29 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

Also just want to reiterate what a beatiful beer the Two women is. Sofa King Good.

It really is. I know we live in a hopped-up, bourbon-barrel, imperial, soured-Belgian beer world but this is such a great beer when you're in the mood for a malty German lager that has some color and depth. Yum.

[positiveContact]

It really is. I know we live in a hopped-up, bourbon-barrel, imperial, soured-Belgian beer world but this is such a great beer when you're in the mood for a malty German lager that has some color and depth. Yum.

 

most of my most beer enlightened moments have come from lagers.  typically german or czech.  double IPAs are like going to a crazy rock concert - intense and fun.  a well made lager is like going to a symphony.  it's not violent or extreme but more deep and moving and emotionally stirring.

[Steve Urquell]

my question was more why don't you get 90+% efficiency with the well modified malts?  that's the part I don't quite get.  are they under specifying the potential of the floor malt?

They must be underestimating the yield. I don't get that kind of efficiency with any other malt. I looked at my recent German hoppy pils which used 5.5lbs of Best Malz pils and 4lbs of floor malt. According to Brewers friend I got 88% eff. Used a 3 step infusion with a 10min protein rest.

[neddles]

This beer turned out extremely good. Getting real close to exactly what I am looking for. As is this is one of the best 2 or 3 IPAs I have made. This batch turned out far hoppier than the last version I made with BRY-97. I have had several DIPAs with less hop character than this one has. Extremely bright hop character that runs the gamut from lightly dank all the way to a bit of fruit-candy. Smells like fresh squeezed sweet-fruity hop juice. Medium bodied. Not as sweet-fruity in taste as there is some resin and dankness that I don't get in the aroma. Lots of orangey-grapefruity citrus and spiced orange going on, some floral hop character and deep danky pine to a lesser degree, and just a bit of candied orange/lemon peel. Minor tweaks for the next rendition will be to add just a little of each hop to the total hop bill except for Columbus. I will keep Columbus where it is. If anyone else wants to make this as is I doubt you'll be disappointed. Thanks for reading!

[Big Nake]

Congrats on making what sounds like a great IPA!

[neddles]

Congrats on making what sounds like a great IPA!

Thank you sir. Getting close but still a work in progress, I want to perfect this one!

[HVB]

Any thoughts to changing the yeast too? I have an APA that will become my house beer but plan to test out some other yeasts with it to see how much that changes it.

[neddles]

Any thoughts to changing the yeast too? I have an APA that will become my house beer but plan to test out some other yeasts with it to see how much that changes it.

Absolutely. I think if the next rendition gets this close or at my ideal, then I will start letting other yeasts feed on it.  I want to have a reproducible recipe and and process in place and then start to mess with single variables. Yeast is one. I want to try 1450, 1272, various english yeasts (1318, 1968, 1469)  as well as Conan and WLP644. But I also want to mess with water a bit too. In fact this version had SO4 of 100ppm (my standard in hoppy ales of late) and, something new to me, a Cl of 125ppm. I want to keep creeping that Cl up to see if I get a softer feel from it and how it effects the flavor. One thing I have noticed, that I did not mention above, is that this beer has a very firm bitterness to it, unusual for only 50 IBU and it seems to linger a long time as well. Not sure where that is coming from but I would't go any higher with it. I can't drink all the IPA I am going to be making so its a good thing that my beer drinking friends are starting to take interest in what I am making. Your Simcoe Pale Ale only lasted about 10-12 days. 

 

I was pretty puzzled and discouraged after the mystery infection I got in my failed attempt at a Berliner Weiss. I kinda went on a tear after that and brewed 4 beers in short succession producing this beer, the Simcoe Pale Ale, the "Not-Hennepin" saison and an Alt. The first 3 of those have turned out fantastic but I won't know about the Alt for a while yet. My fridge is popping with good beer lately and I feel like I got my mojo back. 

[Big Nake]

... and I feel like I got my mojo back.

Mojo is the best thing for you when you have a beer that didn't come out right. Guess what? I got a fever... and the only prescription... is more MOJO!

[neddles]

I should update here that with time I became less and less enamored with this beer. I'm not sure I tasted it at all when the beer was really fresh but one of the hops in here was giving a pretty dusty-earthy undertone that started to take over as the beer aged. I haven't had this from any of these hops (cascade, cent, columbus, el dorado) and the only bag that was newly opened for this batch was columbus. I wonder if it was coming from this particular lot. Had not noticed it in other beers with columbus before.