Since I am exploring water issues, and recently purchased several pounds of high-alpha American and New Zealand hops... I thought I would calibrate on a hoppy Pale Ale. The title really references hops varieties that make me think of space and NASA, as well as the problems I have been having with my water profile and efficiency.

While I am fairly carefree when brewing, estimates abounding - I was extremely careful about measuring water amounts, pH at various stages, minor salt additions, etc. I also performed a modified hop stand (we can get into how I do that in a later post) where I pulled the temp down to 80-ish over 30 minutes in the kettle. Since I brewed a few days ago - this is still in the fermenter at 68F, and will be through the next couple of weeks. Will also dry hop this batch.

Recipe:

Bastrop West Coast Pale Ale (11 Gallon Batch)

Brewer's Note: This is a 10-gallon batch (split into two fermenters) of a West Coast styled Pale Ale. It features a complex malt backbone of Crystal 120L and Biscuit malt, balanced by a heavy whirlpool of dank, piney hops (Summit, Apollo, Columbus).

Vital Stats

The Grain Bill

• 22 lbs 8 oz — Brewers 2-Row Malt (90.9%)
• 1 lb — Crystal 120L (4%)
• 12 oz — Biscuit Malt (3%)
• 8 oz — Acid Malt (2%) (pH Adjustment)

Water Chemistry

• Base Water: The Colony, Bastrop Texas (Aqua Water)
• Mash Additions:
  • 2.00 tsp Calcium Chloride
  • 1.00 tsp Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)

The Hop Schedule

• Boil (60 min): 0.50 oz Summit [17.0%] (14.5 IBU)
• Boil (45 min): 0.75 oz Apollo [18.0%] (21.2 IBU)
• Whirlpool / Steep (30 min):
  • 1.00 oz Bravo
  • 1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk)
  • 1.00 oz Summit
• Dry Hop (7 Days): 2.00 oz Apollo [18.0%]

Yeast & Additions

• Yeast: 1 pkg Lallemand BRY-97 (American West Coast Yeast)
• Fining: Whirlfloc Tablet (15 min)

Brewing Instructions

1. The Mash (Medium Body)

• Mash In: Add 7.8 gallons (31.3 qt) of water at 167.3°F. Target a mash temperature of 152.0°F.
• Rest: Hold at 152°F for 60 minutes.
• Mash Out: Add 4.3 gallons (17.3 qt) of water at 202.8°F to raise grain bed to 168.0°F. Hold for 10 min.
• Sparge: Batch sparge with 3.00 gallons of water at 168.0°F.

2. The Boil (60 Minutes)

• 60 Minutes: Bring to a boil and add the Summit hops.
• 45 Minutes: Add the Apollo hops.
• 15 Minutes: Add the Whirlfloc tablet.
• Flameout/Whirlpool: Turn off the heat. Add the Bravo, Columbus, and Summit hops. Let them steep for 30 minutes before chilling to extract aroma without excessive bitterness.

3. Fermentation

• Chill wort to pitch temperature.
• Oxygenate well and pitch the BRY-97 yeast.
• Dry Hop: Add the final 2.00 oz of Apollo hops for the last 7 days of fermentation.

Had many issues, despite a fairly smooth brew day. Hitting mash pH took a very long time, and required salt additions in the mash. To eliminate any variability, as I will brew this again with RO water, I preheated the mash tun with the strike water, and then added the grist during recirculation. I also batch sparged, eliminating another possible variable. I normally use a hybrid sparge method, but it's too finicky to expect the same result next time.

In about a week, I will dry hop on 2 ounces of Apollo for 7 days.

First time using BRY-97, and will repitch the yeast after washing and rebuilding to the same sized starter.

The wort came out much darker than anticipated. I used Crystal 120 because I had it sitting around. I would use Crystal 40 or 60 instead. The biscuit came through really nicely in the wort - surprisingly so.