Just goes to show.
I've called it Steel Gold IPA, because it's golden coloured, brewed in Sheffield, and very strong.
35g Challenger Hops (90 min boil)
35g Challenger Hops (60 min boil)
30g Citra Hops (10 min boil)
1tsp Irish Moss (10 min boil)
20 Citra Hops (30 min steep after boil)
45g Citra Hops (dry hops after 5 days in FV)
Mash in 20 litres at 66C
Sparge with 13 litres at 80C
Boil volume 27.85 litre
Post boil volume 24.1 litre
1 packet Nottingham dry yeast pitched
OG: 1.061
FG: 1.011
Abv: 6.5% approx
This was supposed to be a clone of Hop Back brewery's splendid Summer Lightning. I intended to dilute the final wort back to a gravity of about 1.050, but when I took a pre-boil gravity reading it came out as 1.032! I was expected upwards of 1.060. I think this was because I took the sample from the very top of a hot (90C+) kettle without stirring it up first. If you can provide any insight, please leave me a message below, in the comments.
So, with that disappointing gravity reading, all thoughts of a Summer Lightening clone went out of the window. Thinking on my feet I thought, "Well, I've got a low gravity wort, I'm going to whack a load of late Citra into it, dry hop it as well, and make an aromarific hop monster."
Which I continued to do.
The gravity reading I took after cooling the wort, just before pitching the yeast, amazed me - 1.061! What have I done wrong!? Since then I've not bothered taking a gravity reading until after cooling the wort - and the results have been more like what I expected.
So at that point I knew I was going to end up with a very potent batch of beer. And so it is.
It is pale golden, with a creamy head - although the head is not retained for very long - and the aroma is strong with citrus notes of grapefruit in the hops. The finish is dry and quite bitter.
In short, this is an unexpectedly delicious - and strong - beer.
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