Raw Ra Reed Ale

Raw Ra Reed Ale, for the lack of a more creative name, was brewed today for the Yakima Fresh Hop Festival home brew competition. I have never brewed specifically for a competition before and this one requires me to step out of my comfort zone. The main unique requirement of the festival's home brew competitoin is the use of fresh hops, and also only American Pale Ale to IPA styles are accepted. This is all about showcasing the HOP!

The hops used for aroma in the beer have to be from the 2011 season and cannot be kilned in any way, picked no more than 24 hours prior to brewing. I am using my own home grown Centennial hops. I would have liked more to dry hop with, but I will end up with just over 2 ounces, which should be enough to get some of the great Centennial citrus aromas into the ale.

My uncertainty of this beer comes from the fact that I am relying on home grown hops for aroma. I have no idea what level the alpha acids (the bittering component of a hop) are, and also not quite sure on my dry hop amounts as I have only dry hopped once before, but with only .5 ounce of Delta hops, which isn't really enough to do anything.

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Raw Ra Reed Ale American Pale Ale Type: All Grain Date: 8/27/2011 Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal Brewer: Lemy Boil Size: 6.50 gal Asst Brewer: Boil Time: 90 min Equipment: Lemy's equipment End of Boil Volume 5.72 gal Brewhouse Efficiency: 84.00 % Final Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal Est Mash Efficiency 88.0 % Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage Taste Rating(out of 50): 30.0 Taste Notes: Ingredients Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 6 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 60.0 % 1 lbs Caravienne Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 6 10.0 % 8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 7 5.0 % 2 lbs Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 5 20.0 % 8.0 oz Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 8 5.0 % 0.80 oz Magnum [12.90 %] - Boil 45.0 min Hop 9 32.9 IBUs 2.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 12 0.0 IBUs 1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 10 12.6 IBUs 2.0 pkg Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) [23.66 ml] Yeast 11 - 2.50 tsp Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 1 - 2.00 tsp Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 2.00 tsp Chalk (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 3 - Beer Profile Est Original Gravity: 1.058 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.058 SG Est Final Gravity: 1.015 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.012 SG Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.7 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.0 % Bitterness: 45.5 IBUs Calories: 193.7 kcal/12oz Est Color: 7.2 SRM Mash Profile Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs Sparge Water: 4.45 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F Sparge Temperature: 169.0 F Tun Temperature: 72.0 F Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.20 Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Mash In Add 15.00 qt of water at 166.2 F 156.0 F 60 min Sparge Step: Batch sparge with 2 steps (0.95gal, 3.50gal) of 169.0 F water Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time). Carbonation and Storage Carbonation Type: Keg Volumes of CO2: 2.3 Pressure/Weight: 12.54 PSI Carbonation Used: Keg with 12.54 PSI Keg/Bottling Temperature: 45.0 F Age for: 30.00 days Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage Storage Temperature: 65.0 F