AG#55 – Citra Ass Down Pale Ale

I was planning on doing a massive IPA in an effort to begin using up a massive pile of 2014 hops that I have in my brewing fridge. But I want to do a nice fresh pale ale for a forthcoming competition, so the “hop monster” will have to wait. Not that this recipe is any slouch in the hop department. But I’m using the freshest hops I can get my hands on, with the focus on Citra, but there’s some Centennial in there too, to balance the Citra’s tropical fruitiness.

For malt, I’m using what is becoming my standard pale ale grain bill. Maris Otter with a sizeable percentage of Munich malt for colour and bready malt flavour, along with some crystal and wheat malts for background sweetness and head retention respectively.

Recipe Specifications

Boil Size: 27.90 l
Post Boil Volume: 23.40 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 19.00 l
Bottling Volume: 17.00 l
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 14.9 EBC
Estimated IBU: 54.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 59.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 69.9 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients

4.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins)
4.800 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter, Muntons (6.5 EBC, 86.5 %
0.400 kg Munich Malt (17.7 EBC), 7.2 %
0.200 kg Wheat Malt, Bel (3.9 EBC), 3.6 %
0.150 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt – 60L (118.2 EBC), 2.7 %
0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins)
50 g Centennial [11.10 %] – Boil 10.0 min, 16.2 IBUs
100 g Citra [13.40 %] – Steep/Whirlpool 10.0, 26.3 IBUs
50 g Centennial [11.10 %] – Steep/Whirlpool, 12.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05)
100 g Citra [13.40 %] – Dry Hop 5.0 Days, 0.0 IBUs
Mash Schedule: Bubbles’ Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 5.550 kg

Mash In Add 15.54 l of water at 71.2 C 65.0 C 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 18.42l) of 77.0 C water

13/03/2016 – Got another low OG of 1.050. I think the lower sparge temperature that I’m using in an effort to eliminate the astringency in my beers has resulted in lower gravity. I might try milling slightly finer. Mash temperature was 66.5C. I got 19 litres of wort into the fermenter and was left with 3 litres of crap in the boiler. This time I actually measured it.

25/03/2016 – Racked to secondary and dry hopped with 100g of lovely fresh Citra hop pellets.

30/03/2016 – Removed the bag of hop pellets. Amazing aroma.

01/04/2016 – Bottled with 112g corn sugar (17 litres @ 2.5 vol). Had a taste of the primed beer at the bottom of the bottling bucket and it tasted awful.