This would have to be one of the best pale ales we’ve ever made. There’s a few things we’d adjust slightly if we were to make it again, but overall we’re very pleased with how it turned out. A slight tweak in our water profile, namely moving away from the Brewfather hoppy profile and trying a reduced level of sulfate appears to have netted us some real improvements in hop aroma and flavour.
It presents with a light straw colour - initially there was a bit of haze present but this cleared up surprisingly fast, especially considering the presence of wheat malt in the grist and has now dropped very clear.
There’s loads of hop aroma from the mosaic and Simcoe hops. Predominantly citrus with a hint of lemon and the slightest of cattiness from the Simcoe hops.
The flavour profile is much the same with loads of orange, lemon and lime citrus notes. A slight bit of cattiness on the palate as well which isn’t unpleasant at all and helps add a bit of complexity. Bitterness is restrained and works well in balancing the overall flavour profile. Pilsner malt and a bit of wheat don’t really add much in terms of flavour, which is what we expected. It turned out a little boozier than expected - it’s full strength but the alcohol is well masked by the hops.
We’re also very impressed with the mangrove jacks yeast, a brand we hadn’t used before and would certainly not hesitate to use some of their other varieties (or even this one again) in the future.
Mouthfeel is fairly light with a good amount of carbonation to add a little bit of bite to the flavour profile.
Very approachable, easy drinking and would be a real crowd pleaser. Quite similar to some “summer ales” we’ve had in the past.
Adding a third hop would really elevate this one a bit more by adding even more hop complexity and flavours into the mix, perhaps some Amarillo but as it is we’re very pleased.
Moving forward we'll definitely be using this water profile as our standard/base profile for hop forward styles.
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