Celebration Ale Clone Attempt

I've was very busy from November through most of December 2014, although not as busy as my lack of postings would suggest. In fact in November I did two group brews - a Brett Trois IPA and a Coffee Milk stout, neither of which I will discuss on this blog.

I finally brewed again last Saturday. It's an attempt to brew Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, which to me had a surprisingly malty (for an IPA) taste, without being strongly bitter. Still nice and hoppy with a good hop aroma. I did get some information about the recipe from SN by way of the local brew club.

Celebration Clone Attempt
 3 gallons

3.5# US 2-Row
3.5# Maris Otter
6oz Crstal 60
4oz Crystal 40

Gypsum and CaCl in water at 2:1 ratio

Mash at 154F

.45oz Centennial, 10.5%, 60min
.45oz Chinook, 13%, 60min
1oz Centennial, 10.5%, 10min
1oz Cascade, 6%, 5min
1oz Centennial, 10.5%, 1min
1oz Cascade, 6%, 1min
1oz Centennial, 10.5%, Dry, 14 days
1oz Cascade, 6%, Dry, 14 days
0.5oz Chinook, 13%, 14 days

US-05 Yeast

Expected OG/FG/IBU/ABV: 1.067 / 1.015 / 6.6%

Brewed 1/11/15

Brewing went pretty well, except that my normal scale for weighing hops didn't seem to work, so I had to use the less accurate kitchen scale.

Pre-boil gravity of 15.5B, or 1.0633, which will put the post-boil OG somewhere near 1.075 - a bit too high.

Cooled to 60F, using ice-cold (literally) water through my immersion chiller, then pitched rehydrated dry yeast, and placed the carboy in 56F ambient air.

No visible fermentation the next day at 6pm. Moved the carboy to 62F ambient air.

1/13/15 - Fermentation is actively progressing. 

1/18/15 - Fermentation mostly complete.Added whole-leaf dry hops directly into the primary fermenter. Ambient temp was ~65F.