#56 Where's the Passion (GP & Rakau SMaSH APA)

I really wanted to get a feel for the AlphAroma hops that I have growing in my side yard.  I also wanted a good feel for Golden Promise.  It was the perfect chance since I had 1/2# of hops in the freezer, and would have a enough from the second runnings of my Wee Heavy for an American Pale Ale.  I have been dying to use these hops ever since I read For the Love of Hops by Stan Hieronymus last year.  There, tucked away in the hop profile chart is a New Zealand hop named Rakau.  In his description it says that Rakau used to be named AlphAroma, and that this hop is high in passionfruit and peach.  Needless to say, that sounds awesome, and I had been looking for any information I could find on the hop prior to that moment with no avail.  I actually contacted Stan via email to confirm and he sent me the document that he had found in researching the book showing a handful of NZ hops that name changes about 10 years ago.

Brew day went super smooth, the beer finished out and cleared up in about a week (super clear for 1056 too).  I pulled a sample and there was nothing.  No passion fruit, no peach.  It smelled like a Munich Helles, mild Noble hop, malt, clean.  Not cool.  I dry hopped the batch with another 2oz and still nothing.  I kegged it, carbed it, nothing.  I pulled 3 pints and hit it in a 2L with about 0.5oz of Blisk (another odd hop from German descent) and that is super potent, tropical, citrus, floral, and resin.

___________________________

Stats:
Gallons: 5.25
OG: 1.043
FG: 1.010
ABV: 4.33%
IBUs: 33
SRM: 3
Efficiency: 27%
___________________________

Fermentables:
25.00 # Pale Malt (Golden Promise) (100%)
Mash 10 hours @ 159
___________________________

Boil 90 mins
60 0.40 oz  AlphAroma 9.40%AA
25 1.00 oz AlphAroma 9.40%AA
10 1.00 oz AlphAroma 9.40%AA
5 0.60 oz AlphAroma 9.40%AA
WP 30 min 1.00oz AlphAroma 9.40%AA
DH 2.00oz AlphAroma 9.40%AA
___________________________

Kettle Additions:
Gypsum  Mash 1/2tsp
Calcium Chloride Mash 1 1/8tsp
Pickling Lime Mash 3/8tsp
Yeast Nutrient 2 taps
Whirfloc 1 each
___________________________

Fermentation:
Cooled to: 60*F
WY 1056 American Ale (Oakshire Slurry)
60*F 2 days
64*F 2 days
68*F 2 days
74*F 6 days
___________________________

1/3-4 Heated to strike water 185 and scooped 3 quarts at a time into the MLT as the pump is not working right again.  Hit 159 by 8:45pm.  Left bundled in heating blanket and sleeping bag until morning.  By 8:30am dropped to 140*F.  Ran off 7 gallons of first runnings and sparged to collect 7 gallons more for this batch.  Added hops per schedule, boiled for 90 minutes.  Chilled to 60*F and pitched yeast.  Activity in 24 hours.

Ramped up over the course of a week, krausen had dropped  by weeks end.

1/14 Added dry hops to the primary in the morning before work, down to 1.010.  A bit of sulfur coming from the Better Bottle.  Sample is very light, tastes like a Munich Helles, light Noble hopping, super clear, malty.

1/16 Kegged after kids went to bed, hopping is still super mild and Noble like.  Set to 30 psi to get carbonated by weekend for dad's visit.  

1/18  Dropped psi  to 10, vented keg, poured a glass.  Very mild Noble like hop notes,  touch of peach maybe.  This hop seems perfect for a Saison with 3726 and a spicy hop blended with it.  The head is really nice at only 2 days.  Really not the hop bomb I wanted.