Batch # 28 "Out of this Galaxy"

All I have to say is that THB doesn't have any IPA reserves and warm months lay ahead here in WA.  I love an IPA.... something about that spicy, piney, citrusy and sometimes tropical bitterness. This is what I crave for in a bier.  Especially after a long day in the yard/garage/garden or hard day at the j-o-b.  So, what I'm saying is that I need to brew an IPA.

 If you recall Marie and I traveled to Yakima last May...while she attended a conference I played golf and then we both went to Hopunion LLC.  We got a personal tour of the facility and got to take home lots of samples.  They were really too generous...I think they game me about 24oz of varieties from their latest harvest.  I told them about my IPA obsesion so they gave 8oz of Australian Galaxy that they import from one of their partner companies.  This is what they describe it as;

Pedigree: Cross between a female tetraploid and a male derived from Perle
Brewing Usage:  Dual purpose
Aroma:  Clean citrus and passion fruit
Alpha Acids:  13.5-14.8%
Beta Acids:  5.8-6.0%
General Trade Perception:  Often used as a late addition for intense citrus and tropical flavors
Typical Beer Styles:  Pale Ale, IPA, IIPA

I did a little research on some recipes using Galaxy...some used with other hop varieties and some were Galaxy only.  I personally have never tried the hop so I thought I would make a single hopped beer....I was just going to go a little heavy so I could really get a taste of what these Southern Hemisphere hops were all about.  Since the hops were going to punch your face, I wanted a very simple and clean malt bill.  Here is what I came up with;

Galaxy IPA (all grain) 5.5gallons
American Two-Row  12#
American Crystal 40L  1#
American Carapils  1#

Galaxy  1.5oz  60 min
Galaxy  .5oz    30 min
Galaxy  .5oz     5 min
Galaxy  .5oz     0 min
Galaxy  1oz    Dry Hop

1800ml starter Wyeast 1056

I had an infusion mash at 154F for 60 min.

OG: 1.064
Brewhouse effiency was around 75% (pretty typical for the THB setup)

To say the least...the brewday went without a hitch.  Stay tuned for the final product.