18B American Pale Ale
Ekuanot APA
ABV7.2% OG1.065 FG1.012 IBU72Against the style · 18B American Pale Ale
- ABV 7.2%, style 4.5% to 6.2%
- OG 1.065, style 1.045 to 1.060
- FG 1.012, style 1.010 to 1.015
- EBC est. 10, style 10 to 20
- IBU 72, style 30 to 50
- BU/GU 1.11, style 0.57 to 0.95
Grain bill
| Gladfield American Ale Malt | 5.7 kg | 90.5% |
| Gladfield Toffee Malt | 0.4 kg | 6.3% |
| Gladfield Sour Grapes Malt | 0.2 kg | 3.2% |
Adjuncts
| Whirlfloc | 1 g @ 10 min |
| Yeast Nutrient | 2 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min | 10 min | 5 min | 0 min | WP 80°C | DH#1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ekuanot 300 g | 15g | 30g | 40g | 30g | 20g | 165g |
Yeast
| LalBrew BRY-97 | 1 packet |
Tasting notes
Fermentation profile
Gravity
Temperature
About This Beer
A single-hop showcase on Ekuanot, an American variety not used here before. One hop, every addition, to get a clear read on what it does.
The result was a lesson in alpha acid intensity. Ekuanot is a high-alpha variety at 14 to 16%, and using it across every boil addition at the rates that suit lower-alpha hops produced a beer that was far too bitter.
A clean hop-forward base: American Ale, a trace of Toffee for caramel warmth and colour, and a small Sour Grapes addition to assist mash acidification alongside the water treatment.
All 300 g of Ekuanot split across the schedule, 135 g through boil and whirlpool including a hold at 80°C, plus a 165 g dry hop at day 6.
Brew day
Volumes kept deliberately conservative after a run of batches with too much wort in the fermenter. Good oxygenation on transfer.
Fermentation
A single packet of BRY-97 at 19°C, active within 24 hours and down 13 points by day 2. Krausen rose close to the top at days 4 to 5, managed with the spunding valve at around 10 psi.
Dry hop at day 6 on the gravity trigger with a rise to 20°C, then 21°C on day 7 for the rest with the valve closed to capture carbonation at around 29 to 30 psi. Cooled steadily back to 19°C over days 13 to 15, trub purged from the collection jar, then transferred on day 16 to an All Rounder acting as a keg at 15 psi. Fully carbonated on arrival.
The result
The tasting note is blunt: the bitterness was far too strong. The high alpha acid content combined with the rate used across every addition produced an intensity closer to raw pellets than a balanced APA.
Everything else showed potential. The tropical and citrus character of the variety was there and the base was clean.
Ekuanot needs to be treated differently to lower-alpha varieties, particularly on bittering additions.
Owen brewed this recipe twelve days later.