Tasted: Hef Pale Ale

Out of the frustration and anxiety of being without-kettle for three months, I finally couldn't take it anymore.  I HAD to brew.  Such was the inspiration for the Hef Pale Ale.

Once we finally got back to brewing, I really had the itch to get things going again.  It was a week after the Inaugural Brew (Hefewitzen 8.0) and Brewmaster Mike and I had planned to brew his Wit that Sunday.  Suddenly Saturday I discovered that I would be alone for an evening (it was the day of my lady's baby shower) and I got it in my head that I needed to brew.  I thought it through and decided I would use some of the US 2-row Pale malt I had laying around to make a simple pale ale.  Since the bulk of the grain bill would be the Pale I already had, I thought it would be a simple and inexpensive beer to make spontaneously.  I would only need a few hops and some yeast.  Well, as it turns out, I had plenty from the Hefewitzen brewed the week before.  So, I made a quick recipe in BeerSmith, exported it, and headed over to the baby shower to make a quick appearance.  There just happened to be a homebrew shop on the way to the shower.  I stopped in, grabbed the ingredients, and was all set for my evening spontaneous brew!  I wasn't going for anything fancy with this one, just something to fill the fridge.  The only "style" guideline I really gave myself was to make it hoppy and light enough to enjoy many pints worth.

Aroma:  5
Appearance:  6
Style:  7
Bitterness:  5
Maltiness:  6
Mouthfeel:  5
Head:  3
Balance:  5

These marks earned the Hef Pale Ale a 40 out of 55 and a percentage of 73%.

As the description above would suggest, this hastily put together pale ale is nothing spectacular.  It merely fills a keg.  Due to some technical problems it ended up not being incredibly alcoholic.  I think I can attribute this problem to the temperature problem I have recently solved that gave me such low efficiency and possibly low conversion rates.  The beer ends up being a bit starchy and sweet.  Yet, it still exudes the aromas and pleasantries of a proper pale ale.  Finally, the yeast stands out a bit too much.  Its full bodied and slightly bitter and leaves you... maybe wanting more.  All said and done, it fills a keg and allowed me to brew on a day I found myself craving my hobby.

Recipe: Hef Pale Ale