Help with an APA recipe

Nola_Brew

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I'm looking to brew a version of a Chinook APA/IPA that seems to be popular at NB.

I'm trying to determine what's the best choice of grains to use. Would it be best to go with 2Row or use a mix of 2 Row and Pilsner or even MO? Would Golden Promise be a good choice to use as a compliment?

Here's what I have come up with:
5.75 gal to fermenter
OG: 1.055-1.060
FG: 1.010-1.012
IBU: 65
SRM: 7.5-8
ABV: 6

80% 2Row
8% Munich 10L
8% C20 or a combination of C20 & C40 (target SRM is 7.5-8)
4% Carapils
**Not set on the above. Would going 50/50 2Row & MO work better and eliminating Munich or leave Munich in?

HOPS:
1 oz Chinook added at beginning of mash
.75 oz Chinook @ 45
1 oz Chinook @ 15
1 oz Chinook @ 0

1 oz Chinook & 1 oz Amarillo DH for 5 days. Not sure if 2 oz DH will be sufficient.

yeast: Notty, US05 or S04

Thoughts/critique appreciated.
 
I vote mix of Pilsner and 2-Row, up the Munich and lose the Carapils.
Might also think of some of the toastier malts to add color instead of just the caramel you'll get from C-20, C-40. Victory, Special Roast, or even get ambitious and toast up some of your Pilsner or 2-row. I think some nutty, toasty notes go well in an APA/IPA but no need to overdo it.
 
Wow! Even Saints fans get advice on here!!! Who knew:D
 
Looks pretty good. You could just leave it as written and be fine. That said if it were me I'd lose the carapils and replace it with victory malt.
 
I don't use carapils for anything so I would agree with removing it, but I prefer to keep my recipes simple.
 
I like the idea of victory in a small amt but not sure how that would work if I leave Munich in. I don't really use carapils much anymore so will prob take it out. May also look at doing 50/50 2Row and Pilsner.
 
If you use Victory or Biscuit, I'd suggest no more than 4% as part of a total of less than 10% of non-base malt. My current IPA on tap is a very good batch and it was 14% Munich, 4.5% Victory and 4.5 % Crystal (20, 40) plus a couple ounces of Special B in a 10-gallon batch.
 
Wow. 65 IBU is really high for a APA. It should be roughly half that. Shift the hops toward the end of the boil if you want to reduce that. And yeah, more hops in your dry hop, I use 4 ounces myself and surprisingly, it’s pretty balanced. I’d dry hop with all Citra. If you keep the bitterness that high it could be out of balance.
 
Your recipe is closer to an IPA than an APA.
It'll make beer, but if your target is an APA, than you should reduce IBU's and maybe even the ABV a bit.
An APA is "typically" 2 row, a bit of crystal (~12 oz.) and maybe a small amount of something else like Vienna or Munich.
American hops and even dry hopped to 35ish IBU's.
All that being said, there is so much up to your interpretation.
I'd look at clone of an APA that you like or something like SNPA and use that as a starting point.
Good luck and let us know what you decide on and how it turns out.
Cheers!
Brian
 
If you use Victory or Biscuit, I'd suggest no more than 4% as part of a total of less than 10% of non-base malt. My current IPA on tap is a very good batch and it was 14% Munich, 4.5% Victory and 4.5 % Crystal (20, 40) plus a couple ounces of Special B in a 10-gallon batch.
Sounds like a tasty brew. I'll make some changes.
 
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Your recipe is closer to an IPA than an APA.
It'll make beer, but if your target is an APA, than you should reduce IBU's and maybe even the ABV a bit.
An APA is "typically" 2 row, a bit of crystal (~12 oz.) and maybe a small amount of something else like Vienna or Munich.
American hops and even dry hopped to 35ish IBU's.
All that being said, there is so much up to your interpretation.
I'd look at clone of an APA that you like or something like SNPA and use that as a starting point.
Good luck and let us know what you decide on and how it turns out.
Cheers!
Brian
Yeah I'm pushing IPA territory with the IBU's.
Lately, I find the target IBU, say 35-45 is really 10 or 15 less for me. I'm by no means a hop head and do not care for the WC style much. Last brew was a Russian River Row 2 Hill 56 clone. IBU's were 55 and still felt like it was 45 maybe at best. It's improving but not there yet. So I've been increasing my target IBU 15-20 to get what I want.
Most of the time I stay under OG of 1.060, many times closer to 1.050 or a bit less. I tend to brew more session ales under 5% ABV.

I'll be messing around with the recipe a bit and report back.
 
Last edited:
Changes:
40.8% 2Row
40.8% Pilsner
8.2% Munich 20L
4.1% C20
3.1% Victory
3% Acid Malt

1 oz Chinook during Mash
.35 oz Chinook @ FWH
.35 oz Cascasde @ FWH
1 oz Chinook @ 15
1 oz Chinook @ FO
1 oz Cascade @FO
2 oz each Chinook & Cascade DH
Not sure if I will keep the cascade or not.

S04 Yeast
1.056 / 1.013
5.7% ABV
62 IBU
7.4 SRM
 
Sounds like a tasty brew. I'll make some changes.
Having one now...I recommend it!!! :D :D :D

I would be careful of Acidulated malt percentage unless you have very high PH water. My Acid malt additions at around 2% or less are very adequate and it's possible to get residual lactic flavor in your beer. I'm sure you know your water and system well enough, though. :D
 
I intentionally added a little extra in a batch that was split between a wit and a hazy pale. I think it was just enough to register in the final flavor but I think it enhanced the flavor in both cases. The wit was made crisp and just ever so slightly tart and the juicy hops in the hazy pale pushed and supported. I'm not sure what it would take to register as tart in the average brew but I'm sure that Nola's 3% will be well below the threshold.
 
Having one now...I recommend it!!! :D :D :D

I would be careful of Acidulated malt percentage unless you have very high PH water. My Acid malt additions at around 2% or less are very adequate and it's possible to get residual lactic flavor in your beer. I'm sure you know your water and system well enough, though. :D
I don't always use Acid Malt, mostly use lactic acid for PH adjustment but when I do use Acid Malt I normally stay between 2-3%.
Come to think of it, I did add maybe 5-6% to a brew following Bru n Water to get my PH in line and it did come across as a bit sour. It wasn't bad but it was noticeable.
I figured with this brew I would put a little bit in to see how it comes across. In this batch, it's 6oz. I think I will be ok but may cut it back to 2% to be safe.
 
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