Batch 151 Dubbel

5.5 gallons

clearing out a bunch of old grains

3.5 lbs tfs maris otter
1 lb bm pils
3.5 lbs bm vienna
2.5 lbs bm dark munich
1.25 lbs flaked wheat
12 oz mfb cara120
12 oz mfb kiln amber
2 oz briess dark choc

Mash 148 df 30 mins, 154 df 45 mins

Boil 90 mins
60 mins 13 gr german northern brewer 10.5%aa, 15 IBUs
30 mins 6 oz brown sugar
15 mins 1 tsp irish moss
15 mins 1/2 oz mt. hood 5.6%aa, 5 IBUs

OG into fermenter 1.072, 78%bhe

Pitch at 70 df with w1214 in 3/4 qt 2-step starter, leave at 70 df.  Bump to 72 df on 2/12.  Bump to 75 df on 2/13.

Bottle 3/2 with 110 gr table sugar, yield 648 oz, 2.2 vols co2.

Batch 148 APA tasting notes

Cold

Pours quite hazy deep gold, solid fine white head that stays

Aroma fruit and more fruit, apples with orange citrus, slight bready malt in background

Mouthfeel light to moderate, cleans up quick but bitter at end

Flavor fruit punch followed by sharp bitter edge, malt is sweet and not quite meeting the hops, no burn or heat, overall pleasant bitterness.

Finish is clean bitterness, slight cloy around edge.

Overall could use a little more specialty malt, hops are pleasant and still offer a sharp bite, could use a little more abv to balance hops.  Should try blending with chinooks:  just centennial and chinook.  And more amber.  Bump abv 0.5%.