Advent #18 - American Amber

[HoweFox]

Recipe was taken from Brewing Classic Styles ("West Coast Blaster"), tweaked slightly and added dry-hopping.

Recipe: BCS American Amber Ale (West Coast Blaster)
Brewer: Morgan Langille
Style: American Amber Ale
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 8.06 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.76 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 6.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.50 gal

OG: 1.072 (should have been 1.065, got 78% efficiency instead of 70%)
FG: 1.014
ABV: 7.7%
Estimated Color: 14.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 64.6 IBUs

BIAB
Starting water volume: 36.75 qt
90 min mash @154F
Boil Time: 60 minutes
Rehydrated US-05 and pitched at ~68F
Dry hopped with 2oz cascade for 1 week
Bottled with 5oz dextrose on Nov. 9th

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5550.00 g Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 79.4 %
450.00 g Caramel/Crystal Malt - 30L (30.0 SRM) Grain 2 6.4 %
450.00 g Munich 10L (Briess) (10.0 SRM) Grain 3 6.4 %
227.00 g Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.2 %
227.00 g Victory Malt (biscuit) (Briess) (28.0 SR Grain 5 3.2 %
85.00 g Pale Chocolate (200.0 SRM) Grain 6 1.2 %
1.09 oz Horizon [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 53.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [6.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 4.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [9.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 9 6.7 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [6.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [9.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 11 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 12 -
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 13 0.0 IBUs

Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 6989.00 g

[chalmers]

More hops?!? Ok, I guess.

[Woody]

I wasn't sure what to think with the little piece of hockey tape on the cap with 18 written on it. lol. I'm on my last few sips of this beer and loving it. Poured dark but definitely amber up to the light. This beer is balanced, tasty with a nice back bone to make it all work. This beer has me re thinking a style I've never been a fan of. Great job Morgan! This one went fast. I'll be brewing this in the New Year.

[HoweFox]

I wasn't sure what to think with the little piece of hockey tape on the cap with 18 written on it. lol.

Yes, after seeing all of the nice labels that people made for their beer I definitely need to dress up my packaging next time around!

Glad you liked the beer. Looking forward to hearing what others think as well.

[GuingesRock]

Kathleen is off to yoga, so I get a whole pint, which is good, because It's the kind of beer a person can easily drink a few pints of. Very nice, and good balance between malt, hops and alcohol. I drank mine at cellar temp. Nice. ...

Thanks Morgan.

IMG_20141218_172045.jpg

[LiverDance]

Nice Brew, great toasty roasty flavors and hop presence

[jtmwhyte]

I'm enjoying this one immensely

[Hub Brewer]

I just had to go to the basement to check my inventory. If I have everything I need I'm making this one myself very soon. What does that tell you? Loved it. Thanks Morgan.

[jeffsmith]

Great beer Morgan. If forgotten how much I like this recipe. Thanks for reminding me!

[gm-]

Great brew, really like this recipe, need to brew it again this winter.

[GillettBreweryCnslt]

Great execution on a classic recipe. You can't go wrong with more hops!

Have you looked at your water profile? Seems to me that this could benefit from a bit of gypsum in the mash. Just seems soft to me. Anyone else?

[HoweFox]

Have you looked at your water profile? Seems to me that this could benefit from a bit of gypsum in the mash. Just seems soft to me. Anyone else?

Funny you say that. I just bought a bunch of brewing salts that I will be using on my next brew.

[Keith]

Have you looked at your water profile? Seems to me that this could benefit from a bit of gypsum in the mash. Just seems soft to me. Anyone else?

Funny you say that. I just bought a bunch of brewing salts that I will be using on my next brew.

Tasty brew Morgan. Well done, would love for the hops to pop on this, would bring it to the next level. My water book just arrived if you need a reference.

[mumblecrunch]

Really liked this and could drink it all day. The chocolate and malt flavors really come through as it warms. Also really liked the hopping (although I'm a sucker for Centennial and Cascade).

Interestingly, I've just started into a batch of Jamil's Evil Twin that I made the week after my advent beer. Surprise, surprise, the recipes share an almost identical malt bill (the only difference I see is 110g of pale chocolate vs 85g). The Evil Twin is all 20min and later hop additions (all Centennial and Amarillo) and it's also a 90 minute boil and the color is incredibly different. It's very interesting how different two beers with similar malt bills can be.

[jmacdonald]

Still catching up!

Great brew. I am a sucker for cascade and as others stated, could drink this all day!

[pet lion]

I didn't get around to writing about this beer the other night as I was catching up with an old friend. Excellent brew though. Surprised by the alcohol level as it was a really easy drinking beer. More please!

[GAM]

I have been trying to get to the backlog of Advent beer. I realy liked this. I am trying to not look at the posts till I try the beer.

I scored this as a 44 (not a real judge) and agree I could order many of these. I wrote lovely C hop notes and my only concern is it's over carbed imo.

Sandy

[CorneliusAlphonse]

just tried this one, quite tasty

[chicanuck]

Roasty and hoppy, tasty beer while wrapping the last minute gifts