Epic Divorce Pale Ale

This is it, the Epic Divorce Pale Ale. I plan on kegging the batch and cracking it open when the divorce is final. Unlike many of my friends, I do not plan to have a party when it is over... I plan to have a wake. The beer didn't turn out as big as I wanted, but I think it will do the job. What job is that? Waking up a bit fuzzy!
17 and a 1/2 years. Jeez.

Brewer:	Rathole		Email:	am1nightcreature@yahoo.com
URL:	http://hometown.aol.com/rathole2331/index.html
Beer:	Epic Divorce Pale Ale		Style:	India Pale Ale
Type:	Extract w/grain		Size:	5.5 gallons
Color:	23 HCU (~13 SRM)		Bitterness:	75 IBU
OG:	1.075		FG:	1.016
Alcohol:	7.7% v/v (6.0% w/w)
Water:	Reverse osmosis filtered water with two teaspoons gypsum at start of boil.
Grain:	1.5 lb. American crystal 40L .5 lb. Dextrine malt (Cara-Pils)
Steep:	Steep grains in a grain bag at 155° for 30 minutes. Sparge with 170° water.
Boil:	60 minutes	SG 1.083	5 gallons
	11 lb. Light malt extract
	1 1/2 teaspoons irish moss last 15 minutes or so. At end of boil, add one ounce cascade, steep for ten minutes, cool wort.
Hops:	1 oz. Chinook (13% AA, 60 min.) .5 oz. Cascade (6.6% AA, 20 min.) .75 oz. Centennial (9.9% AA, 20 min.) .5 oz. Chinook (13% AA, 20 min.) .5 oz. Cascade (6.6% AA, 10 min.) .75 oz. Centennial (9.9% AA, 10 min.) .5 oz. Chinook (13% AA, 10 min.) .5 oz. Cascade (6.6% AA, 5 min.) .75 oz. Centennial (9.9% AA, 5 min.) .5 oz. Chinook (13% AA, 5 min.) 1.5 oz. Cascade (aroma) .5 oz. Centennial (aroma) .5 oz. Chinook (aroma)
Yeast:	I used two packets of "Nottingham" dry yeast, rehydrated per instructions
Log:	3/26/04: Brewed it tonight. Actual OG is 1.070 Had some problems because I used leaf chinook, and didn't use a hop bag. (No excuse... I had like five of them, duh) Lost about a gallon of wort, fermenting 4.5 gallons. 4/2/04: Racked to secondary, dry hopped with 1/2 oz each of cascde and centennial. SG 1.032 This has been fermenting very cool, staying about 60 degrees. Has a good clean bready aroma intially, then a kind of citric/piney aroma, all very complex and pleasant. Has a clean balanced bitterness which does not suggest 75 IBU, although it still has some fermenting to do (I hope!) Time to settle down for a good long time in the secondary. 4/9: SG 1.030 still cloudy. Let the future ex-wife take a whiff, the hop aroma singed her nose hairs. She was not adventurous enough to try a taste. Not particulary bitter, very pungeant grapefruit/pine character. 4/28: SG still hanging around 1.030-ish... made a pint starter of champagne yeast and pitched it today 5/3: The champagne yeast did the trick! SG 1.016 corrected. HUGE hop aroma, I can smell it strongly through a nose so plugged I can't even smell a fart. Good bitter malty taste... almost perfect. May have to rack to tertiary it's so cloudy, but we'll see.

Recipe posted 03/27/04.