Tag Archives: pale ale

The French Connection Pale Ale

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A recent HOPBOX had a few varieties of French hops, which ranged from lager-type to IPA-ready varieties. Wanting to experiment a bit and also make an end-of-summer-drinkable-pale-ale, I created “French Connection Pale Ale.” Because my fermentation space was limited, I opted for a kveik–once again, the faithful Lutra. It’s not over-the-top in flavor, with mild citrusy qualities that would play well with the hops. I kept the grist on the lighter side, with just 2-row and caramel 20, in order to tilt towards easy drinkability and also contrast with the “old school” pale ale I brewed recently.

The French Connection Pale Ale

pale beer in glass
  • Lamonta Pale American barley malt (Mecca Grade)
  • 0.5 lb. caramel malt 20L (Briess)
  • 1.5 oz. Barbe Rouge hop pellets (6.6% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1 pkg. dry Lutra Kveik (Omega #OYL-071)
  • 2 oz. Mistral hop pellets (4.2% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 0.5 oz. Barbe Rouge hop pellets (6.6% alpha), dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

  • 1.049 s.g., 1.010 f.g., 5.2% abv, 37 IBU, 6 SRM
  • Full volume mash, 152° for 60 minutes, 168° mash-out for 10 minutes
  • Claremont tap water adjusted to hit target water parameters of to hit target of 91 ppm Ca, 23 ppm Mg, 84 ppm Na, 196 ppm SO4, 120 ppm Cl, 20 ppm HCO3, RA=-62

Procedure

  • I collected 7.5 gallons of tap water and added 6.25 mL of 88% lactic acid, to knock out the carbonates. Then, I added 5 g of Epsom salts and 5 g of gypsum in order to hit my target water.
  • I heated the water to 157° in order to hit a mash temperature of 152°. I added 3 mL of 88% lactic acid to adjust the mash pH…only to realize I shouldn’t have done this! I hadn’t adjusted my water profile in the recipe, so this would result in a pH of ~4.9. Oops! I figured I would just roll with it by this point, and let the beer find its pH in the end.
  • I mashed at 152° for 60 minutes, with recirculation, before raising the mash to 168° for 10 minutes. I then pulled the grains.
  • In total, I collected 6.75 gallons with a gravity of 1.041, for 70% mash effciency.
  • I brought the kettle to a boil, adding hops and finings per the recipe. After 60 minutes, I turned off the heat and chilled to 84° and transferred to the fermenter.
  • I brewed this beer on 19 August 2023. Starting gravity was 1.046.
  • After pitching the yeast, I fermented the beer at ambient.
  • I kegged the beer on 7 September 2023. It had a final gravity of 1.012, for 4.5% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • This is a straw-colored, hazy beer, with a thin white head. The head is somewhat persistent around the margins of the glass, but nothing special.
  • Aroma
    • A bit of berry as the beer warms up as well as some citrus; very fresh fruit character. I even get a bit of melon (cantaloupe/honeydew) at times.
  • Flavor
    • Hop-forward, especially in a fresh hop flavor. Bitterness is medium, and the hops come across with a bit of orange and even more berry character–especially currant and others. It’s more of a “generic berry” quality than anything. In some tastings, I get more citrus, but overall that is in the background. Malt quality is fairly innocuous, as expected. There is a bit of the “kveik flavor,” but it’s quite minimal.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium light body, moderate carbonation, and very very slightly dry finish. It’s an easy drinking beer!
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This is a pretty good “modern American pale ale,” and it is quite drinkable. I wouldn’t say it’s an earth-shaking beer, but the hops definitely are enjoyable. They are a nice departure from “citrus/pine bomb” territory. I would recommend these varieties for others who want to branch out. I got a strong vegetal/allium quality on the first few pours of this, but that is long gone thankfully.
  • Overall
    • 8/10 — the haze dings it a bit for my taste, but otherwise it’s pretty solid.

American Pale Ale 2023

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My previous American Pale Ale was enjoyable for multiple reasons, and I was keen to brew another one in the same flavor space. Specifically, I love the “traditional” Americna craft versions of APA, with their citrus/pine hops and decent malt complexity.

Conveniently, the July/August 2023 issue of BYO featured a style profile on American Pale Ale by Gordon Strong, with a focus on more traditional versions of the style. I usually have good luck with Strong’s recipes, so decided to give this one a go. It had a more complex malt bill than I normally use, which seemed like an interesting experiment.

