

Next up in the single hop series is another Hop Steiner EXP cultivar, creatively named 7270. Slightly different recipe than the last iteration with Azacca, but same hop flavor exploration.

Appearance: hazy, bright orange hue spot on for an American pale ale.

Aroma: ripe pear, and honeydew dominate then some mango, kiwi, papaya, sweet tropical fruit, peach and slight orange citrus. Very nice. Has a distinct “sweet” smell.

Taste and Mouthfeel: taste is slightly less nuanced, but very nice. Tropical fruit, a touch of berry and very little citrus. A bit aggressive, but I think that may be from my exclusive use of hop extract for bittering all my recent batches. The extract lends a much smoother bitterness at the same IBU levels than pellet hops. Light, airy mouthfeel I’ve been getting from high carbonate+WY1318 combo is just juicy and scrumptious. Yeah, scrumptious.

Overall impression: I am very impressed with this hop. Although I feel the addition of a citrus-based hop like cascade (same with Azacca) would round out this pale ale, I have no problem drinking a few pints of this.

I think my whirlpool technique and careful attention to oxygen pickup post-fermentation has allowed these experiments to pull out the best flavors from these experimental hops. As it seems like there is no short supply of new varieties popping up, I’ll keep testing them out. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.

EXP 7270 Pale Ale

Size: 6.02 gal @ 68 °F

Efficiency: 80.0%

Attenuation: 75.0%

Original Gravity: 1.054 (1.045 – 1.060)

Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 – 1.015)

Color: 6.73 (5.0 – 14.0)

Alcohol: 5.33% (4.5% – 6.0%)

Bitterness: 35.3 (30.0 – 45.0)

Ingredients:

8.5 lb (73.9%) Standard 2-Row – added during mash

1.5 lb (13.0%) Vienna Malt – added during mash

1 lb (8.7%) Caramel Malt 20L – added during mash

.5 lb (4.3%) Oats (Pregelatinized Flakes) – added during mash

8 g (7.5%) EXP 7270 (17.8%) – added during boil, boiled 90 m

14 g (13.1%) EXP 7270 (17.8%) – added during boil, boiled 30 m

.5 tsp Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15 m

.5 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 15 m

28 g (26.2%) EXP 7270 (17.8%) – added during boil

57 g (53.3%) EXP 7270 (17.8%) – added dry to primary fermenter

2 L WYeast 1318 London Ale III™

Notes

2.6g gypsum, 3.6g epsom, .9g bk soda, 5.2g CaCl, 2.2g Chalk (modified pale ale profile for “amber balanced” w/ 350 hardness)

Mash in at 158F, dropped to 154F over 60 mins

Mash pH 5.79 @ room temp, tap water 6.19 @ room temp

Added 1.5 caps lactic acid to get pH to 5.55

pre boil=1.046

post boil=1.053

2L yeast starter 1318 (1st gen)

30 secs O2 pitched yeast

5.27 pH in fermentor

Dry hopped for two days, cold crashed for 12 hours, then kegged.

Tasting notes: 06/29/14 Sweet hop aroma, pineapple, pear, tropical fruit, honeydew, kiwi, slight pine needle in taste only

Bru’n Water Rec for “pale ale” profile (not used): 11.2g gypsum, 5.2g Epsom Salt, .8g Bk Soda, 3.2g CaCl, .8 Chalk,