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All Grain American Pale Ale Recipe

Given what I had in my brewing inventory I decided to brew an American Pale Ale along the lines of a Deschutes Mirror Pond clone. Deschutes is said to use British yeast for their American beers, so I stuck with that and tried a variety that was new to me. This beer will be on the lighter side of pale ales (should live up to its name). I expect a refreshing citrusy finish that is mellowed by the body provided by the munich malt. It should be the perfect brew to enjoy end of spring or early summer.

This is for a 5 gallon batch. Recipe assumes 75% brewhouse efficiency.

GRAINS:
6 lb US 2-row Pale
2.5 lb German Munich 10L
1/4 lb Carpils
Flaked wheat can be added (I did 1/2 lb).

HOPS:
Cascade – 0.5 oz @ 60 min
Centennial – 0.5 oz @ 60 min
Cascade – 0.5 oz @ 10 min
Centennial – 0.5 oz @ 10 min

YEAST:
Wyeast British II 1335
Attenuation Low 73%
Attenuation High 76%
Optimum Temp 63-75
Flocculation High

STATS:
Original Gravity 1.047
Final Gravity 1.010
SRM 5
IBU 30-35
ABV 5
Style 10A (BJCP)

NOTES:
Standard all grain brewing – mash at 150F for 1 hour.
60 minute boil.
Ferment for 3-4 weeks at 63-75F.

I have a blond ale planned for my next batch and then a Red Chair NWPA clone.

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The Four Brewing Seasons (2 of 4)

Each season has at least one beer style that it is known for, if not several. This season an Oktoberfest / Marzen recipe has been selected. This is part TWO of a four part (season) series about these seasonal brews. Spring is quickly approaching, although much of the country is still in the grips of a deep freeze, it is time to start thinking about warmer days, melting ice and snow and brewing outdoors again!

When I think Spring, I think about March… in like a lion and out like a lamb as my grandmother used to say. When I think of March, I think of Oktoberfest! What…? Maybe some explanation is necessary for some of you. The beers served at the traditional German Oktoberfest in the month of October are actually brewed in the month of March, which is whey they are often called Marzens, or Marzenbier which means March Beer, in German.

Prior to modern refrigeration equipment, cold storage of beer consisted of underground caves and stone cellars. Often these storage areas were near ponds or bodies of water so that ice could be cut during the winter months and used for cooling during the summer months. Marzens, or Oktoberfest lagers, were brewed in the month of March and then stored through the spring and summer months until the Autumn festival.

Marzens are known for their full body, toasty flavor and mild hopping. Deep copper in color with an inviting,rich malt flavor and aroma, this beer is an excellent way to celebrate Autumn. Brewing this beer in preparation for Oktoberfest is an excellent way to welcome Spring!

Oktoberfest/Marzen (5 gallons)
This lager is malty, toasty, smooth, lightly hopped and perfect for those late Autumn gatherings around the fire pit. Brew it now so that it is ready for Oktoberfest at your home this Autumn!

MALT BILL – All Grain:
Vienna Malt 8.00 pounds
Munich Malt 1.00 pounds
Crystal 60L 1.00 pounds

Mash at 152F for 60 minutes

MALT BILL – Extract:
Light dry malt extract 5.75 pounds
Steep:
Vienna Malt 1.00 pounds
Munich Malt 0.50 pounds
Crystal 60L 0.50 pounds

HOP BILL:
Tettnang 1.25 ounce 90 mintues 3.3 IBUs
Tettnang .25 ounce 30 minutes 3.3 IBUs

YEAST:
White Labs 820 Oktoberfest/Marzen
Since this is a lager a starter is needed, click here on information about making a yeast starter.

FERMENTATION:
Primary Ferment at 55F for 3 weeks
Lager from April-October, 4-6 weeks minimum at 35-40F

RECIPE STATISTICS:
OG: 1.053
FG: 1.016
IBU: 20.9
SRM: 11.6
ABV: 4.8

Brew NOW, enjoy at your Oktoberfest celebration!