My version follows the spirit of Strong’s fairly closely, although I increased the pale malt and pilsner malt quantities very slightly in order to account for my system efficiency. I also went with Centennial and Columbus hops instead of the more complex original version (Cascade+Amarillo+Centennial), to use up some of my hops on-hand. Finally, I like the “cleaner” profile of American ale yeasts, so I used those instead of the suggested English yeasts.

American Pale Ale 2023

  • 5.25 lb. Lamonta Pale American malt
  • 4.25 lb. Viking Pilsner Zero malt
  • 1 lb. Munich I malt (Weyermann)
  • 0.5 lb. caramel malt 60L (Briess)
  • 0.5 oz. Centennial hop pellets (8.1% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 0.5 oz. Centennial hop pellets (8.1% alpha), 5 minute boil
  • 2 oz. Columbus LUPOMAX hop pellets (20.5% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
  • 1 pkg. American West Coast Ale (Lallemand BRY-97)

Target Parameters

  • 1.050 s.g., 1.011 f.g., 5.1% abv, 38 IBU, 8 SRM
  • Full volume mash, 152° for 60 minutes, 168° mash-out for 10 minutes
  • Claremont tap water adjusted to hit target water parameters of 83 ppm Ca, 6 ppm Mg, 84 ppm Na, 108 ppm SO4, 120 ppm Cl, 20 ppm HCO3, RA=-46 ppm

Procedure

  • I collected 7.5 gallons of tap water and added 6.25 mL of 88% lactic acid in order to neutralize the carbonates. Then, I heated the water to 156° before adding the crushed grains and 1.5 mL of 88% lactic acid for pH adjustment.
  • I set the mash temperature to 152° for 60 minutes with recirculation, and then raised the temperature to 168° for 10 minutes. Finally, I removed the grains.
  • In total, I collected 6.75 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.041, for 68% mash efficiency.
  • While I brought the kettle to a boil, I added 4 g of gypsum to hit my water target.
  • I added hops and finings per the schedule, boiling for a total of 60 minutes.
  • Once I turned off the heat, I added the LUPOMAX Columbus hop pellets and recirculated for 15 minutes.
  • Next, I chilled the wort to 85° before transferring to the fermenter for the final chill to 66°. This took around 5 hours. Finally, I pitched the yeast.
  • Starting gravity was 1.049. I brewed the beer on 16 July 2023.
  • Fermentation was vigorous, with the yeast overflowing into the airlock.
  • I kegged the beer on 12 August 2023. Final gravity was 1.010, for 5.1% abv.
  • The beer had dropped very clear by 24 August 2024.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Very clear and deep gold beer, which pours with a creamy and incredibly persistent ivory head. Just gorgeous!
  • Aroma
    • Bready malt and a touch of caramel, with piney hop notes. No significant yeast character.
  • Flavor
    • Moderately high bitterness, with extended bitter finish. The bitterness tends towards piney resin and citrus pith. The malt level is secondary; slightly bready and smooth.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium body, medium-low carbonation, slightly dry finish. Overall, this beer has a nice “round” palate.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • YES! This is a wonderful, classic American pale ale, of the sort you just can’t find anymore. Everything merges perfectly. The hop combo is awesome, and hits my sweet spot.
  • Overall
    • 10/10

Beam Me Up Pale Ale

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Beer can commemorate life events and the passage of time…meeting new friends and saying farewell to old. A dear friend and neighbor is off to new opportunities with their family, and it’s definitely a beer-worthy event. He loves Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (SNPA), and we’ve shared a few in his driveway (as well as a few homebrews) over the years. So, I decided to brew something SNPA-inspired…and by coincidence, this year’s “Big Brew Day” recipe is right in that wheelhouse.

Beam Me Up Pale Ale, all on its own

The original recipe was in the March/April 2023 issue of Zymurgy, under the name of “Nearly Nirvana Pale Ale.” It’s pretty similar to the Miss’ippi #BIGCASCADE recipe from the September 2013 BYO issue, too! My recipe is a good match for “Nearly Nirvana,” except I lowered the gravity a touch (1.056 vs. 1.060), to more closely match SNPA. This batch is also special in that I used only whole cone Cascade hops from the Farke family farm in South Dakota, all representing the 2022 crop year. I made some minor adjustments in the grist — the original called for Simpsons Crystal Light malt, and I substituted in Briess’s Caramel 40L.

