I was laid off from my job in June. So, naturally, I brewed a beer to commemorate it.
The
Axe is a four-hop Imperial IPA with a fresh citrus flavor and
refreshingly bitter bite. Crystal 40 malt adds sweetness to keep it in
balance, while a handful of wheat malt improves both head retention and
mouthfeel. I fermented with a dry English-style yeast to let the hop
character shine through.
Grainbill:
7.5 lb Maris Otter
0.75 lb Carapils®/Carafoam®
0.25 lb Crystal Malt 40°L
0.5 lb Wheat Malt
Hop schedule:
0.5 oz Warrior (16.0%) - added first wort, boiled 90.0 m
0.5 oz Warrior (16.0%) - added during boil, boiled 90 m
0.5 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 20 m
0.5 oz Columbus (15.0%) - added during boil, boiled 15 m
0.5 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 10 m
0.5 oz Columbus (15.0%) - added during boil, boiled 5 m
1.0 oz Summit (17.0%) - added dry to primary fermenter
Yeast:
White Labs WLP007 Dry English Ale
The
finished beer pours a deep copper color with a stark white, two-finger
head that leaves thick rings of lacing on the glass. It’s slightly
cloudy (thanks to the wheat malt) and has a bit more sediment in it than
I’d like, but is nice to look at overall. The aroma is grapefruit and
bitter orange, with some bready notes tucked in. The taste is citrus up
front balanced by a hint of sweetness, and ends with a
back-of-the-tongue hop bitterness.
I’m always looking to find perfect recipes for my favorite style—the IPA. While this isn’t quite there, I’m learning more and more about striking the perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness, character and quaff-ability, flavor and body.
And it turns out getting The Axe can be a good thing after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment