Willamette tasted like, and to see what an APA made with a lower AA level hop would do—could you get enough hop flavor, aroma, and bitterness while still keeping an overall balance? In part, the goal was a subtle, subdued APA, not the APA that is really more an IPA. So we’ll see...73: Single Hop American Pale Ale: Willamette
Mini-mash:
1.75 oz. Maris Otter
9.4 oz. Breiss 2-row
8 oz. Belgian Pale Malt
1 lb. Dingeman’s Pale Malt
8 oz. Breiss Caramel 20 L
8 oz. Dingeman’s Biscuit
Mashed @ 150° F for 60 min. w/ 7 quarts of water; raised to 170° F
Mini-mash:
1.75 oz. Maris Otter
9.4 oz. Breiss 2-row
8 oz. Belgian Pale Malt
1 lb. Dingeman’s Pale Malt
8 oz. Breiss Caramel 20 L
8 oz. Dingeman’s Biscuit
Mashed @ 150° F for 60 min. w/ 7 quarts of water; raised to 170° F
Sparged with 1 gallon of 170° F water
Added to brew kettle, brought to a boil (60 minute) and added:
5 lbs. Breiss Pilsen Light DME
5 lbs. Breiss Pilsen Light DME
8 oz. Turbinado Sugar
½ teaspoon gypsum
1 ¼ oz. Willamette leaf 4.8% AA
½ teaspoon gypsum
1 ¼ oz. Willamette leaf 4.8% AA
w/10 minutes to go:
1 tsp. Irish Moss
1 oz. Willamette leaf 4.8% AA
w/5 minutes to go:
1 oz. Willamette leaf 4.8% AA
@ removal from heat:
1 oz. Willamette leaf 4.8% AA
Cooled wort, racked to bucket, and pitched on Wyeast 1332 Northwest Ale cake
Brewed: 8/6/2010 @ 72° F
Secondary: 8/16/2010 @ 1.014 (dry hopped with ¾ oz. Willamette leaf 4.8% AA)
Bottled: 8/28/2010 with 3.5 oz. white sugar (70° F)
OG: 1.054
FG: 1.008
Tasting Notes 9/30/2010: Pours a hazy golden copper—I’d say it pours almost the color of bread crust—with a very abundant off-white head. Ah, over-carbonation, the bane of my brewing. The nose is subtle spiciness
and citrus, along with a light fruitiness and toasty malt and possibly a slight touch of grassiness. The hop wheel in Jamil’s Brewing Classic Styles locates Willamette as having low levels of spicy and floral hop aromas; I get the spicy, but not the floral. There is a citrus component, also—I’m guessing the slight fruitiness is from the yeast—which could possibly be the floral mixing with other components of the beer—who knows? Flavors start spicy with an initial biscuit malt character that becomes slightly bready in the middle. The bitterness in the middle is subdued but present, with citrus and pine flavors that linger into the finish. There is more of the biscuit malt flavor in the finish as well, albeit just briefly, and the spicy bitterness tingles nicely on the back of the tongue. The body is medium with bright, effervescent carbonation, although the mouthfeel is lightly creamy and a bit soft on the palate. I do like the balance in this beer between the malt and the hops, and the heavy use of a lighter AA hop resulted in the gentler hop complexity that I hoped for—there is nuance, but the overall beer is lighter and very drinkable without the overpowering bitterness that has started to push many APAs into the realm of IPAs. While the next version of this might not be a single hop, it will be back again soon.
Competition:
Dayton Beerfest (9/11/2010): 41; won APA and Best of DRAFT
Brewed: 8/6/2010 @ 72° F
Secondary: 8/16/2010 @ 1.014 (dry hopped with ¾ oz. Willamette leaf 4.8% AA)
Bottled: 8/28/2010 with 3.5 oz. white sugar (70° F)
OG: 1.054
FG: 1.008
Tasting Notes 9/30/2010: Pours a hazy golden copper—I’d say it pours almost the color of bread crust—with a very abundant off-white head. Ah, over-carbonation, the bane of my brewing. The nose is subtle spiciness
and citrus, along with a light fruitiness and toasty malt and possibly a slight touch of grassiness. The hop wheel in Jamil’s Brewing Classic Styles locates Willamette as having low levels of spicy and floral hop aromas; I get the spicy, but not the floral. There is a citrus component, also—I’m guessing the slight fruitiness is from the yeast—which could possibly be the floral mixing with other components of the beer—who knows? Flavors start spicy with an initial biscuit malt character that becomes slightly bready in the middle. The bitterness in the middle is subdued but present, with citrus and pine flavors that linger into the finish. There is more of the biscuit malt flavor in the finish as well, albeit just briefly, and the spicy bitterness tingles nicely on the back of the tongue. The body is medium with bright, effervescent carbonation, although the mouthfeel is lightly creamy and a bit soft on the palate. I do like the balance in this beer between the malt and the hops, and the heavy use of a lighter AA hop resulted in the gentler hop complexity that I hoped for—there is nuance, but the overall beer is lighter and very drinkable without the overpowering bitterness that has started to push many APAs into the realm of IPAs. While the next version of this might not be a single hop, it will be back again soon.Competition:
Dayton Beerfest (9/11/2010): 41; won APA and Best of DRAFT
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