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Two Bails Cream Ale


Vital Statistics:

Batch Number:39
Style:Cream Ale
Brew Date:6 March 2011
Original Gravity:1.036 (9.02 °Plato)
Final Gravity:1.004 (1.03 °Plato)
ABV:4.2%
ABW:3.3%
Calories per pint:153
Estimated IBU (Rager):22.2
Estimated IBU (Tinseth):19.3
Mash Temperature:148°
Mash Efficiency:73%
Days in Primary:27  
Days in Secondary:0 (kegged on 2 April 2011)
Ferm. Temp. Notes:63-66°
Yeast Used:1056 American Ale
Apparent Attenuation:89%
Real Attenuation:73%
Rating:3.70
Entirely Consumed:Yes (finished 7 May 2011)
Availability:35 days
Recipe:

7 lb 6-row malt
1 lb flaked maize

3 AAU (6g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 60
3 AAU (15g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 20
3 AAU (8g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5

Whirlfloc tablet @ 15

Wyeast 1056 - American Ale
General Notes:

 
Tasting Notes:

Tasting notes taken 17 April 2011, 15 days after kegging. Poured from tap into a pint glass.

Appearance: extremely pale straw color with practically no haze (although also not absolutely crystal-clear). Head poured almost 2 fingers of nice white foam but dissipated in just a couple of minutes. This is pretty much the appearance I was going for -- maybe next time I'll throw in a few ounces of Cara-Pils just to improve the head a touch. (3.5)

Smell: extremely light aroma with hints of grain and just a smidgen of hops. Early on, this beer was exhibiting some light skunkiness probably due to not sequestering from the light during fermentation, but a few minutes after pouring this is pretty much gone. Again, it's not necessarily impressive, but it is right on the money for the style. (3.5)

Taste: light, relatively dry maltiness with a hint of grain and a hint of corn. Pretty much spot-on for the style in my opinion, as it is well balanced and the hops are nicely present without drawing attention to themselves. This is probably the most well-balanced beer I've ever made. (3.5)

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a great big carbonation because that's the way I like it. It is both very enjoyable to me and pretty much what the style requires. (4)

Drinkability: I find myself digging very hard on this beer. Its light flavor and body combined with the nicely refreshing flavor make this an ultimate thirst quencher. Because of the nature of the cream ale style, this beer isn't destined to score high using this scale -- but if drinkability were it, it would be basically perfect. (5)

Overall score 3.7 (B). This beer isn't crazy flavorful or anything, but it is spot-on style (I think) and I love the drinkability. This beer will probably be gone right-quick from frequent quaffing.
Hops Table
Hop Variety Addition Time AAU AA% Quantity (g) Type IBU (Rager) IBU (Tinseth) Notes
Columbus 60 3.00 14.5 6 Pellet 13.4 10.7  
Challenger 20 3.00 5.6 15 Pellet 6.8 6.5  
Amarillo 5 3.00 10.7 8 Whole 2.0 2.1  
Competitions Entered
Competition Category Date Submitted Final Judging Date Score (High/Low) Outcome
Puget Sound Pro-Am 2011 BJCP 6A - Cream Ale 23 April 2011 30 April 2011 38/50 (40/36) 1st place (21 entries in Light Hybrid Beers category).