11 replies to this topic

[earthtone]

Well I am working on this one for a party a friend is having in october for hoppy brews. Due to the number of IPAs, west coast pales and DIPAs that are probably going to end up there I wanted to do something a bit different. I am drawing some inspiration for this one from the Dieu du Ciel Brasserie "Route de Epices" - though I want it to be less potent on the pepper and have much more drinkability than that one does. I will admit I probably enjoyed that peppercorn spice beer because I drank it while eating a 16 oz sirloin....mmmmmmmm.So I want to get a good malty base for this brew but keep it simple, mash around 154 df to get some dextrins to balance the almost 1:1 BU:OG ratio. The difference here would be that it will be a lighter, less toasty, less caramel infused brew that the dieu du ciel pepper beer. I also want to try out seeds of paradise as they are said to be slightly citrusy and I want to nail the citrus in this one. Anyone with experience with seeds of paradise please chime in, my LHBS sells 2 gram packets. I was thinking of using up the hops I have on hand: Zeus, Simcoe and Amarillo (I know some people get cat pee from simcoe - I get grapefruit and I like it), as they play into that citrus kick quite nicely. I also have about 15 grams of Bitter Orange Peel (dry) left from doing liquid stupid last year so I wanted to toss that in near the end of the boil to complex the citrus further - hops, seeds of paradise and orange peel hopefully contributing. Any suggestions on the malt bill would be great, I am wanting to keep it simple and due to the higher mash temp I figured I wouldn't really need crystal malts but was toying with tossing in 3-4 oz or so of crystal 80L. Hop schedule I think should work out, clocking in at 55 IBUs - with an anticipated OG of 1.060 that's enough bitterness for me to balance firmly towards the hops.Comments welcome, let me know if you see any problems in what I am thinking here getting to what I am hoping to make: a nice hoppy pale ale with a spicy twist and a great citrus hit. Something that will stand out at a hoppy beer party and still tingle tastebuds numbed by pints of DIPA.4.5 lb American Munich4 lb Pale 2-Row2 lb Wheat Malt4 oz Crystal 80LSingle Infusion Mash 154 df1 oz Zeus @ 601 oz Amarillo @ 201/2 oz Bitter Orange Peel @ 152 Grams Seeds of Paradise @ 151/2 oz Simcoe @ 51/2 oz Zeus @ 51/2 oz Amarillo @ Flameout1 oz Simcoe @ Flameout 1/2 oz Zeus @ Flameout1/2 oz Simcoe - Dry Hop1/2 oz Amarillo - Dry HopWyeast 1056 - I think it's best not to muddy things up by adding an extravagant yeast so I think 1056 to keep it clean is the best bet. Other suggestions as to something that might work here would be great though!So.....OG: 1.060FG: 1.013SRM: 9IBU: 55:P thanks for any input!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

How about rye instead of wheat and replace some of the munich with it as well? No idea if that would be good - just an idea.

[earthtone]

oooo rye I like it! I think the Rye at my LHBS comes in 1 KG bags (about 2.2 lb) so I think I will swap that into the final recipe. A little "grainier" than the wheat but also a little spiciness that will work well in this. I never even thought about that. Thanks zym!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

oooo rye I like it! I think the Rye at my LHBS comes in 1 KG bags (about 2.2 lb) so I think I will swap that into the final recipe. A little "grainier" than the wheat but also a little spiciness that will work well in this. I never even thought about that. Thanks zym!

No problem. I've only had rye in commercial beers I think so I've yet to try it myself. I do have a few pounds though

[cavman]

I was going to say rye, but seems I'm late. I wouldn't use the orange peel or the grains of paradise myself, just some rye and a belgian yeast and mashed a little lower than you saying so the spicy notes become part of the beer's final balance.

[earthtone]

hmmmm belgian eh? I have some belgian IPA in bottle right now so I was going to do something a little different. Why not use the grains?? The orange I was going to throw in to use it up so I'm not that set on it but as I said above I wanted to get something of the peppery kick that is in the dieu du ciel peppercorn ale. I've used rye before and found it quite nice but not the same kind of spiciness.

[Noontime]

I've used rye before and found it quite nice but not the same kind of spiciness.

The first thing I thought of adding when you wrote "spicy" was ginger. That's all about spicy...and goes well with orange and probably the amarillo as well (I've never used simcoe or zeus so I have no idea). If your gonna get crazy...

[cavman]

hmmmm belgian eh? I have some belgian IPA in bottle right now so I was going to do something a little different. Why not use the grains?? The orange I was going to throw in to use it up so I'm not that set on it but as I said above I wanted to get something of the peppery kick that is in the dieu du ciel peppercorn ale. I've used rye before and found it quite nice but not the same kind of spiciness.

The pink peppercorns add some heat so if you go that way go in control. My local brewpub does a 4 peppercorn saison that is off the charts when aged, but like all spices a little goes a long ways.

[jayb151]

The first thing I thought of adding when you wrote "spicy" was ginger. That's all about spicy...and goes well with orange and probably the amarillo as well (I've never used simcoe or zeus so I have no idea). If your gonna get crazy...

I think Simcoe can give a more "fruity" character, at least it does for me. I think It will blend well in the hops, but i'm not sure about the "spicyness."

[earthtone]

I've brewed with ginger a few times and the outcome isn't quite the same as popping a hunk of fresh or candied ginger in your mouth. Not quite what I am looking for here but maybe the pink peppercorns.... All the descriptionbs I could find on seeds of paradise say they are a milder pepper than peppercorns but have a citrusy edge as well. That is why I was attracted to the seeds over straight peppercorns.I agree jay, simcoe is really fruity. Like pure grapefruit juice in your glass!cavman - I'm going to follow that principle and go for less rather than more. A subtle complexity is what I am looking for so that people at this hopfest party can take a sip and say, "whoah it's like IPA and then....different." Of course I also want them to take another sip - and then another pint so I am going to do my best to balance this one.Thanks fo rthe replies!

[BarelyBrews]

"I agree jay, simcoe is really fruity. Like pure grapefruit juice in your glass!"All this simcoe talk has me wanting to commit to a mostly simcoe IPA , i have made centennial,amarillo brews with just those hops.My house favorite IPA so far has been , simcoe ,amarillo ,centennial (all equal portions).

[jayb151]

All this simcoe talk has me wanting to commit to a mostly simcoe IPA , i have made centennial,amarillo brews with just those hops.My house favorite IPA so far has been , simcoe ,amarillo ,centennial (all equal portions).

Heck yeah! I don't think you can go wrong with that Combo. I have a house rye that uses Simcoe, Amarillo and Cascade. It's more heavy on the Simcoe, but thats the way I like it!