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
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