Review - (German) American pale ale

I am going to do a review of my first beer, the (German) American pale ale that I started a little over a month ago (pictured above).

I will review my beer as they do on the Beer Advocate website. I would like to think that I won't pull any punches with myself, but I can't guarantee that won't happen. I guess the real verdict will be when I get my friends to try it.

Here's my review.

Appearance:  Very clear (surprisingly clear for a homebrew). Rich copper color. A very nice looking beer! Off-white head with surprising retention. Good lacing, better than many American pale ales that I have had.

Aroma:  The aroma is mostly citrus. There is a hint of clove, but definitely the majority is citrus - orange and grapefruit.

Taste:  Very solid taste profile. Great balance! Hops come through strongly, but don't overwhelm. I am getting a lot of pine notes. Some citrus too, a hint of lemon and orange flavor. Not much prominent malty flavor to this beer. I am picking up what I think are some very mild caramel notes.

Mouthfeel:  Very light. It is a touch over-carbonated for my taste, but that doesn't take much away from the beer. I would prefer to have this particular beer overcarbonated than undercarbonated. The body has a good deal of substance. This beer also has a bit of a sharpness to it, a bite. It fits the style quite well.

Overall:  Extremely satisfied! I think this beer turned out great. It is very drinkable and has a nice balance of flavors. For my first homebrew, I don't think I could have asked for more.


Try brewing it yourself!
Here's the recipe again if you are interested:

Recipe Name:         (German) American Pale Ale

Recipe Volume:      5 gallons

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Malt:	Amount	Gravity Points
1. Extra pale malt extract (LME) in boil	3.3 lbs.	40
2. Extra pale malt extract (LME) at knockout	3.3 lbs.	40
3. Crystal 60 malt	0.5 lb.	3

Calculated Original Gravity            1.049
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.032
Measured Final Gravity                  1.017

ABV          4.5%

Hops:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. German Northern Brewer (9.6%)	0.5 oz.	60	20
2. Cascade (6%)	0.5 oz.	30	9
3. Cascade (6%)	1 oz.	15	12
4. German Northern Brewer (9.6%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop
5. Cascade (6%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop

Calculated IBUs          41

Procedure
- Heat 1 gallon of water to 150-160 F, add Crystal 60, and steep for 30 minutes (maintaining temperature is not vital in this stage). Remove grain bag and let drain for 30 minutes.
- Add 3 gallons of water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and stir in 3.3 lbs. pale LME
- Return to boil and add 0.5 oz. German Northern Brewer hops
- Boil 30 minutes, and then add 0.5 oz. Cascade hops
- Boil 15 minutes, and then add 1 oz. Cascade hops
- Boil 15 minutes, then add 3.3 lbs. extract, let sit 10 minutes to pasteurize
- Add 1.5 gallons chilled sterilized water
- Chill wort to 75 F in ice water bath
- Add wort to fermenter
- Pitch yeast

Fermentation start time - date:  6pm - 4/20/13
Bubble start time:  6am - 4/21/13
Bubble slow time:  6am - 4/23/13
Transferred to secondary fermenter:  7pm 4/28/13
Bottling date:  5/15/13

Bottle count:  42 (12 oz. bottles)
Priming sugar:  3.7 oz. (2/3 cup) cane sugar (boiled in 2 cups of water)
Bottle conditioning time:  2 weeks