There are so many styles of beer, it’s hard to know where to begin. There is a lot more to a style than just whether it’s light or dark. Each beer style has a characteristic taste, imparted by its ingredients and brewing method. Change any single item and you have probably hopped into another style category (no pun intended). Each country, each geographic region, even each town, can have its own style of beer. In fact, you may be starting to realize by now that many beer styles originate from local brewing conditions. Access to ingredients, the local water profile, and the climate—all of these elements combine to dictate the character of the beer that the brewer can best produce. Your success and satisfaction as a homebrewer is going to depend on understanding these factors, and then using your knowledge and skill to brew beyond them.
The first place to start when defining a style is the fermentation. Next is the recipe and brewing method. Each malt and grain has a unique flavor that it contributes to the beer. The hop varieties play a part in defining the style too. One of the differences between English pale ale and American pale ale is the difference in flavor between English and American hops. Even the same variety of hop grown in different regions will produce a different character. Fuggles grown in the USA has an American character compared to the original British variety. In fact, the same hop variety grown in two different fields will have a different character. Regional differences for a variety are generally small but still noticeable.
“Beerspace” can be visualized by plotting the type of maltiness (bready, dark bread crust, caramel, cocoa, and coffee) versus the hoppy to malty balance of the beer. The trouble with actually putting this to paper is that it’s a three-dimensional space with the progression of the different malty flavors on two of the axes and then the bitterness, or hoppy to malty balance, of the beer on the third. Suffice to say that you can have any combination of malty flavors with different degrees of balance between the malt and hops.
Figure 24.1 helps to visually illustrate the similarities and differences between beer styles based on the ratio of the hop bitterness to the original gravity. Note how so many of the styles overlap there in the middle and yet these are distinct styles; this is due to the multitude of combinations of malty flavors and fermentation character. The chart is based on the averages of the OG, IBU, and %ABV as listed in the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) 2015 Style Guidelines. Further description of the particular styles and their attributes can be found at bjcp.org.
To really understand styles (and probably find better recipes for them) I urge you to read other books, such as: Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff and me; Modern Homebrew Recipes by Gordon Strong; Radical Brewing and Tasting Beer, both by Randy Mosher; Brewing with Wheat and Brew Like a Monk, both by Stan Hieronymus; Experimental Homebrewing by Drew Beechum and Denny Conn; and Home Brew Recipe Bible by Chris Colby. This list is by no means exhaustive—there are a multitude of books written by many notable authors.
Finally, it is very important to realize that styles constantly change. Reading Ron Pattinson’s book, The Home Brewer’s Guide to Vintage Beer, quickly shows how fluid the world of beer is, as you look at the recipes for a style or class of beer across several breweries over several decades. Brewers continually have to adapt to changes in the availability of raw materials, changes in taxation, changes in customer preference, and innovation in ingredients and methods. For example, it has only been ten years since the previous edition of How To Brew, and yet in that time the quantity and variety of IPAs has quite figuratively exploded! But you also see these same trends for other styles throughout history. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Generally, each recipe in this chapter will be presented in two versions, an extract-with-steeped-grain recipe (a.k.a. Palmer Brewing Method) and an all-grain recipe. The character of each version of a recipe is intended to be same, or nearly the same, but sometimes the defining ingredients do not really work in the extract brewing method. Base malts like Pilsner and Munich, and kilned malts like biscuit or smoked malt, require a mash to convert their starches to fermentable sugars.
Remember: mashing is basically steeping at specific temperatures to convert unfermentable starch to fermentable sugar using the enzymes in the base malts. If the malts in the recipe do not have enough diastatic power for good conversion, you can add a packet of Palmer’s Instamash® brewing enzymes to the kettle to facilitate it. Look for this product at your local brewshop.
The recipes in this chapter are built around two brewing methods: a) malt extract and steeping grain brewing using a 3 gal. (11.4 L) boil in a 5 gal. (20 L) kettle; or b) all-grain brewing using a full-volume wort boil in an 8 gal. (30 L) pot. The partial boil version has been calculated to be very similar to the all-grain version in terms of boil gravity and melanoidin development so that the two methods should produce the same beer.
The goal is for you to have five gallons (19 L) of clear beer to bottle or keg. Therefore, a full-volume boil starts out with about seven gallons (27 L) of wort at a lower gravity than the target OG. The wort will increase in gravity during the boil. There should be about six gallons (23 L) of wort at the target OG to go into the fermentor after boiling and decanting off the trub. Fermenting six gallons should yield about five gallons of beer after decanting or racking off the trub and yeast cake. Your exact volumes and wort losses may differ depending on your own methods and equipment, but the basis for all of these calculations has been given in previous chapters, so it should be easy to adapt any recipe to your system. Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to hit the exact numbers given in the recipe; close enough is good enough. The important thing is to brew a tasty beer.
I have attempted to keep the hop schedules the same for both versions of a recipe by manipulating the Wort A and Wort B ingredients so that the boil gravity is the same for both the extract partial boil and all-grain full-volume boil methods. I wanted to avoid any confusion with different hop quantities between different versions of the same recipe, but sometimes you will need to add a little bit more of the main bittering hop (e.g., at 60 minutes) for the all-grain option to get the same IBU after the boil.
In fact, you may need to recalculate your hop additions anyway, because the alpha acid percentage of each hop variety varies from year to year. Or, you may need to substitute a different hop variety due to availability. See the IBU calculations in chapter 5 for help in recalculating your hop quantities. But remember, this is cooking, not chemistry class; close enough is good enough. The goal is a tasty beer.
These recipes use the Palmer Brewing Method (i.e., partial boil, Worts A and B) discussed in chapters 1 and 9. You will start with three gallons (11.4 L) of water in the kettle. The Wort A ingredients will increase the volume to between 3.25 and 4 gal. (12.3–15 L). Removing the steeping grains will take away about 0.5 qt. per pound of grain (1 L/kg). The volume will decrease by about 0.5 gal. (1.9 L) during a one-hour boil. The Wort B ingredients will raise that volume by about 0.25–0.4 gal. (0.95–1.5 L) so that, when added to three gallons (11.4 L) of water in the fermentor, the total volume will be about six gallons (23 L) at the recipe gravity. Don’t worry if the numbers are a little bit off, it is not that important.
The extract recipes can also be used with a full-volume boil by combining Wort A and Wort B into six gallons (23 L) of water for the boil. The volume of the ingredients will bring the volume of the boil to about seven gallons (27 L).
The all-grain version (i.e, the mashing option) for the recipes assumes an extract efficiency of 75% (see table 18.5) and seven gallons (27 L) of wort being collected and boiled to yield six gallons (23 L) into the fermentor at the target OG, to produce the same five gallons (19 L) of clear beer. Depending on your equipment and brewing efficiency, you may want to adjust the recipe amounts to compensate.
I usually mash with a water-to-grist ratio of 2 qt./lb. (4 L/kg) and use a traditional continuous sparge technique. The grain bills for the recipes are based on those methods. To use other techniques, such as BIAB, see the lautering efficiency tables in chapter 19 for help in choosing your mashing/lautering method and water-to-grist ratio.
