Full Nelson (CK)

The Headquarters club was giving away hops at Clandestine, so this seemed like a good way of using them. Unlike the previous beer, I didn't add dextrose (because I forgot to buy it at MoreBeer and couldn't find it elsewhere), so the OG should be lower than (AO).

Brewed 5.0 gallons on 2024-05-19

Preboil gravity: 1.057

Original gravity: 1.063

Final gravity: 1.013

ABV: 6.6%

Apparent Attenuation: 79.4%

Link about this beverage Tilt

Inspired by Citra++ (AO)

Process notes

2024-06-06

Kegged. Orange color; quite opaque. Bitter tropical fruit aroma, some orange notes, some sharpness from green hop character. Medium body, sharp bitterness and hop burn; which isn't surprising, but hopefully it mellows. Bitter orange peel. Overall, not terrible given the hops are apparently five years old, but there isn't any stand-out character, either. Hopefully the hop character is more nuanced when it's chilled and carbonated.

Boil for 90 minutes

At 30 minutes

2 ounces of 10.1% Alpha Acid Nelson Sauvin pellets (BSG 20N2NEL44; these hops were from Half Moon Bay Brewing and given away at Clandestine through the Headquarters Homebrew Club. Repackaged 4/20/2024.)

At 15 minutes

At 0 minutes

While cooling

Mash

[90.32%] 14 pounds of 2-Row (RahrMaltingCo)

[4.84%] 12 ounces of Carapils (Briess)

[4.84%] 12 ounces of Caramel 100 (40L) (VikingMalt)

Single infusion mash. Mashed with 4.8 gallons (1.24 quarts per pound) of reverse osmosis water for 41 minutes. 15lb 8oz of grain was used in the mash.

Strike water temp: (0.2/1.24) * (153 - 68) + 153 = 166.7

0.70g calcium chloride, 4.30g gypsum, and 1.40g epsom salt added to water

After 0 mins

mash is 155°

After 30 mins

mash is 154°

After 60 mins

mash is 153°

Sparge

Sparged for 60 minutes with 4.5 gallons of 170° reverse osmosis water.

0.70g calcium chloride, 4.10g gypsum, and 1.40g epsom salt added to water

After 0 mins

pH is 5.50; specific gravity is 1.087

After 21 mins

pH is 5.47; specific gravity is 1.066

After 41 mins

pH is 5.64; specific gravity is 1.016

Yeast

2024-05-19

Pitch starter (started on 2024-05-17 with 1500mL water, StirPlate, 150 grams DME, 0.25 tsp FermaidK) made from 1 pack of OYL-011 British Ale V (OmegaYeast) at 68°. (Decanted about half of the starter before pitching)

Dry additions

2024-06-03

4 ounces of 10.1% Alpha Acid Nelson Sauvin pellets. (BSG 20N2NEL44; these hops were from Half Moon Bay Brewing and given away at Clandestine through the Headquarters Homebrew Club. Repackaged 4/20/2024.)

Tasting notes (5.50/10; 4 ratings)

2024-06-09

[6/10] Brought to the Sudzers today. This is the first time really tasting this beer; overall, it's not bad, but there's no real complex or interesting hop character that stands out. Kind of like orange juice. Maybe a bit oxidized? No harsh bitterness. Should be fairly easy drinking; but nothing special.

2024-06-25

[6/10] Yellow/orange; a bit too dark to look good for a hazy IPA. I wonder how much the crystal malt contributes to the color? Next time, I'd probably omit it. Kind of an orange/pineapple juice aroma and flavor. This isn't terrible, but it's hard to judge given the hops are four years old. Drinkable, but no bright, interesting hop character is present.

2024-08-20

[5/10] Definitely darkening over time and becoming less visually pleasing. Sweet pine and a bit of grassy orange blossom in the aroma. Decent bitterness, certainly no bright flavors. Not surprisingly, this tastes like an old IPA that's been on the shelf for a while. I wonder how much this is due to the old hops vs. the brewing process.

2024-09-06

[5/10] Final pour. Tasting notes are pretty similar to before. Decent head retention and lacing. Bitter orange peel, kind of an astringent mouthfeel.

Beer competition results

Placed 1st and scored 38 in 2024 Santa Clara County Fair.