Unreal Ale IPA hop questions

[Stoobrew]

So IPA as we all know is Indian Pale Ale...specifically designed to last the long trip in the hold of a ship from the UK to India during the 18th century. I guess its time to come up with an Aussie version of an Indian Pale Ale. Some may have heard that early settlers in Australia used the native Dodonaea plant 'to limited success' as a hop. Anyway I was wondering if anyone had come up with an IPA recipe from the Unreal Ale recipe as by my tastes this would be a good base to use for an Aussie IPA. I'm not going to try the Dodonaea just yet but what do you think would outline the characteristics of an Aussie IPA? It would obviously have to take on some kind of eucalyptus aromas being an Aussie IPA so what hops do you think would be the go for the Eucalyptus aromas and flavours? (same kind of smell as tea tree oil too...being same genus and all)

[GrahamB8]

POR for bittering and generous additions of Galaxy, made with a recultured yeast from commercial Coopers pale ale.

 

Well maybe not but I like the way your thinking...Have you tryed a Stone and Wood pacific ale (my fav commercial Aussie ale ... sorry Coopers [devil] )

[Stoobrew]

POR for bittering and generous additions of Galaxy, made with a recultured yeast from commercial Coopers pale ale.

 

Well maybe not but I like the way your thinking...Have you tryed a Stone and Wood pacific ale (my fav commercial Aussie ale ... sorry Coopers [devil] )

 

I have a pacific jade and it apparently has a black pepper flavour, I was thinking this is fairly close to eucalypt smell so besides from that I have some Amarillo and Fuggles. The Fuggles are pretty much for the next batch of English Bitter tho..so im wondering if the pacific jade would go with some POR hops!!

 

I havn't had a Stone and Woncific ale yet...or if I had I cant remember it...which is usuallyally a good sign I havn't tasted it yet if its good and its an ale!

[Guest]

You might be able to accomplish it after a bit of trial and error.

 

Before I start looking at the different hops though I would be thinking about the yeast and fermenting process. Maybe try T-58 for a slight peppery/spicy flavor.

 

Zeus would be my hop of choice for bittering and maybe followup with some Columbus or Tomahawk.

[Stoobrew]

Ok noted I will try that yeast! I will have a play with the pacific jade and might grab a POR finishing hop at the lhbs when I get the yeast! What temp do you think would be good to ferment at to get some peppery flavours out? Besides coopers what aussie beers use POR for aroma? I love the gage rds IPA that has a rather aussie floral taste going on with it would love to know that hop combination!

[Guest]

As far as I am aware, Coopers do not use POR as a finishing hop or for aroma, either do other major Aussie breweries. People I know that have tried using it for aroma have all said it was crap. imo POR is only good for bittering.

 

As a later experiment I'd probably ferment around 20-22C to add some esters but my first attempt I would keep at 18C so I know then what to expect at lower temps. (This yeast can ferment at 15C)

[Guest]

I love the gage rds IPA that has a rather aussie floral taste going on with it would love to know that hop combination!

 

I found the following in my notes but can't remember where I got it from now though so apologies to the source.

 

Pouring coppery in colour like an English bitter from crystal malts, the re-styled India pale ale is pleasantly grassy with earthy background on the nose, due to dry-hopping. East Kent Goldings and NZ-grown English Fuggle hops are used and the explicit Cascade hops have been replaced by another US variety, Centennial. Peppery hints among the stone-fruit flavours up front, firm malt character in the middle and a piquant bitterness in the dry finish add up to a lovely rewarding drink. Try it with curry: hop spices pick up beautifully on coriander and chillies, which is how British troops in the eastern colonies would have experienced this tailor-made long-distance fresh ale in the 19th century.

 

I can't find the IBU levels but to start with I'm thinking of maybe 15gm of fuggles and ekg at 60 minutes, and 30gm of centennial at 30 minutes and 5 minutes and maybe the same dry hopping 4 days into primary ferment.

[AdamH1525226084]

Hey Stoo

Malt Shovel brewery made a "Scribbly Gum Lager" which they say has the taste of "eucalyptus". Check this information

 

They used Pepperleaf...

