One last hurrah with the trending 1272; this one is a Rye APA, although with the grain I’m using, it is probably better described as a Rye BPA. 
But I’m just following Tim Turner’s comment that the yeast is the most important part of the brewing process, and sticking with my Rye APA designation and sticking it to the style guidelines yet again. Next up: something British!
But I’m just following Tim Turner’s comment that the yeast is the most important part of the brewing process, and sticking with my Rye APA designation and sticking it to the style guidelines yet again. Next up: something British!
117. Rye APA
Mash:
9 lbs. MFB Pale
1 lb. Weyermann Rye
1 lb. Thomas Fawcett Caramel Rye
Mash @ 150° F for 60 minutes w/ 3 ½ gallons of RO water; collected 2 gallons @ 1.062
Batch sparge @ 160 ° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.026
Collected 6 gallons; added ½ gallon, brought to a boil (60 minutes) & added:
w/60 to go: 1 oz. Chinook 11.3% AA
w/30 to go: 1 oz. Chinook 11.3% AA
w/20 to go: ¾ oz. Simcoe 14.1 % AA
¼ oz. Willamette 4.8% AA
w/15 to go: 1 tsp. Irish Moss
w/5 to go: 1 oz. Centennial 11.5% AA
w/0 to go: ¾ oz. Simcoe 14.1 % AA
¼ oz. Willamette 4.8% AA
Chilled, racked to carboy, and added Wyeast 1272 American Ale II from 116. APA w/Amarillo
Brewed: 5/15/2012 @ 73° F; dropped to 66° F; free rise to 72° F
Secondary: 5/22/2012; dry hop w/ 1 oz. Centennial 11.5% AA
Bottled: 5/31/2012 w/ 3.15 oz. table sugar
OG: 1.042
FG: 1.010
Tasting Notes (9/21/2012): So I probably waited a little long on tasting this one for the purposes of posterity. Not only am I down to my last couple of bottles, but I’ve also been dragging my feet on typing up the notes. Thus, this is not the freshest example of the beer. But being that I am a consummate foot dragger, well, these things are ultimately not that surprising in relation to the bigger picture. 
Even when beer is involved. After all, I’ve been drinking it, just not typing up the notes. But due diligence is now served. Rye APA pours a burnished rich copper suffused with orange—the color from the caramel rye is quite luscious and iridescent—with that thin white head that manages to pull a decent amount of lacing. The nose is spicy rye from the malt as well as hop pine mixed with resin. There is also a touch of caramel, although it is more in the background. Flavors open with rye spiciness, bread dough, and biscuit/cracker malt flavors; there is some pine hop flavor, but that becomes more evident in the middle, when the beer dries out on the palate via the hop pine and sap flavor, although it is still lightly creamy. A touch of body and sweetness returns in the finish, and then the pine bitterness takes over the, lingering on the back of the throat. There is more mouthfeel than I was expecting here, as well as a rather enjoyable malt complexity. The hop profile is too aggressive, however. I think that less Chinook—and by that I mean less pine—would make this a better beer overall, as the spicy rye mixed with the pine hops is a touch aggressive together. Still, the combination of rye and caramel rye adds subtlety and depth to this beer: it is, after all, better than I thought it would be, and might even be worth revisiting at some point. How’s that for high praise?
Even when beer is involved. After all, I’ve been drinking it, just not typing up the notes. But due diligence is now served. Rye APA pours a burnished rich copper suffused with orange—the color from the caramel rye is quite luscious and iridescent—with that thin white head that manages to pull a decent amount of lacing. The nose is spicy rye from the malt as well as hop pine mixed with resin. There is also a touch of caramel, although it is more in the background. Flavors open with rye spiciness, bread dough, and biscuit/cracker malt flavors; there is some pine hop flavor, but that becomes more evident in the middle, when the beer dries out on the palate via the hop pine and sap flavor, although it is still lightly creamy. A touch of body and sweetness returns in the finish, and then the pine bitterness takes over the, lingering on the back of the throat. There is more mouthfeel than I was expecting here, as well as a rather enjoyable malt complexity. The hop profile is too aggressive, however. I think that less Chinook—and by that I mean less pine—would make this a better beer overall, as the spicy rye mixed with the pine hops is a touch aggressive together. Still, the combination of rye and caramel rye adds subtlety and depth to this beer: it is, after all, better than I thought it would be, and might even be worth revisiting at some point. How’s that for high praise?
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