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The Four Brewing Seasons (1 of 4)

Each season has at least one beer style that it is known for, if not several. This is part one in a four part (season) series about these seasonal brews. Winter is quickly approaching, and has already placed some parts of the US and other countries in its grip, so there is no better time to discuss winter beer styles and share some recipes.

Winter beers are typically (not always) dark beers with relatively high levels of alcohol (ABV). These beers are not your typical summer quaffers that are made to satisfy a thirst, no, these ales and lagers are typically like a meal in a glass. Full bodied, robust, spiced (or not) and made to be sipped during the cold winter months while they warm you from the inside out. The spiced versions often utilize spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and allspice.

All of this being said, you will find that winter ales and lagers come in all colors, spiced and un-spiced, heavy hitters with ABVs exceeding 10% ABV and lighter quaffers that will come in at or about 4% ABV. Here are a couple recipes, one from each genre.

Belgian White Winter Ale (5 gallons)

This ale is light in body, light in color and just plain refreshing. It is spiced with coriander and bitter orange peel (a famous combination), but also receives some of its spicy nature from the Wyeast 3944 and its phenolic character.

MALT BILL:
Belgian 2-Row 4.00 pounds
Belgian White Wheat 3.00 pounds
Flaked Oats 0.75 pounds
Carapils 0.50 pounds
Flaked White Wheat 0.50 pounds

Mash at 155F for 90 minutes

HOP BILL:
Hallertau .50 ounce 60 mintues 7.7 IBUs
Crystal .50 ounce 60 minutes 6.3 IBUs
Hallertau .50 ounce 5 minutes 1.5 IBUs
Crystal .50 ounce 5 minutes 1.3 IBUs

SPICES:
Bitter Orange Peel 2.00oz 15 minutes
Coriander Seed 1.50oz 5 minutes

YEAST:
Wyeast 3944

FERMENTATION:
Ferment at 68F for 3 weeks

RECIPE STATISTICS:
OG: 1.049
FG: 1.012
IBU: 16.8
SRM: 4.3
ABV: 4.86

Samichlaus Clone (5 gallons) (BYO 150 Classic Clones Edition)

This lager should be brewed in the spring if you hope to have it ready in time for winter sipping, and I do mean sipping. A heavy hitter with the grain bill of a 10 gallon brew, boiled down to 5 gallons and then inoculated with the yeast from a nearly 2 gallon starter… this is the definition of specialty beer.

MALT BILL:
Pilsner Malt 21.00 pounds
Vienna Malt 2.00 pounds
Carahell Dark Malt 1.50 pounds
Cane Sugar 2.00 pounds

Step mash to rest at:
104F for 15 minutes
122F for 15 minutes
140F for 15 minutes
158F for 45 minutes

Collect 13 gallons of wort and boil down to 5 gallons. Yes, collect 13 to achieve a final volume of 5 gallons! If you are using propane to boil, you will need to have a spare gas tank at the ready!

HOP BILL:
Northern Brewer 1.50 ounces 60 mintues 28.8 IBUs
Tettnang .50 ounce 15 minutes 2.3 IBUs
Hallertau .50 ounce 2 minutes .3 IBUs

SPICES:
Bitter Orange Peel 2.00oz 15 minutes
Coriander Seed 1.50oz 5 minutes

YEAST:
WLP 885 (7L starter!!!) The yeast must be treated well, and the size of the starter is not only to manage the high OG, but also to create a large enough cell count to overcome the cool fermentation temperatures of this lager. Remember to oxygenate your wort very well prior to pitching, your yeast will need all the help that they can get. See How to Make a Starter here at www.BrewersFriend.com

FERMENTATION:
Ferment at 52F for 30-45 days
Rack to secondary, add fresh yeast and allow temperature to rise to 60F, then lager for about 180 days at 38F

RECIPE STATISTICS:
OG: 1.139
FG: 1.034
IBU: 31.4
SRM: 15
ABV: 14%

Winter brews are typically specialty beers and therefore the style specifics are wide open. Try one of the above recipes the next time that you brew a winter lager or ale, or formulate something that fits your tastes. Who cares about style points here, brew what you like and offer your friends and family members something special when they arrive for winter visits.

