So, what’s with the ‘Somewhere In-Between’ name? Well, this one didn’t really turn out as planned. I intended for this batch to be an amber ale, but it ended up being more pale. Not quite an amber, but not quite a pale ale, so “somewhere in-between.” Nevertheless, it’s still pretty tasty!

Now that we got that out of the way, here’s the recipe…

Somewhere In-Between Ale

Brew date: 6/22/14
Bottle date: Unknown
Boil Time: 75 min
Batch Size: 5 gal
Target OG: 1.060
Estimated Conversion Efficiency: 65%
Actual OG: 1.060 (with the help of some pilsner DME)
Actual FG: 1.013
Actual Conversion Efficiency: 46.2% (WTF!?)
ABV: 6.24%

Fermentables (% of GUs contributed):

92% American 2-Row (11.795 lb)
2.5% Crystal 20 (1.977 lb)
2.5% Crystal 40 (1.977 lb)
1.5% Honey Malt (0.187 lb)
1.5% Meloidin Malt (0.187 lb)

+ Enough pilsner DME to bring OG to 1.060, since I had an efficiency issue. We’ll get to that in just a bit…

Hops:

0.75 oz. – Galena pellets, AA: 13.9% (60 min)
0.5 oz. – Glacier pellets, AA: 5% (10 min)
0.5 oz. – Glacier pellets, AA: 5% (5 min)

1 oz. – Glacier pellets, AA: 5% (dry hop, 3 days before bottling)

Finings:

Pinch of Irish Moss

Yeast:

Wyeast #1332 Northwest Ale

Directions

Mash at 154F for 60 minutes. Mash out, lauter, and batch sparge to collect about 6 gallons of wort. Boil for 75 minutes. Cool and pitch yeast and ferment at optimum temperature (68F) for two to four weeks. Decrease temperature to 42F to cold crash for one additional week, dry hop 3 days before bottling. Bottle or keg condition, and enjoy while fresh.

Taste Notes

Though this beer is tasty, I’d consider this beer to be my biggest screw-up for a few reasons: (1) over carbonation lead to gushers, which did not make this fun to share with co-workers, (2) dry hoping with pellet hops 3 days before bottling added hop particulate in the bottles which did not look appealing, (3) it was not as dark and rich as I wanted it to be, and (4) I REALLY missed my efficiency due to dead-space in my mash tun, which I now have figured out. Nevertheless, I had some tasty homebrew, so I’m going to R.D.W.H.A.H.B. and write my taste notes without scoring this one. We’re all allowed a Mulligan, right?

Aroma – Slightly fruity yeast character, with some citrus aroma from the glacier hops.

Appearance – Beautiful golden orange color with a thick, foamy white head. My main picture is a bit deceiving in regards to this, but check out the photo gallery. Hop particulate in suspension when poured into glass, which is not that appealing.

Flavor – Sweet and bready. Light citrus and floral notes. Slight fruitiness from the yeast esters.

Mouthfeel – Creamy and full. Extra carbonation adds to fullness.

Overall Impression – Overall good, but does not stand out as a favorite