11 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

Remember this THREAD by neddles where we were talking about "American Pub Ale"? I was doing a search this morning and ran across that thread and started doing a little    over this style. It occurs to me that many of the styles I make might fall into this category but I thought I might intentionally design something that would fall squarely into this non-existent category. As I looked through my hops, one jumped out at me and started screaming AMERICAN PUB ALE!... Willamette.

American Pub Ale

7 lbs Malteurop 2-row base malt
1.5 lbs White Wheat
6 ounces Thomas Fawcett & Sons Dark Crystal #2 (118-124°L)
6 ounces Crystal 80°L
1 ounce Willamette pellets 5.1% for 60 minutes (about 22 IBUs)
1 ounce Willamette pellets 5.1% for 10 minutes
1 ounce Willamette pellets 5.1% for 5 minutes
Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast

OG: 1.051, FG: 1.012, IBU: 34, SRM: 11, ABV: 4.9%

I would mash around 150.5°, single infusion. Balanced water profile. If anyone thought it was unseemly to use the Willamette as a bittering hop, I have a bunch of Magnum, Horizon and Nugget I could use instead. I was planning on brewing a hoppy blonde ale on Sunday but I could easily see this jumping the line. Cheers Beerheads.

[HVB]

mix some cascade in with the Willamette, they go together like Bert and Ernie.  I would also do this at a 30 minute boil beer but that is just the kick I am on these days.

Edited by drez77, 12 February 2016 - 11:31 AM.

[Big Nake]

Thanks Drez. No Cascade in the brewery at the moment. I could get some but otherwise I have Amarillo, Citra, Nelson, Columbus, Northern Brewer, Ultra, Crystal, Saphir, Strisselspalt, Hallertau, Tettnanger, Mt. Hood, Zythos, EKG, US Goldings, Simcoe and Mosaic. I don't want to push this beer into "fruity" territory so some of those don't fit. I could see Cascade but I just haven't used it in awhile. Also, 30-minute boils? 

[denny]

Willamette is way too close to Fuggles for me to use it as the only hop.  Toss some Amarillo in there...it's in the same ballpark as Cascade.

[Big Nake]

When I have used Willamette late in the boil (with another hop as a bittering hop), I liked the character I got.  I could see using something else with it but I'm not sure it's necessary.  I don't want to use Amarillo because I have those set aside for an Amarillo-Citra pale ale.  I could see some US Goldings or Crystal along with the Willamette. 

[neddles]

I remember that thread and I have thought about making something like that. For me I would likely leave out the wheat and go with some US pale ale malt instead of the 2-row, but these are just my preferences.

 

With Willamette I second the Cascade rec. but if you don't have it then use Centennial or EKGs or as you suggested maybe some Crystal. I find Willamette to be only vaguely Fuggles-like. IOW if I wanted to the flavor of Fuggles (which I like) I would find Willamette to be an unsatisfying sub. Different tastes/perceptions though. 

 

Actually, I've never paired the two but 1/2oz-3/4oz. of Chinook (in the 170F whirlpool, not boiled) could be a real nice complement.

[Big Nake]

Hmm, no Chinook in the house either. I remember using some Fuggle in some English-style ales and I remember liking EKG more but I don't really remember not liking Fuggle. I am actually impressed time and time again when I use US Goldings. I don't know why but I don't think I've ever used a Goldings I didn't like... EKG, Styrian, US, etc. Well, I'll tinker with it over the next 24 hours but I'm pretty sure I'm going to make some iteration of this beer on Sunday when it will be snowing and a balmy 22° here.

[HVB]

. Also, 30-minute boils? 

I have done about 6+ beers lately with a 30 minute boil.  Many of them also have a 20-30 minute whirlpool so the total time is still about 60 minutes but the beers have come out just fine and the time savings over a 60 minute boil and 30 minute whirlpool have been nice.

[positiveContact]

columbus and willy might go together pretty well.

[Big Nake]

Making this beer right now. Slightly different from the posted recipe: 4 ounces each of C80 and Thomas Fawcett Dark Crystal #2, 1 pound of wheat so the other 8 ounces was made up of flaked barley which I don't think will hurt. For the last two hop additions I used US Golding that I just picked up last week. They're 4.3%. The wort is boiling at the moment and the color looks exactly as I was hoping... I sort of medium amber with some red tint to it. Cheers Beerheads.

[positiveContact]

sounds great! 

[Big Nake]

I have used these US Goldings a number of times before and I'm always pleasantly surprised at how well they go along with my tastebuds. They feel like an off-the-map hop because they don't get mentioned a lot but they're clean(ish), not fruity and have a really nice character to them.