[Stoobrew]

Pouring coppery in colour like an English bitter from crystal malts, the re-styled India pale ale is pleasantly grassy with earthy background on the nose, due to dry-hopping. East Kent Goldings and NZ-grown English Fuggle hops are used and the explicit Cascade hops have been replaced by another US variety, Centennial. Peppery hints among the stone-fruit flavours up front, firm malt character in the middle and a piquant bitterness in the dry finish add up to a lovely rewarding drink. Try it with curry: hop spices pick up beautifully on coriander and chillies, which is how British troops in the eastern colonies would have experienced this tailor-made long-distance fresh ale in the 19th century

.

 

Billk you cant remember [crying] Ah its ok...great to get a heads up. So the guy at the lhbs(I was working 20kms away so spent lunch in traffic)he said the exact same about POR hops :) so didnt get any. I ended up getting a willamette finishing hop..and the best part is they have run out of T-58 FFS!!!! So I now have some willamette, pacific jade, fuggles(nz grown :), and amarillo...so I think I can get something to work. But I still havnt read Adam H's info link.....shit!!

 

AdamH that is the bit I want;

Also hidden are hints of pepper and eucalyptus owing to the pepperleaf at cast out.

 

Thanks for that...but how would one add 'pepperleaf at cast out'??? Thats way beyond my knowledge atm! :)

 

So I'm looking for a flavour that accentuates the smells of the Aussie bush that kind of floral eucalyptusy smell, when your out in the bush and all the gum trees are flowering and the wattles are out covering everything in yellow. I'm after something that is almost going to make you sneeze when you put your nose near it. I'm thinking something like the first beer made to last the journey on bullock train from Adelaide to Darwin[devil] (Smokey flavours IMO are reserved for whiskey and BBQ's meat)

[Hairy]

I have tried Barons Black Wattle Ale a few times in the past. It was a long time ago but I remember it tasting OK.

 

Barons Black Wattle Original Ale was the first in this new class of beer - flavoured by native Australian roasted wattle seed. This multi award-winning ale has a rich amber colour and a base malt flavour of toffee and caramel. The roasted wattle seed rounds out the offering with a unique taste that hints of hazelnut, chocolate and mocha. It is a full bodied, full flavoured beer that is surprisingly smooth with an amazingly silky finish.

You could try roasted wattle seeds.

[AdamH1525226084]

You could try roasted wattle seeds.

 

Aha - Hairy might be onto something there. I had some ice-cream in the Daintree that had wattle seeds in it - was a bit like coffee flavoured ice-cream. Very nice. The roasting might be the trick though.

 

What if you smoke some barley by using eucalyptus leaves and wattle seeds, or an oil burner with eucalyptus oil in the burner part. Have a sieve full of barley sitting above either the above.

 

Re the pepperleaf at cast out, maybe it's like dry hopping?

[PB2]

"Cast out" is usually a term for the wort when removed from the kettle.

 

So the pepperleaf is not exposed to boiling wort but might be steeped in the hot wort while in a holding tank or added when in the whirlpool prior to tansfer to the fermenting vessels - only guessing [unsure]

[Stoobrew]

Ok cheers for all the help...I don't think I really did the best job with this one,it was a bit of a throw together in the end with only supermarket ingredients avaliable! So I did as follows

 

Coopers Aus Pale ale

400g golden syrup

1kg saunders malt(made by some nut company(yes I know))

11g Amarillo steeped for 9mins

5g Pacific Jade Steeped for 9minutes

10g Pacific Jade Steeped 15mins

 

So bottling either today or tomorrow the fg is hanging around at 1010 and has been for at least 48hrs.

 

I also accidentally dropped the stainer in the mix with all the hops so I thought it was infected but it just has a good thick layer of white hops on top...lucky!! At any rate this def increased the hop flavours(tasting from the test tube(no real back up on this flavour yet))..

 

Thanks for the help will keep everyone informed on the taste!

[Dean B]

I have tried Barons Black Wattle Ale a few times in the past. It was a long time ago but I remember it tasting OK.

 

Barons Black Wattle Original Ale was the first in this new class of beer - flavoured by native Australian roasted wattle seed. This multi award-winning ale has a rich amber colour and a base malt flavour of toffee and caramel. The roasted wattle seed rounds out the offering with a unique taste that hints of hazelnut, chocolate and mocha. It is a full bodied, full flavoured beer that is surprisingly smooth with an amazingly silky finish.

You could try roasted wattle seeds.