Amarillo IPA Brew Day

Today is another brew day and I am going to be making an India Pale Ale or IPA. An IPA is a version of a pale ale or a beer that is brewed with light or pale malts. IPAs add a significant amount of hops to the pale malt to create a beer that is bitter and has significant flavor and aroma from the hops utilized. The history of the IPA style can be traced back to the British colonization of India and the East India Company. The brewers added extra hops to the wooden casks (a process called dry hopping) in order to preserve the beer during the long voyage.

This IPA recipe features usage of Amarillo and Simcoe hops. Amarillo imparts a citrus aroma and flavor similar to a grapefruit/mango/peach. Simcoe gives more of a floral and pine-like aroma and flavor. The recipe uses 5 ounces of Amarillo hops and 1 ounce of Simcoe.

Here is the recipe:

6.0 lbs of Light Liquid Malt Extract

2.0 lbs of Light Dry Malt Extract

1.0 lbs of 20L Caramel Malt

0.5 lbs of Cara-Pils Malt

Hops

1.o oz of Amarillo at 60 min

1.o oz of Amarillo at 30 min

1.o oz of Amarillo at 15 min

1.o oz of Amarillo at 2 min

1.o oz of Amarillo (dry hopped into secondary)

1.0 oz of Simcoe (dry hopped into secondary)

Yeast

White Labs California Ale Yeast - WLP001

Cider Beer Brew Day

After the Vikings game yesterday (go Vikes 6-0!) I brewed a batch of cider beer. This is my first attempt at a cider beer so I am really looking forward to how it turns out. I enjoy cider beers in the fall, especially now that apples are in season and the cider is fresh. Most ciders that I have had are sweet, light bodied, and finish somewhat dry. I want to make a cider that was more like drinking a beer in that it was light-medium bodied with a sweeter finish. In essence, I want to try making a cider that tastes like caramel apple pie. Here is the recipe that I tried:

4 gallons of fresh pressed cider

1 gallon of water

1 lb Light Malt Extract

1 lb Amber Malt Extract

8 oz Caramel 60 Malt

4 oz Flaked Oats

1 oz Torrified Wheat

8 oz Fuggle Hops

Wyeast Apple Cider Yeast

I also plan on adding some cinnamon sticks during the secondary fermentation process. I was thinking I would add between 2-5 sticks, but I don't want it to be overpowered with cinnamon. either. Original Gravity was 1.060, so depending on how well it ferments it will finish around 5.5%-6.5% alcohol by volume. Most cider recipes call for extended fermentation over several months, but I intend on letting it ferment for less than one month. I also don't want to wait several months to give this a try!