Stove Top Centennial Pale Ale

Today was my first brew of the year, an all-centennial American Pale Ale.  My goal was to create a beer to showcase the centennial hops.  To do this I kept the grain bill simple, and kept all of the hop additions within the last 30 minutes.

My stove-top brewing setup

This was my first time doing BIAB.  I'll probably keep using it for 1-gallon batches, but for the 3-gallon batches I am going to find a different way, likely a 5-gallon cooler with a steel braid.  I was pleasantly surprised with the efficiency I had. It was better than I had gotten in the past, which I mostly think was due to the better crush on the grain.

The only down side to the brew was the non-siphoning auto siphon.  For some reason it wouldn't keep flowing, and I had use it like a hand pump.

I had forgotten how enjoyable brewing can be.  I've done group brews recently, but this was my first solo brew in over a year. I'm looking forward to brewing many test batches in the coming weeks/months, and getting feedback on the recipes from other people.

Recipe Targets -

MF DOOM is protecting my beer from the sun

OG - 1.052
FG - 1.011
IBUs - 37
ABV - 5.4
SRM - 9.4

Grain Bill -
5 pounds 2-row pale malt
1 pound Crystal 40

Hops -
0.25 oz Centennial - 30 minutes
0.25 oz Centennial - 20 minutes
0.25 oz Centennial - 15 minutes
0.25 oz Centennial - 10 minutes
0.5 oz Centennial - 5 minutes
0.5 oz Centennial - 1 minutes

Yeast - Safale US-05

This is going to be my new recipe testing method - 1-, or 3-gallon batches. I've always done full 5-gallon batches before, and the lag time on testing recipes was just too long.  Brewing 4-5 versions of a beer to perfect it resulted in a LOT of beer.  By the time the recipe would be perfected, I would be tired of the style.

Update 2/26 - I added gelatin to help this clear, and it had a great aroma from the fermenter.  I am planing to bottle this on 3/2.