The temperature target given for all single infusion mashes is 153°F (67°C) because this is the generally accepted upper limit for starch gelatinization in barley. Although 149°F (65°C) is generally recommended for best fermentability, it assumes that complete gelatinization has already occurred. I recommend that you adjust your strike water to achieve 153°F (67°C) for single temperature infusion mashes, the reason being that you will be better assured of complete starch gelatinization, and if the mash cools a few degrees during the mash your fermentability will only be enhanced. If you wish to improve the fermentability of your wort over that of a single temperature infusion mash, you can use a two-step infusion for both beta- and alpha-amylase rests as described in chapter 17. Several recipes include a decoction mashing step, and those recipes use an initial mash temperature of 150°F (65°C) because the mash will be heated to the alpha-amylase rest temperature later in the schedule. The primary purpose of the decoction step is melanoidin formation, not to solubilize and convert residual starch, although that happens too.
Each recipe includes a general recommendation for the brewing water as described by the brew cube in chapter 22. A more specific water profile for the style is given below that. These recommendations are most appropriate for brewing the all-grain version of the recipe. Remember that these recommendations are guidelines and the beer will not be horrible if you don’t adhere to them. (However, the beer will usually be better if you do.)
Generally, the brewing water for the extract and steeping grain recipes should be either distilled or low-mineral water. The malt extract generally contains all of the other minerals necessary for the style. However, you may want to add additional sulfate or chloride salts to the water to enhance the beer flavor. If so, use the sulfate and chloride levels under the “Recommended water profile (ppm)” part for guidance, keeping in mind that there may already be a fair amount of each in the malt extract.
I am leaving the specific yeast strain and form to your choice. The number of yeast companies and strains has grown tremendously since the previous edition and it is not reasonable to single out one over another, especially since my choice may not be the best for you. An individual yeast strain is like a horse in that you and it need to adapt to each other and your brewing environment for best performance.
The yeast pitching rate given for each recipe is based on the typical pitching rates given in chapter 7, “Yeast Management,” multiplied by the nominal fermentation volume of 6 gal. (23 L). As such, it really isn’t a rate, but instead the actual pitch in billions of cells. A pitch of 200 billion cells would be roughly equal to two yeast packages, depending on the specific manufacturer and form.
Wheat has nearly as long a tradition in brewing as barley. Wheat does not have a husk and is therefore trickier to mash and lauter than barley. For this reason you will rarely see 100% wheat beers; most wheat beers are 60%–70% wheat with the remainder being Pilsner malt. Wheat is not as sweet and rich tasting as barley, and I find that adding 10%–30% wheat to many beer styles can help dry out the character of the beer and make it taste lighter and less filling, but without sacrificing mouthfeel or head retention, unlike what happens when using sugar adjuncts.
In my opinion, there are four main styles of wheat beer: German weizen, German sauerweiss, Belgian witbier, and American wheat. Some would argue that American wheat is not a true style, that it’s simply a mongrel of the other wheat styles with its head shaved, but American wheat beers were around before Prohibition and are a recognized style today, so there. But first, let’s talk about German wheat beers.
German weizenbier and hefeweizen were the most popular of the wheat styles in the latter half of the twentieth century and are still very popular today. German wheat beer is characterized as moderate strength, low bitterness beer dominated by a fruity, spicy fermentation character. Weizenbier can be clear or hazy, but most people are more familiar with the hazy hefeweizen form. The haze comes from suspended yeast.
Decoction mashing is traditional for German wheat beers, and even though modern malts are highly modified and don’t need it for modification and better yield, many home and professional breweries still swear by it. The consensus is that it adds that little something extra to the quality of the malt and fermentation character.
German wheat beers are best when they are fresh out of the fermentor; the signature clove and banana flavor and aroma will fade within a month or so. It’s not that they go stale faster than other styles, but they do become less interesting.
The classic Bavarian weissbier has an OG range of 1.044–1.052, bitterness of 8–15 IBU, and a pale gold color of 2–6 SRM (4–12 EBC).
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
3 lb. (1.4 kg) wheat DME |
45 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.045 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Mandarina Bavaria 9% AA |
30 |
11 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3 lb. (1.4 kg) wheat DME |
45 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
German wheat beer |
200 |
62°F (17°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Balanced, Soft |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
50–100 |
10 |
0–50 |
0–50 |
50–100 |
−50–0 |
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
6 lb. (2.7 kg) wheat malt |
25 |
|
|
4 lb. (1.8 kg) Pilsner malt |
16 |
|
|
0.33 lb. (150 g) rice hulls |
0 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.041 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
153°F (67°C) |
30 |
|
Single decoction (see fig. 17.3) |
(boil) |
20 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Mandarina Bavaria 9% AA |
30 |
11 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
German wheat beer |
200 |
62°F (17°C) |
Wheat beer became extinct with Prohibition in the United States, and has only been revived in the last couple of decades. Today’s American wheat beer is loosely modeled after German weizen, but is made with American ale yeast and not the specialized German weizenbier yeasts with their spicy, clove-like character. The noble-type hops are traditional, but citrusy American varieties also work very well. Wheat beers are usually pale gold, but dunkel (dark), bock (strong), and dunkel weizenbock are common variations.
The American wheat ale style varies between a German weizen made with California ale yeast and an American pale ale made out of wheat. In fact, the style guidelines for American wheat are nearly identical to those for American blonde ale, except for the emphasis on wheat instead of barley. They are typically pale straw to light amber, with only a dash of caramel malt for additional color, if at all. Most American wheat ales are only mildly bitter, between 15–30 IBUs, and have a drier, less sweet character than American blonde ale due to wheat as the primary malt instead of barley.
If you want an easy drinking, thirst-satisfying beer, look no further than American wheat beer. The OG ranges from 1.040–1.055, FG from 1.008–1.013, and the color from 3–6 SRM (6–12 EBC).
Three Weisse Guys—American Wheat
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
3 lb. (1.4 kg) wheat DME |
45 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.045 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Sterling 7% AA |
60 |
12 |
|
0.75 oz. (15 g) Liberty 4% AA |
30 |
10 |
|
1 oz. (15 g) Liberty 4% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3 lb. (1.4 kg) wheat DME |
45 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
California ale yeast |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
6 lb. (2.7 kg) wheat malt |
25 |
|
|
4 lb. (1.8 kg) Pilsner malt |
16 |
|
|
0.33 lb. (150 g) rice hulls |
0 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.041 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
153°F (65°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Sterling 7% AA |
60 |
12 |
|
0.75 oz. (15 g) Liberty 4% AA |
30 |
10 |
|
1 oz. (15 g) Liberty 4% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
California ale yeast |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Balanced, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
50–100 |
10 |
0–50 |
50–100 |
50–100 |
−50–0 |
Wheat beers also work well with spices and fruit. Witbier is a very old style of beer from Belgium that was revived by Pierre Celis in the 1960s. Historically it was said to be a sour beer, and I have included a sour version in chapter 14, “Brewing Sour Beers.” American wit, while currently not a recognized BJCP style, is similar to the classic Belgian witbier, but without the sour character. For a great recipe for an unsour Belgian witbier, see Jamil’s recipe for “Wittebrew” in Brewing Classic Styles (Zainasheff and Palmer 2007). The following recipe is a clone recipe for Coronado Brewing Co.’s Orange Avenue Wit, which is more of a modern American witbier. This beer doesn’t have the starch haze of a traditional wit, but uses honey and orange peel and is very light and refreshing.
