GP Pale Ale brewed with Star B cascade hop plugs

We are finally brewing again! The fermenter cold box is in place and working good so far! Last night we brewed our usual Pale Ale but with a little different twist! We used 10% more grains and I upped the hops. The special thing about this Beer is we used the Cascade Hop plugs we hand picked at the Star B Ranch in Ramona, CA! You can read about that adventure in a previous post. Pictured is the wort during the cool down phase. The last on the hop schedule was at zero minutes at the end of the boil (Cascade)! There were allot of hop plugs floating around aromatically enriching the nose of this Pale Ale. After the wort was transferred into the fermenter, the OG was at: 1.056 which is inline with what we had expected. We were going for a hoppy but not quiet IPAish bitterness. After updating the Alpha/Beta numbers into the equation, I realized how hoppy this might be (Thumbs up). The bitterness is at 55.6IBUs compared to the normal 36IBUs this recipe is! Can't wait to try it. Last time we brewed this beer the FG was 1.008 so if this happens again we are looking at a 6.3% ABV which is a little high for this style but works for me! After all, who doesn't like a hoppy buzz? As I mentioned in a previous post, we are going to post the ingredients of our beers moving forward. The only one I do not care to share yet is the Bacon Beer which is under development. There is too much unknown there. The good news is that we are rebuilding the recipe and plan to brew another test batch as a "Smoked Maple Bacon Brown" Ale soon (little bit more drinkable than a Porter), stay tuned. Here is the recipe for our Star B Pale Ale which is a 5 gallon batch net.

This was our first time brewing with whole Hop Plugs AND using our home made Fermenter Temperature Control Unit (FTCU). So far it was a great experience! I will add tasting notes to this post once we sample the beer in about 6 weeks or so. In the mean time, don't forget to check back for future posts and remember to RELAX  and HAVE A HOME BREW! 

First batch in our new FTCU!

Tasting Notes: 10/4/2011 We tapped this Beer. It's just over a month old. Color is great! Clarity is almost there but a little cloudy. The Nose is awesome! Very distinct hop aromas! I could smell that Cascade. It is one of our best Pales yet, looking an IPA style right in the eye but not quiet an IPA. The aromatic qualities and the nice full bodied Pale flavors finish off with a sweet citrus yet a bitter undertone from the Northern Brewer hops. Very good balance between the two leaving a smooth and happy ending ;-) 

Quick note: Tapped yesterday, tasted great... Today it fell crystal clear and is just simply Awesome!