I elected for a quick mash on this one, with just 30 minutes for the main rest of 156°. The goal was to shave a few minutes off of the brew day!

I did something a little different for the tasting, in doing a head-to-head with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Although my beer isn’t precisely a clone, I thought it would be good to make a comparison nonetheless. The intent was to help me more clearly evaluate my own version, and think about what the ingredients delivered.

Beam Me Up Pale Ale

  • 12 lb. 2-row pale malt (Rahr)
  • 0.5 lb. caramel malt – 40L (Briess)
  • 1.5 oz. Cascade whole hops (5.5% estimated alpha acid), 60 minute boil
  • 1.0 oz. Cascade whole hops (5.5% estimated alpha acid), 15 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1.5 oz. Cascade whole hops (5.5% estimated alpha acid), 5 minute boil
  • 2 pkg. BRY-97 (Lallemand)

Target Parameters

  • 1.056 s.g., 1.015 f.g., 5.4% abv, 44 IBU, 6 SRM
  • Full volume mash, 156° for 30 minutes, 168° mash-out for 10 minutes
  • Claremont tap water adjusted with lactic acid and mineral additions, to achieve calculated water profile of 142 Ca, 6 Mg, 84 Na, 83 SO4, 120 Cl, 156 HCO3, RA=23 ppm.

Procedure

  • I mashed in with 7.75 gallons of water at 163°, to hit a target rest of 156°. I added 5.5 mL of 88% lactic acid to adjust the pH.
  • I recirculated during the mash, raising it to 168° for a 10 minute mash-out.
  • After the mash, I removed the grains. In total, the mash yielded 7 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.046, for 70% mash efficiency.
  • On the way to the boil, I added 2.5 g of gypsum to accentuate the bitterness a bit more.
  • Once the runnings were boiling, I added hops and kettle finings per the recipe. After 60 minutes, I turned off the heat and chilled to 68° and transferred the wort to the fermenter. I pitched the yeast, and held the fermenter at 67° for the primary fermentation.
  • I brewed the beer on 18 March 2023. Starting gravity was 1.053.
  • I kegged the beer using a closed transfer, on 15 April 2023. Final gravity was 1.013, for 5.3% abv.
Down the glass, with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at left, and Beam Me Up Pale Ale at right.

Tasting

Just for fun, I tasted the beer on its own and also did a side-by-side with a can of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

  • Appearance
    • The beer is very clear, gold in color, and pours with a white and moderately persistent head.
      • Versus Sierra Nevada: Mine is slightly lighter in color, with less head and less head retention. The latter might be a result of a pour from draft versus the can? I’m not sure. The SNPA is slightly clearer, but also has what looks like some minor hop particulates at the bottom.
      • Winner: SNPA, by just a small margin, due to the better head and head retention.
  • Aroma
    • Sweet malt aroma and light caramel, with a light and citrusy hop aroma. The hops definitely have a mandarin quality.
      • Versus Sierra Nevada: SNPA lacks the light caramel aroma, and doesn’t have as much hop character (at least in the can I poured).
      • Winner: It’s a draw! I don’t have a preference either way.
  • Flavor
    • Medium level of citrusy mandarin orange and grapefruit, with a light resin quality in the hops. Light caramel in the malt character, medium bitterness, and clean yeast character.
      • Versus Sierra Nevada: SNPA is slightly more bitter, with more resin/pith character to the hop flavor. It’s definitely hop-dominated, with the malt to the back end, unlike mine.
      • Winner: Draw! I like aspects of each. They’re just different beers.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium carbonation, medium-light body, off-dry and smooth finish.
      • Versus Sierra Nevada: SNPA has a medium body profile and is slightly dryer on the finish.
      • Winner: I like SNPA slightly better, for having just a touch more body.
  • Would I brew this again?
    • Yes! “Beam Me Up Pale Ale” is by no means a clone (nor is it intended to be), but it’s a tasty and very drinkable beer! The mandarin quality on the hops in my version is super enjoyable. My main adjustments would be to up the bitterness slightly, and perhaps bitter with Chinook or another more resiny hop, using the Cascade for later additions. Or maybe I would leave it the same! It’s not a clone, after all.
  • Overall
    • 8/10
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (left) and Beam Me Up Pale Ale (right), head to head

Lycorhinus Pale Ale

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For this recipe, I wanted a nice down-the-middle American Pale Ale, to use up some of my hops on hand and also to emphasize the pine/citrus flavors I love. I’ve brewed something in the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale territory before, so this time around I wanted to do something a touch different. I looked in the Craft Beer for the Home Brewer book, where I found the “Capt’n Crompton’s Pale Ale” recipe from Epic Brewing. The reference to Crompton made me think of the famous paleontologist “Fuzz” Crompton, for whom Lanasaurus is named, and then I remembered that this is the junior synonym for Lycorhinus, and there we are with the final name!

