Goals:I
got this recipe from a Reddit thread. Someone said they made an IPA
that was way too fruity for their tastes (said it tasted like fruit
punch), and I was intrigued. After asking for the recipe, this person
said that I could only brew it if I called it "Falcon Punch". The
recipe below follows that one very closely. I'm hoping for a very
fruity IPA with fairly mild but noticeable bitterness. This will also
be my first IPA using Wyeast 1318. I've read that it is a good option
for making the juicy "Northeastern style" IPA.Ingredients for 2.5 gallon batch, 70% efficiency5 Lbs 2 row.5 Lbs Caramel 40L.25 Lbs Carapils.25 Lbs Victory malt1 oz Falconers Flight (10.8% AA)1 oz Cascade (6.5% AA)1 oz Amarillo (8.5% AA)Wyeast 1318 yeast (using some slurry from Jarrylo Ale)Mash:Treat 3.5 gallons water with campdenSingle Infusion, 148F for 60 minutesMash out at 170F and squeeze the bag.Add .25 oz falconers flight and bring to a boil (FWH?)Boil:60 minute boil.25 oz falconers flight and cascade @ 30 minutes remaining.25 oz of falconers flight, cascade, and Amarillo @ 5 minutes remainingSave all remaining hops for the dry hop (assuming the hops can in 1oz bags)Cool ASAPFinishing and Fermentation:Once
cooled pitch 2 TBSP of yeast slurry that has been mixed with 1 TBSP of
wort from the boil and warm water. Aerate with immersion blender. Set
fermentation chamberLog:4/17/2016:
brew day. Brewing was uneventful. This was the largest all grain brew
I've done to date. Had a hard time keeping the mash temperature at the
target. It probably mashed closer to 145F, which is probably okay. For
the yeast I took 2 TBSP wort from the boil and added water to cool it.
Then I took 2 TBSP of yeast slurry from the jarrylo ale that I saved
and shook it several times in a jar. It started to wake up and produce
CO2 I think. Then I aerated with the immersion blender. Gravity was 1.06.
4/19/2016: harvested some yeast from the cap.
4/21/2016:
Knocked the yeast cap down a bit. Can't get an accurate read on the
gravity. It is in the range of 1.018-1.024 or so at this point. Had a
small blowout. Lid is unscrewed to help with this.
4/23/2016: gravity is about 1.012. Added dry hop of:.75 oz amarillo.5 oz cascade.25 oz falconers flightin
a moslin bag with a shot glass to weigh it down. Should have used a
heavier shot glass...bag keeps floating to the top, much to my dismay.
4/26/2016:
final gravity going into the keg was about 1.013. Purged the keg, put
it in a warm spot to encourage the yeast to finish any remaining work.
4/27/2016:
put on gas for 12 hours at about 40psi. Seems to have worked pretty
well. In retrospect it makes sense...if you force carb a 5 gallon keg
for 24 hours @ 30+ psi, then force carbing a keg with half the volume
for half the time should work...
4/29/2016: first
tasting. Carbonation is just about perfect. Serving at about 10 psi.
It's good, but I think another well in the keg will help it. Good
aroma, decent flavor. A little more bitter than I would have liked.
 |
| A pour in the garden |
5/10/2016: had it at room temperature for about a week while on vacation.
5/27/2016:
beer has dropped quite clear, though there is still a bit of haze.
Still a slightly toasty, bready flavor, but it is not as obvious
anymore. Soft mouthfeel, slight carbonic bite. Head sticks around for a
while. Hops flavor has fallen away a bit, but it is still big. The
early bitterness has softened slightly. Still has a good, fruity citrus
flavor with maybe a touch of resin and pine. Light enough to be a
freshing summer drink. I would change up the hops a bit in the future,
but I am pleased with the results.
 |
| Really has a nice color |
5/31/2016: I think
the "toasty" flavor is gone...given that the beer has dropped quite
clear, maybe it is a yeasty flavor I taste. In any case, in typical
fashion, the last few glasses taste the best. Very "juicy" at this point.
 |
| Got very clear towards the end |
6/5/2016:
keg kicked, roughly 240oz served. Once that yeasty flavor went away
this might have turned into the beer I've enjoyed the most...that I've
made anyways.