Casual Wit—Fruit and Spice Specialty
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
7 lb. (3.2 kg) Pilsner malt |
27.5 |
|
|
2 lb. (0.9 kg) wheat malt |
8 |
|
|
0.75 lb. (340 g) CaraVienne (20°L) |
2 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) honey (Steep 15 minutes) |
(3) |
|
|
~1.75 oz. (50 g) orange peel (Steep 15 minutes) |
||
|
~0.5 oz. (15 g) ground coriander (Steep 15 minutes) |
||
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.038 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
153°F (67°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.36 oz. (10 g) Northern Brewer 9% AA |
60 |
10 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
American ale |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Malty, Soft |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
50–100 |
10 |
0–50 |
0–50 |
50–100 |
−100–0 |
Notes
1. Any bittering hop will work, the goal is 10 IBUs of clean bitterness.
2. Wash two medium sized oranges and use a vegetable or apple peeler to carefully remove the outer rind. This should be about 50 g total. Do not peel/shave too deeply; the peel should be thin, bright orange without white pith.
3. After the boil, heat off; stir in the honey, then add the orange peel and coriander, and allow them to hot steep for 15 minutes before chilling. The orange peel can be removed before fermentation, but doesn’t have to be.
Saison is a very new style, created in the 1950’s from the ideals of what an old Belgian farmhouse ale should have been like. The primary ingredient is Pilsner malt, although other grains are common ingredients as well, such as wheat, maize, oats, rye, and spelt. Sugar or honey is often used to help dry out the beer. The yeast character plays a dominant role in the beer; it should be fruity and spicy, but not the banana and clove character that is common in German and Belgian yeasts. The saison yeast character is more peppery and has citrus or pear. The hop character generally takes a back seat to the yeast character, although some interplay of floral, fruity, and/or herbal aroma is common. The overall character of the beer is a dry, grainy malt character, firm bitterness and mineral structure, with lots of aromatics coming from the yeast. Saison is a good base for adding spices or fruit, but these are variations on the style; normally these flavors and aromas come from the saison yeast (which may have its origins as a red wine yeast). The guidelines for the style are OG 1.048–1.065, FG 1.002–1.008, 20–35 IBU, and 5–14 SRM (10–28 EBC), although darker and stronger versions are common as well.
Battre L’oie—Saison
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
3 lb. (1.4 kg) wheat DME |
45 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.045 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Aramis 7% AA |
60 |
22 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Barbe Rouge 8.5% AA |
Steep 15 |
5 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3 lb. (1.4 kg) wheat DME |
45 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
Belgian saison |
200 |
62°F (17°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Balanced, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
10 |
0–50 |
100–150 |
100–150 |
−100–0 |
Pale ales are common worldwide; every country and every region often has its own substyle. They are easy to brew, refreshing to drink, and similar around the world, despite some differences. Generally, they are made from a simple recipe of pale base malt, a readily available adjunct or specialty malt, local hops, and a local yeast. “Pale” is a relative term and it originally meant “pale as compared to dark;” most early malts and beers were darker due to the typical wood fire kilning technology of previous millennia.
Truly pale malts are a relatively recent invention of about 500 years ago, with the use of coke (a clean burning derivative of coal) for kilning. For a better history of pale ales I will refer you to Ron Pattinson and his book, The Home Brewer’s Guide to Vintage Beer. Pale ale was exported to the far reaches of the British Empire in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and many of its modern variations were born in that time. Today there are English, Scottish, Irish, Belgian, American, Australian, and even German versions of pale ale. Modern pale ales can range from golden to deep amber and are typically a balanced sort of beer, in other words, there should be equal prominence between the malt and the hops. Sometimes the hops will be forward with a malty finish and sometimes the malt will be forward with a hoppy finish, but mainly in balance. A pale ale that is too hoppy is an IPA, and a pale ale that is too malty is an amber or brown ale. Modern pale ales are intended to be session beers, generally in the range of 3.5%–5.5% ABV, although there will be the occasional 6%. The top fermenting ale yeast and warm fermentation temperatures give pale ales a subtle fruitiness compared to lagers. Pale ales are best served cool, not cold, about 45–55°F (7–12°C), to allow the fruit and malty notes to emerge.
The OG for ordinary bitter, the smallest beer, is 1.030–1.039, with 25–35 IBU, and an amber color of 8–14 SRM (16–28 EBC). Best bitter has a step higher OG at 1.040–1.048, and 25–40 IBU. Strong bitter steps up again to 1.048–1.060 OG and 30–50 IBUs, and the color can be a bit darker as well, up to 18 SRM (36 EBC).
Modern English pale ales include the bitters and what have variously been called London ale and Burton ale in recent years (e.g., Bass Ale), although style gurus now classify these as strong bitters. English bitters tend to have more malt character than American pale ales, and the malt character tends to be a bit toastier and sweeter. Cask ale is a subset of English pale ale that is not really different in recipe, but in how it is served. Drinkers of megabrewery beers in the US would probably describe them as flat. The beer is brewed to a low final gravity, yielding a dry finish with only a low level of residual sweetness that does not mask the hop finish.
Crouchback’s Strong Bitter
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
2 lb. (0.9 kg) pale DME |
30 |
|
|
0.66 lb. (300 g) corn syrup solids |
9 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) biscuit malt |
3 |
|
|
0.25 lb. (115 g) caramel 40°L – Steeped |
1 |
|
|
0.25 lb. (115 g) caramel 80°L – Steeped |
0.5 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.045 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Challenger 7.5% AA |
60 |
24 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) EK Goldings 5% AA |
30 |
12 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) EK Goldings 5% AA |
0 |
0 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
4 lb. (1.8 kg) pale DME |
56 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
British ale |
200 |
67°F (19°C) |
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
10 lb. (4.5 kg) pale ale malt |
40 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) flaked corn (maize) |
4 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) biscuit malt |
1.5 |
|
|
0.25 lb. (115 g) caramel 40°L |
1 |
|
|
0.25 lb. (115 g) caramel 80°L |
<1 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.047 |
|
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Hoppy, Firm |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
10 |
0–50 |
150–300 |
50–100 |
−100–0 |
Scottish ales were very similar to English pale ale for much of the nineteenth century, but after World War II they were defined as being maltier and less hoppy. They also had a reputation for having a peat smoke character, but diligent research has shown this to be categorically untrue; it probably was the work of some American travel agency. Today, Scottish pale ales are similar to English bitters in strength, but generally have a slightly richer, slighter sweeter caramel malt character. The beers are still very well attenuated and dry, but the absence of late hop additions to the overall hop character lets the malt take center stage. While the Scottish version of barleywine (wee heavy) is definitely sweet and heavy, the pale ales are, dare I say, thrifty in their richness and are one of the most quaffable styles in existence.
