APA malt bill advice

Brewing Processes
1

I’m trying to write recipe for an APA as follows:  OG ~ 1.050, IBU~45-50,  using equanot and mandarina bavaria mostly late/whirlpool.  Since those two hops are tropical, I want the malt bill not too sweet or complex.  I want it hop forward so the malt doesn’t detract from the hop taste.  I was thinking like something as follows for the malt…

95% 2 row
2.5%  Carmel 40
2.5%  Cara-pils

Can anyone give an opinion on an APA Malt bill that they’ve done or had that they recommend for something like this?
Thanks.

2

Ask yourself why the carapils is on there.

3

You’re funny.  ;D

Carapils is pretty worthless IMO.  It doesn’t do what people think it does.  It’s essentially equivalent to base malt.

Maybe add 2.5% biscuit or Victory malt instead.  That would be tasty.

You could even bump up the Crystal to 8% or something like that, and it wouldn’t be overly sweet.

It will be delicious no matter what you do to it.

4

I don’t think it’s worthless.  I think you have to have a reason for any ingredient you use and there may not be a reason for it here.

5

I know there is a big carapils debate, but I’ve made my blonde with and without it and like it better with.
Thanks for the advice, prob add some victory.

6

I wonder what reason would be for its use?  Based on a lot of discussion and perhaps data points (I don’t recall), there is a position that it is actually foam negative, which is different than a base malt, I would think…I don’t want to imply that this is based on rigorous testing, but it is out there. (I have a few pounds of Carafoam laying around that have gone unused for a while based on the negative foam concerns).  I would be interested in the experience of others and the benefits, if any, that have been noticed.

7

I don’t think it’s any more foam positive than any other malt. I use it for subtle color and flavor.

8

I do find it detrimental to foam and mouthfeel, but I do also find it gives a subtle, hard to describe (nutty?) flavor that can be distinguished from base malts.  I’m just not a big fan.

9

My favorite is around 93% 2-row and 7% C-60.  To me, it tastes pretty close to SNPA, which is my favorite commercial APA.

I’ve played around with lighter crystal malt, wheat, no crystal malt (just base and lightly toasted), and the above is what I keep coming back to.

That’s just my personal preference though.

10

Maybe my usage is below that threshold, or maybe I can’t tell the difference, but I don’t find small amounts detrimental.

11

True, effects of everything depend on the amount.  I would keep it to a couple percent or so. But a flavor as subtle as carapils, in even larger amounts, probably wouldn’t be distinguishable in the OP’s APA (which may have been what you were getting at?)

12

Yeah, in my own obtuse way.  I’d either get it up to 5% or lose it, myself.

13

Or maybe try 50%.

http://scottjanish.com/dextrins-and-mouthfeel/

14

Crap, I didn’t mean for this to turn into a carapils debate.  Just wanted to see what people like for an APA malt bill.

15

Apologies.  Keep it simple.  APA is a simple beer.  I like American pale malt and a bit o’ crystal, hops of your choice… and that’s what you’ve got.  So brew it, and enjoy it.

16

That’s on me.  Sorry.  Listen to Dave and Denny.  If you like a beer that is hop forward, Brew with the hops suggested.  You will make a drinkable beer that meets or possibly exceeeds you expectations.  I should not have derailed this thread- my bad.  We all gave up more or less on the light crystals a while back, but that is another debate entirely.  Cheers dude, make that beer and enjoy!

17

I agree. I eschewed 60 for the longest time, but I am now finding that its what I’ve been missing all along.

18

If I recall correctly, it’s basically the recipe that Beerfan posted on the NB forum many years ago in the SNPA Cloning Made Simple thread.  Ironically, it eventually grew into a massive 20 page beast.

19

I usually use 40 but I’m going to try 60. Thanks

20

I use 95% base malt and 5% of either munich or victory.