brouwerij Bosteels in Belgium. This beer gets great ratings on Beeradvocate (90) and Ratebeer (98), and I would agree with most of their comments. It's like a big Belgian/wheat beer with a great big citrus/caramel aroma and flavor with a mouthfeel thats super smooth, creamy and well carbonated.

With hopes to make Sarah happy, I'm getting ready to brew my first "Belgian" style. Though it wont come close to the Tripel Karmeliet, it will be a good basic Belgian pale ale to build future recipes on. For this one, I'm going for a golden refreshing summer brew...a Belgian Pale Ale. With a target OG of about 1.051, the ABV will come in at about 5%.

The ingredients are mostly Belgian with a little Munich and Indian Jaggery. A mild addition of Styrian Goldings and Saaz will add to its complexity and provide some bitterness and flavor. Mild spice additions will lean towards very light "peppery" notes with just a sprinkling of orange rind and coriander (since I didn't get good Indian coriander and orange, we decided to not include these ingredients).

I've never used Belgian yeasts before, but I think the Wyeast Ardennes should provide a balanced Belgian flavor. This will be the first time I'll try out a "batch sparge" technique. After hearing Denny Conn talk about it on Basic Brewing and reading his site for the 3rd time, I'm intrigued. (his article is also at TastyBrew)

Brewday was yesterday, Sunday, May 20th. Batch sparging went well. Not that I'd want to, but if I had to, I think I can brew alone with this method. I also agree with my bro that fly sparging is more fun with more people. The first water addition was added at a water/grain ratio of about 1.85qts/lb, and after flushing the first runnings we hit 3.75 gallons perfectly. After adding the second 3.75 gallon mashout water addition we hit the temp right on at 170*F, and again flushed 3.75 gallons. This resulted in a perfect 7.5 gallons of runoff.

Now comes the part that is sort-of boggling my mind. I took a pre-boil gravity and it came out to about 1.037...very low. So after plugging in some calculations I decided to correct the situation with a longer boil and added .25 lb more jaggery cane sugar. We also scaled down the bittering hops by .25 oz.

After it was all said and done, the final gravity came out high?...at 1.058! Not sure how that happened. I'm siding with the second of two possibilities: 1. Boiling really did raise the gravity significantly? 2. The gravity contribution of jaggery is impressive?

Thanks Travis for your comment. It pushed me to search out the answers. Using TastyBrew calculators, it looks like the jaggery sugar contributed about 5.8 gravity points. The boiling from 7.5 gallons to about 5.9 gallons rose the "grain" gravity by 11 points (very good to know, and much more than I thought). And my brewhouse efficiency for that day was about 79.4%.

Recipe and brewday stats...

Belgian Pale Ale
5.9 gallon primary

Fermentables (OG: 1.058)
7 lbs. Dingeman Belgian 2-Row Malt 3.2*L
3 lbs. Durst Munich Malt 8.3*L
.5 lb. Dingeman CaraVienne 21*L
.25 lb. Dingeman CaraMunich 57*L
.75 lb. Jaggery Palm Sugar

Hops & Spice (IBU: 22)
1.25 oz. Styrian Goldings, 4.8%, pellets, 60min.
.25 oz. Styrian Goldings, 4.8%, pellets, 15min.
.25 oz. Czech Saaz, 2%, whole, 15min.
.5 oz. Czech Saaz, 2%, whole, 5min.

Yeast
Wyeast 3522 - Belgian Ardennes (forgot to acitcate the pouch until wort chilling phase, but its just an indicator that there is some yeast alive in there)

Brewday Stats

Water Adjustment: .3g gypsum/gallon, .3g CaCl/gallon

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.85qt/lb

Mash Ph: 5.2

Sacch Rest Temp: 152*F

Sacch Rest Time: 1 hr

Pre-boil Vol: 7.5 gallons

Boil Time: 1.5 hrs

Post-Boil Vol: 5.9 gallons

OG: 1.058

IBU: 21

Color: 8-9 - Golden Amber

Brewhouse Efficiency: Approx. 79.4% (using TastyBrew calculators)

Fermentation Temp: 74-77*F

Cost: $30.70, .54 cents/12oz bottle, $3.24/6-pack

There are plans to celebrate 4th of July with the mass consumption of this summer ale. Never done that before. I always have bottles laying around for select tedbrew fans to try. I'm tired of thinking about who's tried it and who has not. So swing on by for a pint, or check back here for the final results.

Swamp Rat Super IPA

Last year I wanted to brew another IPA for a late summer thirst quencher. The Swamp Rat Super IPA was originally inspired by Dogfish Head's 60 minute IPA. But then it changed drastically into a super charged English/American style. I was trying some new hopping ideas like first wort hops (FWH), and in the end it came out very unexpected...almost strange and out of place.

I really don't get into naming my beers, but entered it into a competition and had to give it one. I was having a hard time with it so I asked my brother what he thought. Right away he suggested a phrase he used for a long time..."swamp rat super...." This meant that what he was describing totally rocked! It was perfect. In fact I think the name suits the beer quite well...not that it rocks, but that it's kind of like a swampy beer.

Swamp Rat Super IPA
6 gallons

Grains (1.066)
4 lbs. Pilsner
4 lbs. 2-Row
3 lbs. Vienna
1.5 lbs. Munich
1.5 lbs. Crystal 10
.5 lb. Flaked Rye

Hops (68 IBU)
2 oz. Cascade, 6%, whole, FWH
1 oz. Galena, 12%, pellets, 60min
1 oz. Goldings, 5%, whole, 30min
1 oz. Goldings, 5%, whole, 5min
1 oz. Goldings, 5%, whole, Dry

Yeast
Wyeast 1275 - Thames Valley Ale

3 judges at the Schooner Competition gave a very fair and accurate critique on this beer. I think the malt complexity and messy addition of hops contributed to its overall harsh bitterness and blunted edges. Here's what they had to say...

Aroma: Grainy, slight indistinct fruity nose, malt sweetness, faint hops.

Appearance: Copper gold color, cloudiness, persistent thin head.

Flavor: Malt sweetness, then hop bitterness, and harsh finish. Grainy maltiness with balance to the bitter side.
Flavor is rustic, not citrusy with fruitiness restrained.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, mild/medium carbonation, high alcohol presence, with no astringency.

Overall Impression: Good beer, almost no hops in aroma, bittering hops are harsh, no citrus notes, not one I'd drink more than one.

This beer was definitely more experimental. I would keep the grain bill simple choosing a pale or pilsner base. Skip Vienna. Bump up the Crystal to 40 or 60 Lovibond. Either bold rye presence (10%) or none at all. If using FWH, treat it as both the bittering and flavor hop additions, and then add KO and Dry hops. Maybe Goldings was not such a good choice for aggressive IPA hopping. Perhaps a 3C blend or Amarillo might be very nice. I will definitely try a better FWH schedule in the future.