The strengths of Scottish ales follows the three tiers of English pale ales, with light, heavy, and export strengths of 1.030–1.035, 1.035–1.040, and 1.040–1.060 OG, respectively. The bitterness for light and heavy are 10–20 IBU, and for export is 15–30 IBU. The color for the three versions are all pretty similar, being in the 10–20 SRM (20–40 EBC) range.
Thistle Do Well Scottish Export
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
2 lb. (0.9 kg) pale DME |
30 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) caramel 80°L |
5 |
|
|
0.55 lb. (250 g) Briess Carabrown® (55°L) |
2 |
|
|
0.28 lb. (125 g) corn syrup solids |
4 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.041 |
|
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
9 lb. (4.08 kg) pale ale malt |
36 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) flaked corn (maize) |
2 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) caramel 80°L |
2 |
|
|
0.55 lb. (250 g) Briess Carabrown® (55°L) |
2 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.042 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
153°F (67°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Challenger (7.5%) |
60 |
24 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
Scottish ale |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Amber, Malty, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
10 |
75–125 |
50–100 |
100–150 |
0–50 |
It may seem to be a bit of a stretch to say that Irish red ale is a pale ale, but that is the role it fills. In fact, the flavor of an Irish red ale is very similar to the English and Scottish ales, but differentiated by a grainy malt flavor as opposed to the biscuit of the English or the caramel of the Scottish. The deep red color comes from the use of about 3% by weight roasted malt in the grain bill, enough to give deep red highlights but without contributing to the flavor of the beer as seen in brown ales, porters, or stouts. The use of flaked barley gives a lot of mouthfeel to the beer, similar to a stout but without the coffeelike flavors. The Briess Carabrown is an amber-type malt and one of my favorites. It gives a distinct toasted bread crust flavor to the beer, which perfectly rounds out this style.
The Irish were content with one version of their pale ale, it having a range of 1.036–1.046 OG, 18–28 IBU, and a deep red color of 9–14 SRM (18–28 EBC).
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
1.5 lb. (0.68 kg) pale ale DME |
22.5 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) flaked barley – Instamash® |
7.5 |
|
|
0.33 lb. (150 g) Briess Carabrown® (55°L) – Steeped |
1.5 |
|
|
0.33 lb. (150 g) roast barley (300°L) – Steeped |
2 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.033 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.9 oz. (25 g) UK Phoenix 9% AA |
60 |
26 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3 lb. (1.4 kg) pale DME |
42 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
Irish ale |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
7.5 lb. (3.4 kg) pale ale malt |
30 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) flaked barley |
3.5 |
|
|
0.33 lb. (150 g) Briess Carabrown® (55°L) – Steeped |
1 |
|
|
0.33 lb. (150 g) roast barley (300°L) – Steeped |
1.5 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.036 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
153°F (67°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.9 oz. (25 g) UK Phoenix 9% AA |
60 |
26 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
Irish ale |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Amber, Malty, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
10 |
50–100 |
50–100 |
100–150 |
0–50 |
Belgian pale ale takes the idea of English pale, but uses Continental ingredients to bring the flavor home. Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich malts combine to give a flavor exactly like that of bread fresh from the oven. Triskel and Aramis are two relatively new hop varieties from the Alsace region that are both traditional in their basis, yet new in their higher alpha acid and aromatic oil levels. The Belgian ale yeast gives the beer a complex spiciness from the phenolics and esters to create a marvel in every glass.
The OG for Belgian pale ranges from 1.048–1.054, the bitterness from 20–30 IBU, and it has a gold to amber color of 8–14 SRM (16–28 EBC).
Marvel Banale—Belgian Pale Ale
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
1.5 lb. (680 g) Briess Vienna LME |
18 |
|
|
1.1 lb. (500 g) Munich DME |
16.5 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) CaraVienne malt – Steeped |
7 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) biscuit malt – Steeped |
3 |
|
|
0.25 lb. (115 g) Special “B” malt (140°L) – Steeped |
1 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.046 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) French Triskel 8% AA |
30 |
25 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) French Aramis 8% AA |
Steep 15 |
2 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3.3 lb. (1.5 kg) pale DME |
42 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
Belgian ale |
200 |
70°F (21°C) |
Australian Sparkling ale is named for the effervescence of the style, not so much the clarity, because it is one of the few styles where the yeast sediment is often swirled into suspension before consumption; lots of good vitamins in there. The ale is all pale malt with only a small amount of pale crystal malt to help build a golden color. The flavor is bready backed by a firm bitterness. English hop varieties and American Cluster hops were traditional, although Pride of Ringwood largely replaced those in the middle of the twentieth century. The aroma of the beer should be equally balanced between malt, hop, and yeast character; at once bready, herbal, earthy, and fruity.
The guidelines for Australian sparkling ale are similar to those for best bitter, having an OG of 1.038–1.050, a bitterness of 20–35 IBU, but a paler golden color of 4–7 SRM (8–14 EBC).
Fair Drop—Australian Sparkling Ale
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
2.5 lb. (1.13 kg) Pilsner DME |
37 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) CaraVienne malt (20°L) – Steeped |
3 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.040 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.8 oz. (23 g) Pride of Ringwood 9% AA |
60 |
24 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) New Zealand Wakatu 7.5% AA |
15 |
6 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3 lb. (1.4 kg) Pilsner DME |
42 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
Australian or English ale |
150 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Amber, Balanced, Soft |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
50–100 |
10 |
100–125 |
75–100 |
75–100 |
25–75 |
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
9.5 lb. (3.2 kg) Pilsner malt |
38 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (340 g) CaraVienne 20°L malt |
1 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.039 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
153°F (67°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.8 oz. (23 g) Pride of Ringwood 9% AA |
60 |
24 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) New Zealand Wakatu 7.5% AA |
15 |
6 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
Australian or English ale |
150 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Balanced, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
20 |
0–50 |
100–150 |
100–150 |
−100–0 |
German Kölsch is the softest of the pale ales, generally having bitterness of 18–30 IBU and an OG of 1.044–1.050. While Germany is normally known for its lagers, the beers of Cologne (Köln) have long been renowned for their brilliant clarity and perfect balance of soft malt and hop character. They are brewed as ales, but then cold conditioned to give them great clarity. This is easily one of the most popular styles of homebrewers around the world, but often a difficult style to do well. However, perfect or not, it still is a very enjoyable beer. I have always thought of Kölsch as the “California” beer of Germany, thus the name of the recipe.
The guidelines for Kölsch are 1.044–1.050 OG, bitterness of 18–30 IBU, and a pale gold color of 3.5–5 SRM (7–10 EBC).
