Round 3: Zero Pointe India Pale Ale: I've Arrived, Finally!

After two brews that came out good but had glaring mistakes, I was more determined than ever to make a beer that had all the elements of taste, volume, and style that I wanted. I was hopeful that the third time around would be the charm.

India Pale Ales are almost viewed as a cliche for brewers to do, especially at home. It's easy enough, just requiring a decent pale malt bill and a generous helping of hops. I wanted something a little different. But not out of style.

I wanted an amber-red IPA with a mixed grain bill and a heavy citrus hop/honey character. Most brewers dry hop their IPA's to bring more aroma to the nose before that first sip. I nixed that step. I went with a heavy hop bill but I rounded out the heavy-hitter hops with lower alpha acid hops to take out the bite. I wanted my brew to be crystal clear and I felt that Fermentis' Saf-Ale US-04 English Ale strain would give me everything I wanted. A fast, attenuative, firm floculating yeast. I could not have been more impressed. What I got out of this was an amazing amber-colored ale that, no joke, looked like it should have a 65 million year old insect in it. It didnt have a bug in it, but if it had, I would have taken a picture.

Zero Pointe India Pale Ale
Brewed: January 16, 2011
12lbs Pale Malt
1lb Crystal 15L Malt
1/2lb Honey Malt
1/2lb Amber Malt

1oz Amarillo Hops- First Wort Hop 60+ mins 9.1%AA
1oz Willamette Hops- 30 mins 5.3% AA
1oz Cascade Hops- 20 mins 6.8% AA
1.5oz East Kent Goldings Hops- 15 mins 6.0%AA
2oz Amarillo Hops- Flame-out 9.1%AA

2tsp Irish Moss Flakes- 15mins

OG: 1.055
FG: 1.006
ABV: 6.38%

Tasting Notes @ Kegging: 2/7/11
Very light on malt feel. Amarillo Hops come out strong at the front and then fade quickly. The rounding of the hop bitterness was well placed. Cascade hops peak through while others stay subdued. Beer in Pre-carb stage.

Tasting Notes @ 8 Weeks: 4/12/11
Hops fade to background as beer warms. Best served in a chilled but not frosted glass. Malt comes to the front and hops kick in later in the tasting process. Very good beer. Amarillo comes through strong, the rest take a back seat but are still noticeable. Love the honey notes coming from the honey malt. Very present all through the taste. Will brew again very soon.

Bottom line: I got well over 5 gallons of amazing beer out of this one and felt like I finally made it to the right place recipe-wise and in my brewing process. It really does take both. I've used a similar grain bill to this one in a more recent brew, but that will have to wait till a future posting. I find the grains to work very well together and they seem to give the right flavor balance for me in my IPA/APA endeavors. You can use a lot of hops or a smaller hop combination and it seems to keep everything in check, rounding off harsher bitterness sensations. This beer was what I imagined when I first started brewing. Was it luck or process or skill? Only time and repetition will tell.