Mercury Rising Pale Ale

Just increase the boil hops and another pound or so of grain and it becomes an IPA. My OG was 1.048. I call it mercury rising because the first time I did this recipe (my first all grain), I broke a glass thermometer in the boil pot (don't ask why I was measuring 212 degree water...)

Brewer:	Andy W		Email:	andrew.winch@virginiadot.org
Beer:	Mercury Rising Pale Ale		Style:	American Pale Ale
Type:	All grain		Size:	5 gallons
Color:	16 HCU (~10 SRM)		Bitterness:	39 IBU
OG:	1.048		FG:	1.011
Alcohol:	4.8% v/v (3.7% w/w)
Water:	city tap water
Grain:	7 lb. British pale 1 lb. British crystal 50-60L
Mash:	65% efficiency
	Strike water: 2 gal. @ 175, mashed for 1.5 hours, temp. stayed at 155 (I used an old 5 gal. bucket wrapped in sleeping bags!)
Boil:	75 minutes	SG 1.038	6.25 gallons
	1 lb. Brown sugar
	added Moss the last 15 minutes (rehydrate before throwing in boil) I estimated my IBU = 34
Hops:	1 oz. Cascade (6.2% AA, 75 min.) 1 oz. Cascade (6.9% AA, 15 min.) 1 oz. Cascade (aroma)
Yeast:	Wyeast 1098 British Ale SmackPack -smacked it 12 hours before pitching (Was "born" thre weeks before pitching - make sure they are fresh)
Log:	Brewed 10/14/02 - I didn't measure the gravity of the runoff b/c my tank had run empty, so I had to stop for an hour and get it refilled. I sparged with 4 gallons @ 175. Boil volume was 6.25 gallons, added brown sugar and 1 qt. water last 50 minutes of boil. Used old panty hose for hop bags. I use a counter-flow chiller attached to my keg to cool to 75, and I measure my wort as it enters my carboy. My OG was 1.048, 5 gal. total into carboy. Pellets just settle to bottom of keg. Ferment at 62-71 degrees F.
Carbonation:	10/26 - FG = 1.011, bottled using 1.5 cups + 1 TBLS light DME and 1 quart water, boiled for 30 min., cooled to 70 F. Got 58 12 oz. bottles. Not much yeast on bottom of carboy (cultured for next batch). Still tastes bitter, little bit spicy hop taste, medium hop nose. Very smoooth...stayed tuned for tasting on All Saints Day!
Tasting:	10/14 - wort is very bitter, just a hint of hop taste, can barely perceive hop nose. color is a medium gold. crystal clear. 11/05 - tried a 12 oz.: no ring on bottleneck, very little yeast sediment on bottom. Nice foamy head, dark gold to light amber (close to a Bass), adequate carbonation. Slight hop nose. VERY bitter, can taste some of the hop spiciness. Smooth as a baby's bottom, good mouthfeel. The hop bitterness overwhelms all the other sensations. Even though it is still within category, I would knock down the bittering hops to 0.75 oz.(this brings the IBUs to 32, still pretty hoppy), and add the extra 0.25 oz to the steep for a little more aroma. I would also bump up the carbonation DME to 1.66 cups (Calculated based on two cases, not 2.5, so that explains the less than expected bubble count.)

Recipe posted 10/15/02.