Tortuga Golden Ale
Brewed: 5/15/2016 Kegged: 5/29/2016
One of these was Category 12, Pale Commonwealth Beers.
So, in the Spring of 2016, I decided to tackle a British Golden Ale to satisfy this Category.
I must admit that British Golden Ale was not a style of beer with which I was familiar. Not at all.
All I could do was read the guidelines and attempt to interpret them.
Luckily, it doesn't seem that complex of a style.
"A hop-forward, average-strength to moderately-strong pale bitter. Drinkability and a refreshing quality are critical components of the style."
Really an APA ... only with more English ingredients.
So, I used a base of Maris Otter malt. Threw in some honey malt, and then loaded it up with Fuggle hops. I just went with a good-old SafAle English Ale yeast.
A simple beer highlighting Fuggle hops. Pleasant and delicious to drink. Great for a lazy Sunday afternoon in the backyard by the grill.
As for the name I chose for this beer ...
Tortuga is the name of the pirate haven in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. A home of pirates, privateers, prostitutes, thieves, and drunkards.
There isn't much evidence that many of the inhabitants drink anything but rum, but it is certainly possible that the people there also had an occasional British Golden Ale.
Perhaps.
Actually, I just sort of like the name.
For more about the Beers I'm brewing to fill out representation of the Style Guidelines, see Sheppy's Blog: BJCP Goal.
For more about this beer, see Sheppy's Blog: Tortuga.
| Tortuga Golden Ale --- Batch 1 |
| Style | British Golden Ale | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 7.76 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 75.00 | Boil Time | 90 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.046 SG | Estimated FG | 1.012 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 31.6 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 4.6 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.680 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 5.1 SRM |
|
|||||
| Measured OG: | 1.044 | Measured FG: | 1.011 | ||||
| ADF: | 75 | Measured ABV: | 4.4 |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins) | Water Agent | 1 | - |
| 8 lbs 8.0 oz | Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) | Grain | 2 | 94.4 % |
| 8.0 oz | Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) | Grain | 3 | 5.6 % |
| 0.500 oz | Crystal [3.30 %] - First Wort 90.0 min | Hop | 4 | 7.1 IBUs |
| 0.500 oz | Fuggles [5.20 %] - First Wort 90.0 min | Hop | 5 | 11.2 IBUs |
| 0.125 oz | Magnum [12.70 %] - First Wort 90.0 min | Hop | 6 | 6.8 IBUs |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) | Fining | 7 | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins) | Other | 8 | - |
| 0.500 oz | Fuggles [5.20 %] - Boil 10.0 min | Hop | 9 | 2.0 IBUs |
| 1.000 oz | Fuggles [5.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min | Hop | 10 | 3.4 IBUs |
| 0.500 oz | Crystal [3.30 %] - Boil 5.0 min | Hop | 11 | 1.1 IBUs |
| 1.0 pkg | SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) [23.66 ml] | Yeast | 12 | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash In | Add 11.25 qt of water at 163.7 F | 152.0 F | 60 min |
Batch sparge with 2 steps
(2.15gal, 3.88gal) of 168.0 F water
6g gypsum in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=72,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=149,Cl=23,HCO3=104
Mash, sparge, and boil as directed.
Pitch as close to 60 F as possible. Keep temp below 65 for 2 days, then let it warm up to room temp (but lower than 72)
Ferment about 2 weeks.
Force carbonate to 2.5 volumes. Condition to taste.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | 5/15/2016 | Strike Temp: | 168 | |||
| Mash Temps: | 156ish down to 150ish | |||||
| Pre-boil OG | 1.038 (1.038 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | 8 (7.76 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | 66 | ||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: Bubbling nicely 64 | ||||||
| Day 2: More Active 64 | ||||||
| Day 3: Strong 70 | ||||||
Brewing Notes
5/13/2016 Bought ingredients today. Brew day this weekend 🍺
5/15/2016 Brew day went well today. A little low on the OG, but nothing that really concerns me 1.044 is close enough.
5/16/2016 Kraussen before the end of the day yesterday. Bubbling in nicely this morning. 64.
5/17/2016 Even more active. 64
5/18/2016 Still going strong. 70
5/28/2016 Took sample today. 1.011. Extremely clear. Lots of giggle hops. A little fruity ester coming through. Seems a bit drier than I expected but really good. Now I just need a keg to put this in.
5/29/2016 Kegged today. Still calling this 1.011. 4.4% ABV. Didn't sample today, but I do notice that my last comment mentioned lots of "giggle" hops. This should have been "fuggle" hops. An unfortunate auto-correct by my phone.
6/4/2016 Like this beer. Fuggle hoppy. Refreshing.Clarity not there at the moment, but this is ok.
6/23/2016 Went into Keggerator today.
7/17/2016 Really a great session beer. Fuggle hop flavor. Firm, but not overpowering bitterness. Crystal clear. Fantastic. Probably not going to last much longer.
7/21/2016 Had a couple while doing late night work things. Delicious.
7/21/2016 Killed the keg. Now, I can put another beer in that spot. Hopefully the Beer Model is ok with this being out.
5/13/2016 Bought ingredients today. Brew day this weekend 🍺
5/15/2016 Brew day went well today. A little low on the OG, but nothing that really concerns me 1.044 is close enough.
5/16/2016 Kraussen before the end of the day yesterday. Bubbling in nicely this morning. 64.
5/17/2016 Even more active. 64
5/18/2016 Still going strong. 70
5/28/2016 Took sample today. 1.011. Extremely clear. Lots of giggle hops. A little fruity ester coming through. Seems a bit drier than I expected but really good. Now I just need a keg to put this in.
5/29/2016 Kegged today. Still calling this 1.011. 4.4% ABV. Didn't sample today, but I do notice that my last comment mentioned lots of "giggle" hops. This should have been "fuggle" hops. An unfortunate auto-correct by my phone.
6/4/2016 Like this beer. Fuggle hoppy. Refreshing.Clarity not there at the moment, but this is ok.
6/23/2016 Went into Keggerator today.
7/17/2016 Really a great session beer. Fuggle hop flavor. Firm, but not overpowering bitterness. Crystal clear. Fantastic. Probably not going to last much longer.
7/21/2016 Had a couple while doing late night work things. Delicious.
7/21/2016 Killed the keg. Now, I can put another beer in that spot. Hopefully the Beer Model is ok with this being out.