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Holiday Spice Ale – Ready in a month

A lot of breweries sell a “winter beer” or “Christmas beer”, and they’re typically high-gravity, with complex flavors. Our brewing group wanted something that was exactly the opposite: a low-gravity, easy-to-drink beer that would complement our turkey with cranberry sauce. This is pretty similar to most “holiday spice beer” recipes you’ll find, with one nice difference. Most of those recipes call for cinnamon sticks to be ground and cloves to be crushed, and generally have you doing a lot of work to get your aroma & flavor right. We use allspice; it lets you get those cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg flavors & aromas without having to work at it. The other charm of this beer is its speed. Two weeks in the carboy, two weeks in the bottle, and it’s ready to go. It’s easy to drink, goes well with a meal, and makes a great gift.

Holiday Spice Ale (all grain)

Style: American Ale
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.013
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 19
Volume: 5.5 gallons

Grain Bill:
5.5 lbs Pale Malt (adjust to suit your efficiency factor)
1 lb Belgian Aromatic
1 lb Honey Malt

Adjuncts:
1 lb Honey
1/8th pound Molasses

Hops:
Bittering Hops: 1.5 oz Fuggle (60 minutes)
Flavor Hops: .5 oz Fuggle (10 minutes)

Yeast: Wyeast 1028 London Ale

Extras: 2 tablespoons ground Allspice, added to the last 10 minutes of the boil.

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Recipe OktoberFEAST Ale AG (5.5 US gal.)

With fall just around the corner, cooler temperatures and shorter days are on there way. This calls for a maltier, less hoppy, less zingy beer to satisfy us on those cool evenings around the fire. As the temperatures go down, the ABV of seasonal beers goes up. To speed up the process, this Oktoberfest beer is not a classic Maerzen lager, but an ale.

The following recipe is based on 75% brew house efficiency, see an explanation of brew house efficiency here at Brewers Friend.

Style: Maerzen (ale)
BJCP Guidelines:
OG: 1.050-1.056
FG: 1.012-1.016
ABV: 4.8-5.7
IBU: 20-28
SRM: 7.0-14.0

Recipe Targets:
OG: 1.056
FG: 1.014-1.016
ABV: 5.3%-5.5%
IBU: 24.1
SRM: 13.5.
Volume: 5.5 gallons

Malt Bill:
Belgian Pilsner 4.25 lbs
Vienna 2.25 lbs
Munich 20L 2.00 lbs
Aromatic 1.00 lbs
Crystal 20L 1.00 lbs
Crystal 40L 1.00 lbs

Water Profile: Munich water profile to accentuate malt flavor.

Ca: 88 SO4: 11 Mg: 3 Na: 10 Cl: 2 HCO3: 156 Alky: 240

Mash in with 23.0 quarts (2qt/lb) of water at 167F to rest at 158F for 60 minutes. This water was also treated with Five Star Buffer 5.2.

Mash out at 168F utilizing additional infusions or direct heat.

Collect 8.0 gallons (adjust to compensate for your own boil rate) at a SG of 1.039

Boil for 100 minutes with the following hop schedule. (Adjust your qty. to adjust for any difference in AA value)

Hops:
Tettnanger 3.3AA 1.00oz 100 minutes
Tettnanger 3.3AA 0.50oz 45 minutes
Tettnanger 3.3AA 0.50oz 30 minutes

Chill wort to pitching temperature, see an explanation of “no chill” brewing here at brewersfriend.com.

Yeast: SafAle S-04 11g packet.