Surfin’ Vogel—Kölsch
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill* | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
7 lb. (1.6 kg) Pilsner malt |
27.5 |
|
|
3.3 lb. (450 g) Vienna malt |
12.5 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.040 |
|
|
* This recipe may require some lactic acid or acidulated malt to help hit a mash pH of 5.2. |
||
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
153°F (67°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1.25 oz. (35 g) German Tradition 6% AA |
60 |
24 |
|
1.1 oz. (30 g) German Opal 6% AA |
Steep 15 |
4 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
German Kölsch |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Balanced, Soft |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
50–100 |
10 |
0–50 |
50–100 |
50–100 |
−75–0 |
American pale ale is a hoppier adaptation of English pale ale. The American ale yeast strains generally produce less esters than comparable English ale yeasts, and thus American pale ales have a less fruity taste than their counterparts from the British Isles. American pale ales also have more of their hop character coming from aroma and flavor additions than bittering additions. The color ranges from gold to dark amber, and the flavor often has a roundness from the use of crystal malt, although typically less than in an English pale ale.
By definition, American pale ales use American hop varieties, while English pale ales use English varieties, although these days everyone seems to be using whatever hop variety they like. It almost seems like it is easier to find a classic bitter in the US and a classic American pale in the UK! American pale ales typically have an OG of 1.045–1.060, an FG of 1.010–0.015, and 30–50 IBUs. Stylistically, it is important for the bitterness units to be less than the gravity units, in a BU:GU ratio of about 3:4 (or between 0.7–0.8); otherwise the beer will be more similar to other styles such as blonde ale or IPA.
Lady Liberty—American Pale Ale
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
1.5 lb. (680 g) pale DME |
30 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Munich DME |
15 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) caramel 40°L – Steeped |
3 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.048 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.75 oz. (23 g) Centennial 11% AA |
30 |
22 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 7% AA |
15 |
10 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 7% AA |
Steep 15 |
4 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3 lb. (1.4 kg) pale DME |
42 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
American ale |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
9 lb. (4.5 kg) pale ale malt |
36 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Munich malt |
3.5 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (115 g) caramel 40°L |
2 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.042 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
153°F (67°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.75 oz. (23 g) Centennial 11% AA |
30 |
22 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 7% AA |
15 |
10 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 7% AA |
Steep 15 |
4 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
American ale |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Hoppy, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
10 |
0–50 |
150–300 |
50–100 |
−100–0 |
To make a rye pale ale, substitute 3 lb. of Briess CBW Rye Malt Extract for both Wort A and B, (i.e., 6 lb. [2.7 kg] total). Everything else is unchanged.
To make a Session IPA, double the 15 min. boil and hop steep additions to 2 oz. (60 g) each for a total of about 50 IBU. Everything else is unchanged.
Blonde ales are very similar to pale ales except that the hops have been dialed back to create a beer that is drinkable as a light lager but much easier to brew. The bitterness for blonde ales typically ranges from 15–25 IBU (compared to 25–25 IBU for pale ales). Blonde ales generally do not contain any specialty malts except for the lightest of crystals or Carapils® (10°L). American blonde ales are often the most approachable beer for the new craft beer drinker, typically having more malt character than light lager or cream ale, but half the hops of a typical pale ale. To brew an American blonde ale from the following Argentinian recipe, change the Pilsner malt to pale ale or American two-row base malt, and the hops to American varieties. Everything else is the same.
The Argentines are dedicated homebrewers and I have greatly enjoyed my trips there over the years. I should say they are no more dedicated than the other homebrewers of South America, but they have distinguished themselves by defining and documenting their own style of blonde ale, the Dorada Pampeana, or golden Pampas ale. The basic recipe was created in 2001 in the San Telmo district of Buenos Aires by Marcelo Cerdán. The beer is made from Pilsner-style malt, grown and malted in Buenos Aires, and hopped with Argentine hops to create a beer of 1.042–1.054 OG and 15–22 IBU. The yeast is typically a dried American ale yeast, although that is broadening as the brewing market in Argentina grows. Kölsch yeast is also a popular choice.
Nuestro Pan Diaro—Dorada Pampeana
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
9.5 lb. (3.2 kg) Pilsner malt |
38 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (340 g) crystal 20°L malt |
1 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.039 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
150°F (65°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Argentine Cascade 9% AA |
60 |
12 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) New Zealand Wakatu 7.5% AA |
15 |
6 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
American ale |
200 |
70°F (21°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Malty, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
10 |
0–50 |
50–100 |
100–150 |
−100 to −50 |
Part of the American ale style spectrum, amber ales bridge between pale and brown ales by adding body and sweetness, and by shifting the beer’s balance away from the hops to the malt. Amber ales are sweeter than brown ales, but will have more hop flavor and aroma dancing on top—high malt sweetness balanced by lots of hops. Amber ales have become one of my favorite beers. I like the balance of these beers—they are very hearty and satisfying.
The guidelines for American amber ale run from 1.045–1.060 OG, 25–40 IBU, and a copper color of 10–17 SRM (20–34 EBC). This is my clone of Red Nectar Ale.
Big Basin Amber—American Amber Ale
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
2.5 lb. (1.13 kg) pale ale DME |
37 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) crystal 40°L malt – Steeped |
6 |
|
|
5 |
||
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.048 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Nugget 12% AA |
60 |
35.5 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Amarillo 9% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Steep 15 |
1.5 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3.75 lb. (1.7 kg) Pilsner DME |
52.5 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
California ale |
230 |
65°F (18°C) |
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
11 lb. (5 kg) pale ale malt |
44 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) crystal 40°L malt |
2.5 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) crystal 80°L malt |
2 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.048 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
153°F (67°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Nugget 12% AA |
60 |
35.5 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Amarillo 9% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Steep 15 |
1.5 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
California ale |
230 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Amber, Malty, Soft |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
50–100 |
10 |
50–100 |
50–100 |
75–100 |
25–75 |
According to popular mythos, the IPA style arose from the months-long sea journey to India, during which the beer conditioned with hops in the barrel. Extra hops were added to help prevent spoilage during the long voyage. This conditioning time mellowed the hop bitterness to a degree and imparted a wealth of hop aroma to the beer. For the real history of IPA, see Mitch Steele’s book, IPA (Steele, 2012). It details the history of genuine India pale ale, and gives many, many recipes for classic examples of the style, from historic to modern day, including black, white, session, and double IPAs.
The world of IPAs has erupted, and now every hop-forward beer of any color is being marketed as some type of IPA. It is worth noting that the BJCP in the recent 2015 Style Guidelines has moved away from calling these beers “India Pale Ales” and is only referring to them as “IPA,” because these modern derivatives were never made or drank in India. The BJCP now has IPA substyles for Belgian, White, Red, Rye, Brown, and Black.
Let’s review the main characteristics of these beers… (dramatic pause)… Hops! All of these beers have a dominating hop balance in both aroma and flavor. The malt and fermentation character will always take a back seat to the hop character in an IPA, but these characters play a very important role in defining the substyle, and their interplay will determine whether the beer itself is any good or not.
