Space Camp IPA - Homebrew Recipe and Results
Summer is coming to a close, and our time at Space Camp is coming to an end. And what an adventure it’s been. We learned about the Galaxy hops that bring peach aroma and passion fruit flavor. We watched Comet streak across the sky with some wild American flavors. And we tested the temperature of the sun with the intense bittering of the Apollo hop. Now, it’s time to bring together all these things we learned for our Space Camp IPA.
To keep things uniform we kept the malt bill the same as we did for the single-hop APAs. Some like a complex malt bill, but in an article on byo.com, Vinnie Cilurzo, the genius behind Russian River Brewing Company, suggested something simpler. And here it is.
Malt:
2-Row - 95% (38 oz. for our 1-gal. batch)
Caramel 40L - 5% (1 oz. for our 1-gal batch)
Carapils - 5% (1 oz. for our 1-gal batch)
Bingo! Simple and straightforward, our final weight was 40 oz (2.5lbs) of malt for a 1-gallon recipe. We mashed this malt in 3 quarts water at 150℉ for one hour, then sparged with 1 gallon of 170℉ water.
Since we had a more in depth experience with the Galaxy, Comet, and Apollo hops individually we were able to utilize the hops where we thought they would best suit the final beer. We did a 60 minute boil and we added 0.90 oz. of hops (0.3 oz. Apollo, 0.3 oz. Comet, 0.3 oz. Galaxy) at the following intervals. We mixed the Apollo and Comet hops and saved the Galaxy for some late additions.
Boil:
60 min (Start of boil) - 0.09 oz. of Apollo, Comet mix (10% of total hop amount)
20 min - 0.25 oz. of Apollo, Comet mix (27.7% of total hop amount)
15 min - 0.25 oz. of Apollo, Comet mix (27.7% of total hop amount)
5 min - 0.15 oz. Galaxy hops (16.6% total hops)
0 min (Flame out) - 0.15 oz. Galaxy hops. (Add ½ when wort reaches 203℉, and add second ½ at 185℉)
We added the Apollo and Comet hops at the start of the boil for their bittering qualities, and then we added the rest of the mix later because I really enjoyed the flavor qualities they added to our single-hop APAs, particularly the Comet hops.
Knowing the aroma and flavor abilities of the Galaxy hops we added them near the end of the boil, and the last additions we added at different temperatures, similar to how a large brewery would add the hops during different temps in the whirlpool. This offers the opportunity to see a more diverse spread of flavors and aromas.
Once the wort cooled to 70℉ we added the 3.8 grams of Safale US-05 yeast and let it do its thing for two weeks. We then added 0.81 oz. of corn sugar for priming and let this IPA sit for another two weeks. And here are our results.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Golden and quite clear, this IPA formed just a slight head.
On the Nose--I get the peach aroma straight away from the Galaxy hops. In addition to peach I get some citrus notes as well. It is quite subdued which makes it inviting. The aroma of the Galaxy hops is the most prominent, but the others are certainly present.
On the Palate--I get an initial blast of citrus, particularly grapefruit flavor, likely from the Apollo hops. It is slightly fruity and the peach comes through with hints of tropical fruit hanging on tight. That distinct Comet ‘wild American’ flavor rings out with notes of currant and gentle citrus. This IPA leans a little to the bitter side which gives it more of a classic IPA flavor, but it is pretty well-balanced with the malt. It is medium-bodied and quite effervescent. I really enjoyed the simple malt bill. It added a nice body but provided a lot of room for the hops to shine.
Verdict:
Overall, this is quite a pleasant beer. It’s smooth to drink and has that classic IPA flavor that I love. Next time, I might reduce the bittering hops a little. The Apollo and Comet are quite powerful together, but not overbearing. It is quite balanced, and to add more aroma I would consider adding a dry-hop addition of Galaxy hops. And after trying so many beers with Galaxy and Comet hops working together I might try adding them in tandem late in the boil for a more diverse aroma. Either way, this IPA was a great example of our space expedition hops in action. Blast off, baby!
Cheers!
Mr. Brew