Fermentation Temperature: 65F

Time in Primary: 14 days

Carbonation: 2.5 volumes

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Hugh Hefe Hefeweizen AG (5.5 US gal)

Summer is the season for light and bright beers. A favorite that is light in body, low abv, but full of flavor and complexity is the hefeweizen. Perfect for a thirst quencher and suitable for a twist of citrus if you so choose.

The following recipe is based on 82% brew house efficiency see an explanation of brew house efficiency here at Brewers Friend.

Style: German Hefeweizen
BJCP Guidelines:
OG: 1.044-1.052
FG: 1.010-1.014
ABV: 4.3-5.6
IBU: 8-15
SRM: 2.0-8.0

Recipe Targets:
OG: 1.046
FG: 1.011-1.013
ABV: 4.3%-4.5%
IBU: 11.8
SRM: 2.9
Volume: 5.5 gallons

Malt Bill:
Belgian Wheat 5.0 lbs
Belgian Pilsner 2.25 lbs
Rahr Pale 6-Row 1.0 lbs

Water Profile:

Ca: 250
SO4: 244
Mg: 23
Na: 69
Cl: 106
(carb): 170

Mash in with 16.5 quarts (2qt/lb) of water at 160F to rest at 152F for 60 minutes. This water was also treated with Five Star Buffer 5.2.

Mash out at 168F utilizing additional infusions or direct heat.

Collect 8.0 gallons (adjust to compensate for your own boil rate) at a SG of 1.031

Boil for 100 minutes with the following hop schedule. (Adjust your qty. to adjust for any difference in AA value)

Hops:
Hallertau 5.1AA .6oz 100 minutes

Chill wort to pitching temperature, see an explanation of ‘no chill’ brewing here at brewersfriend.com.

Yeast: WLP300 German Hefeweizen liquid yeast. Click here for a review of this yeast.
NOTE: this liquid yeast benefits from making a 1qt yeast starter with an OG of approximately 1.040. See how to make a yeast starter at brewersfriend.com.

Fermentation Temperature: 70F
(NOTE: WLP300 ferments very violently, raising the wort temperature by 5-7F above ambient temperature, adjust ambient temperature accordingly)

Time in Primary: 10 days
(NOTE: WLP300 is a very violent fermenting yeast, use a blow off for at least the first 24 hours of the fermentation)

Carbonation: 3.8 volumes

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What is SMaSH brewing

Beers are complex. They typically consist of several types of malt, some base, some specialty, and this lends to the complexity of the beer. In the same sense, many beers use more than one hop type, again adding to the complexity and dimension of the beer. Beer is the sum of all of its parts, but to create it you must understand each singular part.

SMaSH stands for single malt and single hop. The acronym was coined by a group of dedicated brewers at the popular home brewing forum HBT (https://www.homebrewtalk.com). A SMaSH brew is a way for any brewer to really get a feel (taste) for any base malt and any hop variety. It is also a very economical way to brew as it minimizes the cost of the batch.

SMaSH brewing is an excellent way to learn about the flavors various malts and hops impart on a beer. By focusing on just one grain and one type of hops in a recipe, you can truly get a feel for the flavor of the malt and hops used. This being said, unless you are experimenting with the properties of different yeasts, you will want to keep to a clean fermenting yeast like S-05, WLP001, Nottingham etc. Otherwise, the flavors contributed by the yeast will begin to overshadow those from the malt and hops.

A typical SMaSH recipe would resemble the following:

Malt:

• 8 lbs Maris Otter
• Mash for 60 minutes at 153F

Hops:

• 1 oz Centennial @ 60 min.
• .5oz Centennial @ 10 min.
• 1 oz Centennial Dry Hop

Yeast:

• SafAle S-05

Though not complex, a SMaSH brew will not only showcase the properties of the single malt and single hop being used. It can and will create a clean and easy drinking beer that will remind you with each glass of the properties of these individual ingredients. When formulating recipes, you will know if Maris Otter will suit your recipe better than Rahr 2-row pale malt. You will also have a better idea of whether or not you would prefer Centennial or Cascade in a certain recipe as well.