Every beer is a symphony of flavors and aromas, and if a blonde ale is the nearest thing to a string quartet, an IPA is a big brass marching band. And the best marching bands include woodwinds and drums to create dynamism and complexity. The Monty Python’s Flying Circus theme song—otherwise known as The Liberty Bell March by John P. Sousa—comes to mind. The malt and fermentation characters need to play this supporting role in IPA; they provide contrast and balance to the hops with grainy malt flavors, sweetness, and esters. The best IPAs, like music, contain other characters to create a better composition.
I will outline several of the current styles but will not provide recipes for them all. Recipes are a dime a dozen anyway, and therefore I will just include recipes for English IPA, American IPA, double IPA, brown IPA, and black IPA, which are five of my favorites.
Belgian IPA is an adaptation of American IPA using Belgian yeast strains, or to look at it from the other side of the fence, an adaptation of Belgian golden strong ale or tripel with American hopping rates. The high hop bitterness is offset by a higher alcohol content (which makes it taste sweeter) and the hop aroma is enhanced with fruity esters and spicy phenols from the Belgian yeast strains. Many different hop varieties may be used, including American, European, and Pacific varieties, but it is important that the hops share a common element with the fermentation character. The spicy and fruity elements of more recent hop varieties tend to work better than the more sulfurous and piney character (i.e., dank garlic and onion) in older hop varieties that can clash with the phenolic yeast character. Belgian IPAs tend to be golden to amber in color, with an OG of 1.058–080, FG of 1.008–1.016, and 50–100 IBUs.
White IPAs are a cross between the Belgian wit style and American IPA. The Belgian witbier yeast character and the use of spices, such as coriander and chamomile, enhance the hop character. The goal with white IPA is to strike a cooperative balance between the traditional witbier character and the higher bitterness of an IPA. The result is a more assertive witbier—drier, fruitier, and spicier, with a more robust bitterness. Again, it is important to avoid the danker hop varieties that would clash with the light body and spiciness of the witbier style. The substyle is characterized by a pale gold or hazy amber color, OG of 1.056–1.065, FG of 1.010–1.016, and 40–70 IBUs.
Rye IPAs, or RIPAs, add just that little something extra to American IPA to make them more interesting. Generally, about 15%–20% rye malt is substituted for the same amount of pale ale malt. Crystal malts are used sparingly, just as in American IPA. The hops are still the boss. The rye malt adds a pleasant, light grainy spiciness to the malt character, and the overall effect is a slightly drier, more complex beer. American ale yeast should be used to avoid confusion with the Belgian IPA substyle. The color of rye IPA is similar to American IPA, but can be a slightly darker golden-to-reddish amber; however, it should not be sweeter. The OG of RIPA is 1.056–1.075, FG 1.008–1.014, and 50–75 IBUs. To brew a RIPA, simply use the American IPA recipe and substitute in some rye malt for the base malt.
Red IPA is the evolution of American amber ale to higher hoppiness. A red IPA balances the higher bitterness with more malt sweetness, but not to the point where you lose the essential balance of an IPA. In other words, a red IPA is not an imperial red ale; the malt character still only plays a supporting role to the hop character, but the tone of that character is sweeter and more caramel or toffee, rather than golden bread or light toast. The color of a red IPA is deep amber red to brown with ruby highlights. The OG is 1.056–1.070, FG 1.008–1.016, and 40–70 IBU. The hops should be American or Pacific varieties; fruitier English hop varieties are also acceptable.
Good British pale ale malt, British hops, and English ale yeast. Keep Calm and Add More Hops! The style guidelines for English IPA are 1.050–1.075 OG, 40–60 IBU, and amber to copper color of 6–14 SRM (12–28 EBC).
Victory & Chaos—English IPA
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
2.5 lb. (1.13 kg) pale ale DME |
38 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Munich DME |
14 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) crystal 20°L malt – Steeped |
3 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.055 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Northdown 8% AA |
60 |
22 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) First Gold 7.5% AA |
30 |
16 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
30 |
11 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) First Gold 7.5% AA |
Steep 15 |
4 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) First Gold 7.5% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3.4 lb. (1.5 kg) Pilsner DME |
48 |
|
|
0.56 lb. (250 g) corn syrup solids |
8 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English ale |
250 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
11 lb. (5 kg) pale ale malt |
44 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Munich 10°L malt |
3.5 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) crystal 20°L malt |
1.5 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) flaked corn (maize) |
3.5 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.052 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
150°F (65°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Northdown 8% AA |
60 |
22 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) First Gold 7.5% AA |
30 |
16 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
30 |
11 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) First Gold 7.5% AA |
Steep 15 |
4 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) First Gold 7.5% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English ale |
250 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Hoppy, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
100–150 |
10 |
50–100 |
200–400 |
50–100 |
−100–0 |
American IPA is all about hops; typically American “C” hops such as, Chinook, Centennial and Cascade, but also the new Pacific varieties from New Zealand and Australia with their tropical fruit aromas. There are two kinds of American IPA, West Coast and not. West Coast IPA is primarily a pale ale malt beer so that the hop flavors are unimpeded. East Coast IPA tends to be maltier, with more emphasis on caramel malt and Munich malt character, but not to excess. If West Coast IPA is the clarion call of a trumpet, then East Coast is a trumpet, French horn, and baritone. The Rushmore IPA recipe below is a West Coast IPA with just enough caramel and Munich malt to add complexity. East Coast IPA would add some biscuit malt, in addition to the use of a darker caramel instead of the 40°L, to create a bit more malt balance with the hop character. Northeast IPA (the New England region) goes for a very juicy mouthfeel by substituting wheat and oats into the grain bill in place of the caramel and Munich, and moving all the hops to late additions (i.e., hop steep) to retain as much hop oil as possible. The northeast beer tends to be hazy due to all of the hop polyphenols and resin.
In general, the guidelines for American IPA are 1.056–70 OG, 40–70 IBU, and pale to copper color range of 6–14 SRM (12–28 EBC). In my experience, West Coast versions tend to run to 4–8 SRM (8–16 EBC).
