When you have a big bag of locally grown malt, you have to use it. Mike recently brewed up an American Pale Ale, and we’re excited to share the journey with you. This brew was one of the last ones Mike brewed following his cold weather, no chill brewing method this year. He aimed for a classic American Pale Ale profile that’s bright, hoppy, and refreshing. Let’s dive into the details of the recipe and our tasting experience.

Brewing the Simcoe & Centennial APA

Mike kept the grain bill straightforward, using Valley Malt Pale Malt and a touch of Munich to provide a solid backbone for the hops. The simplicity of the malt bill allows the hops to shine, which is exactly what we wanted. Here’s the recipe he followed:

Simcoe & Centennial American Pale Ale

Batch size: 3.5 US gallons

Grain Bill:

83% Valley Malt Pale Malt (~2°L)
17% Valley Malt Light Munich (~8°L)

Hops:
2 ounces of Simcoe hops at flameout
2 ounces of Centennial hops at flameout
1 ounce of Simcoe hops – dry hopped for 3 days at 45°F
1 ounce of Centennial hops – dry hopped for 3 days at 45°F

Yeast:
1 packet of LalBrew Nottingham English Ale Dry Yeast

 

Process:
Boil:
40-minute boil for gravity and sanitation

Mash Schedule:
40 minutes at 148°F for 
15 minutes at 168°F  (mash out)

Fermented at 20°C for two weeks.

Outcomes:

Original Gravity: 1.048
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV: 4.6%

Tasting Notes

Right off the bat, the aroma was surprisingly fruity for a beer with hops added only at flameout and during dry hopping. We picked up notes of papaya, apricot, and clementine, along with a noticeable lemon rind character. That brightness worked well with the lightly malty backbone provided by the Munich malt.

 

The bitterness was balanced and restrained, which is interesting considering the no-chill approach and the full hop addition happening at flameout. Mike was looking to see how much flavor and bitterness could pull out without a traditional bittering charge and it worked. We likened it to a reverse first wort hopping technique, where hops are steeped at high temperature without a boil, preserving aroma without blowing out flavor.

 

Simcoe and Centennial ended up being a strong pairing. The Centennial provided citrus and orange peel notes, while Simcoe brought in subtle tropical tones without the overwhelming dankness we expected. The Nottingham yeast may have also contributed to some esters and biotransformation character that enhanced the overall fruitiness.

 

This was a solid APA that hit the mark in terms of flavor, balance, and drinkability. Mike is going to keep playing with this malt and hop combination to see where else it can go.

BREW ON!