La Libertad- West Coast Pale Ale

In September I went on a trip to San Fransisco and I was struck by the difference in beer styles between the West Coast and the Midwest. Not that I haven't had my fair share of west coast beers, but what struck me was that in the two brew pubs I visited, I thought the pale ales were much hoppier than a lot of Midwestern pale ales. In fact, looking back over my notes, I wrote "very hoppy, almost like an IPA, and very little sweetness," and this was written about two pales from two different brew pubs.
I decided to make a "west coast pale ale" inspired by the beers on my trip. I spent some time playing with the recipe and drinking some beers like Sierra Nevada Pale and Anchor's Liberty Ale. It was Anchor's Liberty Ale that inspired this beer (hence the name La Libertad) and I decided to really feature Cascade hops, which of course are the signature hops of west coast ales.


After about two weeks in the bottle, I'm really pleased with how La Libertad has turned out. It definitely is what I was going for. It pours a golden color, and very clear, with a thick two finger white head. The citrusy aroma of Cascade hops hit you right away, and linger throughout. There's a nice hop bitterness to the beer and very little sweetness. I wrote down "nice clean taste to it. " It really has a floral-citrus hop presence, with a bitter hoppy bite as well. It is quite a bit hoppier than my Bearded Fury Pale Ale, which uses Fuggle hops. Its all organic except for the hops, but I think Organic Pacific Gem hops could be substituted to achieve a similar effect.

Here's the recipe:
1 lb Organic 2-Row
1 lb Organic Munich
.35 lb Organic Crystal 20
.15 lb Organic Belgian Special B
Above mashed at 150 for 35 min
4 lbs Organic Dry Light Extract
Hops:
1 oz Vanguard @ 60 min
1 oz Northern Brewer @ 30 min
1 oz Cascade @ 15 min
.5 oz Cascade @ 1 min
.5 oz Cascade dry hopped
I used the Wyeast 1332 Northwest Ale Yeast

I'm curious to see how it ages, but I'd have to say I'm happy thus far and La Libertad might be added to the normal rotation.
Salud!
The Bearded Brewer