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
2.2 lb. (1 kg) pale DME |
33 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Munich DME |
15 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) caramel 40°L – Steeped |
3 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.051 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Nugget 13% AA |
60 |
38 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Cascade 6% AA |
15 |
4 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Amarillo 10% AA |
15 |
7 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
15 |
7.5 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Cascade 6% AA |
Steep 30 |
3 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Amarillo 10% AA |
Steep 30 |
4.5 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
Steep 30 |
4.5 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Cascade 6% AA |
Dry |
(1) |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Amarillo 10% AA |
Dry |
(1) |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
Dry |
(1) |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
4 lb. (2.3 kg) pale DME |
60 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
American ale |
250 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Pale, Hoppy, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
100–150 |
10 |
0–50 |
200–400 |
50–100 |
−100–0 |
In the 2006 edition of How To Brew I wrote:
The hoppy brown ales, which can be nutty also, arose from the US homebrew scene when hop-crazy homebrewers decided that most brown ales were just too wimpy. But, American brown ales should not be brown IPAs! They should be malt-dominated beers with a toasted malt character, and the hops should be riding the crest of the wave of the beer’s flavor. The hops should not be a tsunami. (p. 221)
Well, apparently the challenge was accepted, and now we have a brown IPA category. In fact, hoppy brown ales were a thing in Texas during the 1980s and 90s, and were called Texas brown ales due to the number of Texas homebrewers brewing them (such as Houston’s Foam Rangers club). Brown IPAs are a logical extension from American IPA in the same way that American brown ale differs from American pale and amber ales. The goal is a hop-forward beer backed by a dry brown ale character. These are eminently drinkable beers, with an OG of 1.056–1.070, FG of 1.008–1.016, and 40–70 IBUs. They are, of course, brown. American or English hop varieties seem to work best.
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 lb. (0.8 kg) pale ale DME |
26.5 |
|
|
2 lb. (0.9 kg) Briess Carabrown® malt (55°L) – Steeped |
7.5 |
|
|
1.15 lb. corn syrup solids |
16 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) caramel 80°L malt – Steeped |
3 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.053 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Bravo 15% AA |
60 |
21 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Bravo 15% AA |
15 |
21 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Delta 6% AA |
15 |
8 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Bravo 15% AA |
Steep 15 |
8 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Delta 6% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Bravo 15% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Delta 6% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
4 lb. (1.8 kg) pale ale DME |
60 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
American ale |
275 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Amber, Hoppy, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
20 |
100–150 |
150–250 |
100–150 |
25–75 |
Black IPAs are not stout IPAs; instead they are a typical American IPA with the malt character of a schwarzbier; black, dry, but not dominated by roast malt. Instead, the roast malt and crystal malt characters are just strong enough to round out the base malt character, resulting in a hoppy beer that tastes fuller and better balanced than its pale cousins. Debittered black malts are best; these are smooth black ales without astringency, and even less grainy or biscuit flavor than in a brown IPA. Any hop variety can be used, but it is important that the hop bitterness and malt bitterness don’t compound each other; avoid the more sulfurous hop varieties. The color of black IPAs ranges from deep brown to black with ruby highlights. This beer should not really be opaque; if it is, I would bet that the specialty malts have exceeded 10% of the grain bill. In fact, the roast malt additions should be 5% or less of the grain bill. The OG of black IPA ranges from 1.050–1.085, FG 1.010–1.016, and the bitterness 50–90 IBUs.
Glorious Abyss—Black IPA
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
12 lb. (5.4 kg) pale ale malt |
48 |
|
|
2.5 lb. (1.13 kg) wheat malt |
10 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) caramel 60°L |
1 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) Briess Black Prinz® wheat malt |
2 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.061 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
150°F (65°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Nugget 13% AA |
60 |
34 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Citra 13% AA |
15 |
17 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Simcoe 12% AA |
15 |
15 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 7% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Amarillo 10% AA |
Steep 15 |
5 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 7% AA |
Dry |
(1) |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Amarillo 10% AA |
Dry |
(1) |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
American ale |
300 |
67°F (19°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Amber, Hoppy, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
100–150 |
20 |
50–100 |
200–400 |
50–100 |
0–50 |
American strong ale is another of my favorite styles. Although its name has changed over the years from such appellations as “stock ale” and “imperial red,” it is essentially the big brother to American amber ale, being very malty and rich with a balancing (but not overweening) hop bitterness and aroma. The malt character tends to dominate, or at least balance, the hop character; it is but a short step (or hop) to red IPA from here. In fact, American strong ale tends to be a bigger and more bitter beer than red IPA; the difference is emphasis on malt flavor versus hop flavor.
The malt flavors of American strong ale come from the caramel and biscuit malts. Although most examples are amber colored, roast malts can be used sparingly to add a deeper red color. There shouldn’t be any chocolate or coffee flavors from roast malts, because those tend to transform the beer into a Baltic porter, although much too bitter for that style.
The following recipe is my version of a popular American beer that seems to straddle the line between American strong ale and red IPA.
Confident Bastard—American Strong Ale
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
3.5 lb. (1.6 kg) pale ale DME |
53 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) Briess Victory® malt – Steeped |
3 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Weyermann Caraaroma® malt – Steeped |
3 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.059 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Chinook 12% AA |
60 |
32 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
15 |
14 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 6% AA |
15 |
8 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Chinook 12% AA |
Steep 30 |
10 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
Steep 30 |
8.5 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Chinook 12% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 6% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
4.5 lb. (2.04 kg) pale ale DME |
67.5 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English ale |
300 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
13.77 lb. (6.25 kg) pale ale malt |
55 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) Briess Victory® malt |
1.5 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Weyermann Caraaroma® malt 150°L |
3.5 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.060 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
150°F (65°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Chinook 12% AA |
60 |
32 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
15 |
14 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 6% AA |
15 |
8 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Chinook 12% AA |
Steep 30 |
10 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
Steep 30 |
8.5 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Chinook 12% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Cascade 6% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
Dry Hop |
(1) |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English ale |
300 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Amber, Balanced, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
20 |
75–125 |
100–200 |
100–150 |
0–50 |
Surprisingly, brown ales are a relatively recent style, only becoming common in the twentieth century. Historically, they were similar to the brown malt porters of the eighteenth and nineteenth century but less hopped. Brown ales actually disappeared for about a century when brown malt fell out of favor as a base malt. Today there are many variations of brown ale: mild, sweet, nutty, and hoppy.
Brown ales as a class have grown to bridge the gap between pale ales and porters. There are two types according to the BJCP guidelines: English and American. The English version tends to be softer and maltier, whereas the American version tends to be drier and more balanced between the malt and hops. Contrary to popular myth, there are no nuts or nut extracts in typical brown ales; toasted malts give the beer a nutlike flavor and nut-brown color. The recipe below makes use of a particularly nice malt from Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. in Wisconsin; it has a very toasty, bread crust and graham cracker flavor without harshness. The recipe is named for the Tittabawasee River that runs through my hometown of Midland, MI. The recipe can be made more English by adding more crystal malt, or more American by changing up the hops and increasing the bitterness. I prefer this version, which is right down the middle. The dark chocolate malt is also one of my favorites, but I use it here mainly for color (I use more of it in my porter recipe).
The style guidelines for brown ales range from 1.040–1.060 OG, 20–30 IBU, and all colors of brown, from copper to nearly black, 12–35 SRM (24–70 EBC).
