What is your best APA recipe?

[Hairy]

I think your LHBS gave you a bum steer on a Hop Thief clone.

 

The Real Ale in 8.5 litres will result in an IBU around 112. That is fairly bitter.

 

And 100g dry hop in 8.5 litres is the equivalent of a 235g dry hop in a 20 litre batch.

 

I would just use the one Real Ale can in a 20 litre batch and make up the rest of the fermentables with malt and some dex. Dry hopping 100g Simcoe in 20 litres is fine.

[Beeblebrox]

Just thought I'd mention; I recently purchased a case of Coopers Original Pale Ale, having finished drinking a batch of my APA with Cascade dry & steep, as well as 500g Malt, 250g Maltodextrin, 250g Dextrin, and though the Original Pale Ale is a great commercial beer, I much prefer my LCPA influenced version.

For my mind, the Original Pale Ale has a bit much bittering hops (POR?), and little aromatics, other than what you get from the yeast; whereas the recipe I use seems to make a much more balanced well rounded beer with a bit more malt flavour - but not too much.

Perhaps it's my palate, perhaps it's that cases of beer don't travel too well from Adelaide to Sydney, but although I'll probably buy a case of Original Pale Ale again some time, it's more of a standby beer whilst I wait for my brews to finish.

That said I have an APA as per my recent recipe in the FV at present, due to be bottled early next week.

Hopefully I can hold out for a couple of weeks after that to get into it, but failing that I still have my ESVA, Artisan Reserve, & my Euro Lager with Saflager S23 to keep me going.

 

I'm thinking maybe one more of my APA's then perhaps a wheat beer, or even another Canadian Blonde, maybe with a steep & dry hop to see what that turns out like.

 

Have to say though, using a 50% at least mix using malt (added to whatever can or extract) seems to make all the difference in getting a good balance, flavour and mouth feel, not to mention a reliable head.

[Gigantor]

I think your LHBS gave you a bum steer on a Hop Thief clone.

 

The Real Ale in 8.5 litres will result in an IBU around 112. That is fairly bitter.

 

And 100g dry hop in 8.5 litres is the equivalent of a 235g dry hop in a 20 litre batch.

 

I would just use the one Real Ale can in a 20 litre batch and make up the rest of the fermentables with malt and some dex. Dry hopping 100g Simcoe in 20 litres is fine.

 

 

Hairy, Yeah it probably wasn't very similar to Hop Thief - but it does have some similar aspects in the taste that it has become.

 

A week after bottling it was quite a punchy brew. But you'd be surprised how mellow it has become 3 or 4 weeks later. It really is a very nice drop.

 

Thanks for your thoughts on the 20L batch. Very useful thanks.

 

Cheers,

Pete