Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 2012 Experiment

I bought a hopback from Morebeer a while back.  I used it once and it seemed like I got some decent aroma from using it, but I only used about 2 ounces.  I haven't made a SNPA clone for a while and with spring and warmer weather right around the corner I thought this would be a great time to make a nice hoppy pale ale.  I actually brewed this back on 3/4/2012.

8.0 # Briess 2-row

1.0 # Crystal 40L

9 oz Cara-Pils

1 oz Pearle 90 min

1 oz Cascade 15 min

1 oz Cascade 5 min

1 oz Cascade Dry Hop after primary fermentation subsides

About 4 oz Cascade and 2 oz Chinook in hopback, both homegrown in the hopback.

1 Whirfloc

5.2. pH Stabilizer

Mashed at 151F for 60 min.  90 minute boil.  Collected 6.5 gallons.  Pre-boil = 11.2P, post-boil = 14.1P.  I had to add 64oz of RO water with 35 min left in the boil due to high evaporation rate.  Fermented at 62F for two days then upped the temp to 63F.  Added dry hops after 6 days.  This stuff smells awesome!  I kegged it on 3/24/2012 and it's conditioning.

Updated 4/25/2012 - I really like this beer.  After a winter of high gravity beers this one seems very light and refreshing.  Hop aroma and flavor are great.  I haven't done a side by side tasting so I don't know how close it is to SNPA, but it turned out great.  Hop aroma is kind of perfume-like...very floral in nature.  Bitterness seems very well balanced with the malt.  I think I might up the late hop additions next time to try to add even more aroma.