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
2 lb. (0.9 kg) pale ale DME |
30 |
|
|
2 lb. (450 g) Briess Carabrown® malt 55°L – Steeped |
7 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) caramel 80°L malt – Steeped |
3 |
|
|
0.15 lb. (70 g) Briess Dark Chocolate malt 400°L – Steeped |
1.5 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.042 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Nugget 12% AA |
60 |
18.5 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
15 |
4.5 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3.3 lb. (1.5 kg) pale ale DME |
67.5 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English ale |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
9.5 lb. (4.3 kg) pale ale malt |
38 |
|
|
2 lb. (450 g) Briess Carabrown® malt 55°L |
3.5 |
|
|
0.5 lb. (225 g) caramel 80°L malt – Steeped |
1 |
|
|
0.15 lb. (70 g) Briess Dark Chocolate malt 400°L |
0.5 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.043 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
150°F (65°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Nugget 12% AA |
60 |
18.5 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
15 |
4.5 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English ale |
200 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Amber, Balanced, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
20 |
75–125 |
100–150 |
100–150 |
0–50 |
Historically, porters preceded stouts and had a much different character than today. Porter was the first beer mass produced on an industrial scale, and was matured in swimming pool-sized wooden vats for about six months before serving. The dominant flavor came from the use of highly kilned brown malt, which was used as the base malt. The long aging time was necessary for the brown malt’s rough flavors (like tree bark) to mellow. What starts out as harshly bitter-malt beer became much smoother as the tannins settled out.
Today, porter is a dark ale with a malty flavor and a roasted finish. I would compare the flavor of porter to stout as the difference between strong black tea and coffee. Similarly, I would compare the flavor of brown ale to porter as the difference between light tea and strong tea. A brown ale is toasty; a porter is toasty, but darker and more intense. The defining character of a porter is chocolate malt, which gives the beer a cocoa flavor bridging between toast and roast. Porters are balanced, but should have some residual sweetness to round out the malt character. A porter is richer and has a higher gravity than brown ale.
Similar to the distinction between brown ales, there are two types as defined by the BJCP 2015 Style Guidelines, English porter and American porter. English porter is softer and sweeter than American porter, which will generally have a stronger roast component and higher bittering. The OG for English porter ranges from 1.040 to 1.052, while American porter is stronger at 1.050–1.070. English porter has 18–35 IBU, whereas the bitterness is increased accordingly for the stronger American porter at 25–50 IBU. The color range overlaps, 20–30 SRM (40–60 EBC) for English porter and 20–40 SRM for American. If the roast character is increased with roast malts other than chocolate malt, a porter turns into a stout.
A third type, Baltic porter, is basically an imperial porter, where the essential character of a porter is doubled in the grain bill. Porters should be fairly well attenuated (dry), though sweet (“brown”) porters are popular too. A porter should be lighter in both body and color when compared to stout. In addition, it should not be opaque, a porter should have a deep ruby red glow when held up to the light.
British, Irish, and American yeast strains are good choices for porters and stouts.
Palmer’s Porter—Porter
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
2 lb. (0.9 kg) pale ale DME |
24 |
|
|
4 |
||
|
1 lb. (450 g) Briess Carabrown® malt 55°L – Steep |
3 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Briess Dark Chocolate malt 400°L – Steep |
7 |
|
|
0.33 lb. (150 g) Briess Black Prinz® malt 500°L – Steep |
3 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.041 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
60 |
32 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Willamette 5% AA |
15 |
5 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
3.75 lb. (1.7 kg) pale ale DME |
53 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English ale |
350 |
65°F (18°C) |
|
Version: All-Grain |
||
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
9.5 lb. (4.3 kg) pale ale malt |
38 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) caramel 80°L malt |
2 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Briess Carabrown® malt 55°L |
1.5 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) Briess Dark Chocolate malt 400°L |
3.5 |
|
|
0.33 lb. (150 g) Briess Black Prinz® malt 500°L |
1.5 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.047 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
150°F (65°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) Centennial 10.5% AA |
60 |
32 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) Willamette 5% AA |
15 |
5 |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
Steep 15 |
3 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English ale |
350 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Dark, Balanced, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
20 |
100–150 |
100–150 |
100–150 |
50–100 |
Arguably one of the most popular styles among homebrewers, stouts vary a lot in flavor, degree of roastiness, and body. There are dry stouts, sweet stouts, export stouts, oatmeal stouts, coffee stouts, and more besides. The one defining characteristic of a stout is the use of highly roasted malts and/or unmalted roast barley. The most popular, Guinness® Extra Stout, is the defining example of Irish dry stout and uses only pale malt, unmalted roast barley, and flaked barley; no crystal malt is used. English stouts tend to be of the sweet stout style and will include chocolate and crystal malts. Some English stouts do not use any black malt or roast barley at all, getting their color from amber malt, dark crystal and chocolate malt. Dry stouts are session beers, with an OG of 1.036–1.040 and bitterness of 25–45 IBU. The color is dark brown to black at 25–40 SRM (50–80 EBC). Export stouts are brewed to a very high gravity, 1.075−1.100 OG, with a huge complexity of flavors, being sweet and tarry, fruity and quite bitter. Oatmeal stout is my favorite, being a sweet stout with the smooth silkiness of oatmeal added in. Coffee stouts are another homebrew favorite, because the taste of coffee perfectly complements the roast character of a stout.
The following recipe is more typical of the sweeter stouts of Cork, Ireland, but not as sweet as an English or sweet stout.
Mill Run Stout
|
Version: Extract and Steeping Grain |
||
| Wort A | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
1 lb. (450 g) pale ale DME |
14 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) roast barley 300°L – Steep |
8 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) flaked barley – Instamash® |
8 |
|
|
0.44 lb. (200 g) Briess Dark Chocolate malt 400°L – Steep |
3.5 |
|
|
0.44 lb. (200 g) crystal 80°L – Steep |
2 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 3 gal. (11.4 L) |
1.036 |
|
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
60 |
18 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
30 |
7 |
| Wort B (add at knockout) | Gravity points | |
|
2.75 lb. (1.25 kg) pale ale DME |
38.5 |
|
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English or Irish ale |
175 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Grain bill | Gravity points | |
|---|---|---|
|
6.25 lb. (4.3 kg) pale ale malt |
25 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) roast barley (300°L) – Steep |
4 |
|
|
1 lb. (450 g) flaked barley – Instamash® |
3.5 |
|
|
0.44 lb. (200 g) Briess Dark Chocolate malt 400°L – Steep |
1.5 |
|
|
0.44 lb. (200 g) crystal 80°L – Steep |
1 |
|
|
Boil gravity for 7 gal. (27 L) |
1.035 |
|
| Mash schedule | Rest temp. | Rest time (min.) |
|
Conversion rest – Infusion |
150°F (65°C) |
60 |
| Hop schedule | Boil time (min.) | IBUs |
|
1 oz. (30 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
60 |
18 |
|
0.5 oz. (15 g) East Kent Goldings 5% AA |
30 |
7 |
| Yeast strain | Pitch (billions of cells) | Fermentation temp. |
|
English or Irish ale |
175 |
65°F (18°C) |
| Recommended Water Profile (ppm) |
Brew cube: Dark, Malty, Medium |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ca | Mg | Total alk. | SO4 | Cl | RA |
|
75–125 |
20 |
100–150 |
50–100 |
100–150 |
50–100 |