Citra Pale Ale

[Little Rock Brewing]

My last AG took ages to cool, the most frustrating part of the brewday for sure.
I did as Rod suggested and left it overnight before pitching the yeast.
It was a NEIPA which I bottled this week and early indications ( a sip) suggest it's the best beer I've ever made.
Must admit I was a bit worried when I read that this style is prone to oxidation.

 

[moto748]

As I've said before, I make all my beers that way; always have. That's 46 brews since I started keep a record in January this year. Nothing gets pitched until the next morning. Then, I check the temperature, take a hydrometer reading, and if all OK, pitch the yeast. I am convinced I have never suffered from oxidised beer. And I don't need to have another piece of equipment which must be carefully cleaned, sterilised, etc etc.

And I won't even mention my bottling technique; worried posters would be tearing their hair out!

 

[Pavalijo]

. Nothing gets pitched until the next morning. Then, I check the temperature, take a hydrometer reading, and if all OK, pitch the yeast.

Does this have any effect on bitterness? I’ve looked around but can’t find advice on whether leaving the wort with hops after turning the heat source off to cool slowly does affect calculations for bitterness but could do with knowing!

 

[Irishwizard]

Stop thinking - its the way to the bottom of the barrel - you really are trying too hard on pseudo science

 

[moto748]

Anyway, I tried my first pint of this the other night. I thought it tasted fresh and bright, and the carbonation looked spot-on, but it is pretty cloudy, and really doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon. Which probably doesn't matter that much, but I was expecting a clear-ish beer cos that's what you usually get with US-05, in my experience.



This one's been bottled 21 days.

 

[moto748]

Does this have any effect on bitterness? I’ve looked around but can’t find advice on whether leaving the wort with hops after turning the heat source off to cool slowly does affect calculations for bitterness but could do with knowing!

You may be misunderstanding me slightly. I don't leave any hops in the wort overnight. If I put hops in after the boil is complete, dependent on recipe, it would more usually be from when it has cooled 'a little', for an hour or two.

 

[foxy]

Does this have any effect on bitterness? I’ve looked around but can’t find advice on whether leaving the wort with hops after turning the heat source off to cool slowly does affect calculations for bitterness but could do with knowing!

Yes it does. The main difference between wort chilled relatively quickly and no-chilled wort (essentially chilled slowly due to ambient environment) is that any late hop additions (added mostly for aromatic and flavour contribution) will have extended contact with wort above 80 degrees. Above this temperature is where the chemical process of transforming and dissolving alpha acids occurs. The result is twofold - the wort can end up more bitter than a similar wort, quickly chilled and with less of the more delicate aromatic compounds discernible.
What you can do is take off 20 mins, 60 minute hop addition at 40 minutes, 40 minute addition at 20 minutes.
Anything after that use some wort to boil the latest additions for whatever time is needed 20, 15 or 10 minutes & flameout. Then add straight into the fermenter.

 

[moto748]

Looking back through my meticulous records , scrub that bit about US-05. Turns out I didn't use it, I used M42.

And just to say, what I said about waiting for it to cool a little, ties in with what foxy says in his first paragraph; because I don't do any cooling, wait until it's at about 80 degrees before putting late hops in.

 

[cromwell]

Hi- still in my brewing infancy & want to give this recipe a try. The only thing I'm wondering about is the caramalt, dextrose & wheat malt additions in the grain bill. What are these for and what difference do they make to just using purely MO, for example.
Thanks
James

 

[moto748]

Hi- still in my brewing infancy & want to give this recipe a try. The only thing I'm wondering about is the caramalt, dextrose & wheat malt additions in the grain bill. What are these for and what difference do they make to just using purely MO, for example.
Thanks
James

Well, at the risk of stating the obvious, if you used MO only, it would be a completely different beer. Caramalt and wheat malt both bring quite a lot to the party. Dextrose is a sugar, which will increase alcoholic strength a little. I suggest you stick to the recipe.

 

[cromwell]

Hi- thanks for the reply. I don't want to change the recipe, I'm just trying to understand what effect the small adjuncts have. So if dextrose adds to the alcohol level, what effect do the caramalt and wheat malt do? Is it to add certain aspects to the flavour?
Cheers.
James

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi Cromwell, i use this to see what different malts bring to the party Beer Grains: The Complete Guide for Homebrewers (northernbrewer.com) hope this helps you understand a little better, even after 2 years of brewing AG i still use it

 

[cromwell]

Thanks for that link. I'll give it a thorough read. It's the adjuncts that are hard to get your head around initially, I think.
Cheers
James

 

[foxy]

Thanks for that link. I'll give it a thorough read. It's the adjuncts that are hard to get your head around initially, I think.
Cheers
James

Take note that the crystal and caramel malts do say steep able. If you do that with all the none fermentables it will help you later with your water adjustments.

 

[Braufather]

Hi- thanks for the reply. I don't want to change the recipe, I'm just trying to understand what effect the small adjuncts have. So if dextrose adds to the alcohol level, what effect do the caramalt and wheat malt do? Is it to add certain aspects to the flavour?
Cheers.
James

maris otter can be quite sweet in a malty sort of way, and a caramalt will make it a bit sweeter still, in a caramel way . the sugar ( ironically) is probably there to balance out that sweeteness and dry the beer out a wee bit.