In order to formulate a recipe and enjoy the sum of all the parts, you need to understand the properties of each individual part. Do some experimenting, use your hop of choice for bittering, flavor and aroma. Explore the ability of the hop to create a favorable outcome in each of these roles. You may enjoy the bitterness of Centennial, but not the flavor or the aroma…. so be sure to use it in each of these capacities in your SMaSH.

One variation on this method is to split the batch into several parts. Brew a SMaSH brew and then split the 5 gallon batch into (5) separate 1 gallon batches. Pitch a clean fermenting yeast into one batch (WLP001, Nottingham, S-05) and then use any other yeasts that you are interested in testing into the other fermentors.

At this point you will have a simple beer where the yeasts properties can shine through. The clean fermenting yeast will provide a control, a flavor profile that all of the other yeast varieties can be judged against. With one 5 gallon brew you will be able to experiment with (5) yeasts and explore the properties of the malt and hops chosen for the SMaSH.

Update 9/23/2009:  Modified post to clarify origins of SMaSH acronym.

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CCB Haus Ale All Grain Aussie No Chill

This beer can be a staple in anyones refrigerator or kegerator. A light and crisp gateway beer for the non-homebrewing crowd, this beer is a great thirst quencher on a hot summer day, or a great session beer for anytime gatherings.

The following recipe is based on 82% brew house efficiency. See an explanation of brew house efficiency here at Brewers Friend.

Style: Blond Ale

BJCP Guidelines:
OG: 1.038-1.054
FG: 1.008-1.013
ABV: 3.8-5.5
IBU: 15-28
SRM: 2.0-5.0

Recipe Targets:
OG: 1.040
FG: 1.008-1.010
ABV: 4.2%-3.94%
IBU: 23.2
SRM: 5.0
Volume: 5.5 gallons

Malt Bill:
Rahr 2-Row Pale Malt 6.0 lbs
Caramel Pils 0.5 lbs
Vienna 0.5 lbs
Crystal 20L 0.5 lbs

Water Profile:
Ca: 46 SO4: 58 Mg: 8.3 Na: 17 Cl: 25 (carb): 76

Mash in with 3.75 gallons (2qt/lb) of water at 160F to rest at 152F for 60 minutes. This water was also treated with Five Star Buffer 5.2.

Mash out at 168F utilizing additional infusions or direct heat.

Collect 8.00 gallons (adjust to compensate for your own boil rate) at a SG of 1.028

Boil for 100 minutes with the following hop schedule. (Adjust your qty. to adjust for any difference in AA value)

Cascade 7.2AA .25oz FWH
Cascade 7.2AA .25oz 100 min.
Cascade 7.2AA .25oz 35 min.
Cascade 7.2AA .25oz 20 min.

Chill wort to pitching temperature. See an explanation of “no chill” brewing here at Brewers Friend.

Yeast: SafAle (Fermentis) S-05 (you may choose to use any clean fermenting yeast strain such as WLP001, Nottingham or California Ale)

Fermentation Temperature: 68F

Time in Primary: 14 days

Carbonation: 2.50 volumes

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Munich Helles Lager – Spaten Clone (Extract)

Makes an excellent light lager, but not an American light lager, slightly maltier and more bitter. Very drinkable beer, easy on the palate but not watered down at all. Helles means ‘light’ in German.
This is pretty close to Spaten.

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English Pub Bitter II, ESB – 2008

This was the second attempt at an English Pub Bitter, and it is actually more like an Extra Special Bitter (ESB) this time given the IBUs at 43+. I am very happy with the results, the beer is definitely bitter, but not flooring. It has a nice malty flavor, a pretty deep golden hue, and a crisp finish. Head retention has been good.

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