Simply Grapefruit: a sessionable American pale ale

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foxbat

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This one has the easy-drinking character of a British golden ale with the citrus grapefruit hoppiness of an American Pale Ale. I wanted something sessionable to enjoy outside in the remains of the summer. It worked out even better than I expected. Grain to glass in 19 days!

Code:
COLOR: 6.0 EBC
IBU: 38.3 IBUs Tinseth
OG: 1.040 SG
FG: 1.006 SG
BU:GU: 0.956  Calories: 356.9 kcal/l  Est ABV: 4.5 %   
EE%: 80.00 %  Batch: 23.00 L          Boil: 27.88 L BT: 60 Mins

29.25 L  Tesco Ashbeck             Water       
4.90 ml  Lactic Acid               Water Agent 
2.90 g   Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)  Water Agent 
2.30 g   Calcium Chloride          Water Agent 
2.30 g   Epsom Salt (MgSO4)        Water Agent   

3.16 kg  Crisp Clear Choice Extra Pale Malt  Grain         85.0 %
0.37 kg  Wheat, Torrified                    Grain         10.0 %
0.19 kg  Cara Gold                           Grain          5.0 %

8.00 g        Chinook [10.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min   Hop      10.1 IBUs
11.00 g       Amarillo [8.20 %] - Boil 15.0 min   Hop      5.6 IBUs
10.00 g       Chinook [10.10 %] - Boil 15.0 min   Hop      6.2 IBUs
9.00 g        Cascade [8.60 %] - Boil 15.0 min    Hop      4.3 IBUs
1.00 Items    Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 7.0 mins)    Fining   
16.00 g       Amarillo [8.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min    Hop      3.3 IBUs
14.00 g       Chinook [10.10 %] - Boil 5.0 min    Hop      3.5 IBUs
13.00 g       Cascade [8.60 %] - Boil 5.0 min     Hop      2.5 IBUs
23.00 g       Amarillo [8.20 %] - Boil 1.0 min    Hop      1.0 IBUs
20.00 g       Chinook [10.10 %] - Boil 1.0 min    Hop      1.1 IBUs
18.00 g       Cascade [8.60 %] - Boil 1.0 min     Hop      0.8 IBUs

1.0 pkg       Vermont Ale (Yeast Bay WLP4000)     Yeast

I mashed for 60 minutes at 65.5C, dunk sparged the bag in a separate pot, squeezed like mad and lost only about 750ml to the grain. The boil was for an hour at 1.5 to 1.6kW. Nothing to remark really, a very straightforward brewday. It got a bit busy in the last 15 minutes due to all the hop additions but nothing to write home about. I collected about 24 litres of 1.039 wort.

Impossibly hot weather for chilling all the way with an immersion chiller with 22C cold tap water so I didn't even bother trying to get below 28C. At that point it went into the brewfridge where I eventually pitched the undecanted 1 litre starter of Vermont ale yeast at 21.5C 9 hours later.

Fermentation seemed to go without a hitch as it always has with all-grain and liquid yeasts made with a starter. I didn't even bother pulling a gravity sample and just went by the end of bubbling after 12 days as 'good as done'. Into the keg it went and a sample at that point showed it had finished at an acceptable 1.007 giving an FG of 4.2%. The smell was just pure Citrus fruits. The Caskwidge floating dip tube was fitted (thanks @peebee !) and the keg purged 5 times at 15psi to rid the headspace of oxygen and the pressure set to 25psi for carbonation to 2.2 volumes in my 20C garage.

A week later I set the tap and lines up to pull a tentative sample and I couldn't believe it. The beer was already completely bright, tasting fresh, light and hoppy. Grapefruit dominates the hop flavour but I definitely get the more subtle citrus fruits as well from the Amarillo. The head is bright white and meringue-like in texture thanks to the wheat. It quickly dies down to a thin coating that laces the glass on the way down.

I can hardly believe I did grain to glass in 19 days with no keg finings. Here's a shot of a half-pint.

5lM4j2E.jpg
 
That looks superb ... :thumb:

... and from your description, it sounds very much like the Batemans Gold that I want to try and brew! :UKflag:

Please keep us posted on how the flavour keeps. At 23 litres a time, most of my brews have to last a few months before they are finished.
 
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