The recipe is pretty similar to the original, except I made some minor substitutions for hops (Crystal instead of Mt. Hood, and I upped the Amarillo a little). For the dry hop addition, I used the very latest 2022 Cascade hops from my dad’s bines in South Dakota. They were under two weeks past picking when I added them to the beer!

Lycorhinus Pale Ale

  • 6 lb. Finest Pale Ale Malt, Golden Promise (Simpsons)
  • 6 lb. 2-row malt (Rahr)
  • 0.5 lb. Caramel Munich 60L malt (Briess)
  • 0.5 lb. Carapils malt
  • 1 oz. Centennial hop pellets (8.1% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.5 oz. Crystal hop pellets (4.5% alpha), 30 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 0.5 oz. Amarillo hop pellets (9.5% alpha), 5 minute boil
  • 0.5 oz. Centennial hop pellets (8.1% alpha), 5 minute boil
  • 1 pkg. American West Coast Ale yeast
  • 1 oz. Cascade whole hops, dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

  • 1.058 o.g., 1.012 f.g., 6.0% abv, 39 IBU, 7 SRM
  • Claremont tap water adjusted to 78 ppm Ca, 21 ppm Mg, 92 ppm Na, 188 ppm SO4, 110 ppm Cl, 30 ppm HCO3
  • Full-volume mash, no sparge, at 152° for 60 minutes

Procedure

  • I heated 7.25 gallons of water to 158°, adding 6 mL of 88% lactic acid to neutralize the carbonate.
  • I adjusted the pH to an estimated 5.35, using 88% lactic acid. I adjusted the mash to 152° for 60 minutes, and then raised the mash to 168° for an additional 10 minutes, all with recirculation.
  • After the mash, I pulled the grains. In total, I collected 6.25 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.049, for 64% mash efficiency.
  • I added 4 g of gypsum and 4 g of epsom salt, to adjust the water.
  • I brought the runnings to a boil, adding hops per the recipe. After a 60 minute boil, I turned off the heat and then chilled to ~82°. I transferred to the fermenter, and then chilled in the fermentation chamber to 66° before pitching the yeast.
  • Starting gravity was 1.058. I brewed this beer on 3 September 2022, and fermented it at 66°.
  • On 17 September 2022, I transferred the beer to the keg, and used 1 oz. of the 2022 South Dakota crop of Cascade to dry hop in a bag. I dry hopped the beer at room temperature for 3 days before removing the hops and carbonating at 34°.
  • Final gravity was 1.010, for 6.3% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Deep gold beer with a slight haze. The medium-sized ivory head is quite persistent.
  • Aroma
    • Light citrus hop aroma, with a slight caramel malty note. Clean yeast character.
  • Flavor
    • There is a perfect proportion between malt and hops. The overall flavor tilts bitter, but the malt backbone is fantastic, with aspects of bread, bread crust, and a slight hint of caramel. The hops are citrusy, and the fermentation profile is pretty clean.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light body, with a slightly dry finish. Moderate carbonation.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • Yes! This is a tremendous recipe, and the beer itself has matured into a super nice example of a classic America pale ale. It took a few weeks after kegging for the beer to mature and the haze to settle, but right now it’s a perfect beer. It is incredibly drinkable, and probably one of the best American pale ales I have made.
  • Overall
    • 10/10

Stratigraphic Pale Ale

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As mentioned previously, Yakima Valley’s HOPBOX is a good way to sample fresh and interesting hops. My first box included Strata and El Dorado; I’ve brewed with the latter previously, but not Strata. I was noodling about for a recipe that would have tropical-type notes, and these seemed to be a good way to achieve that goal.

The base recipe is a fairly standard American pale ale; I aimed for the lighter side of the style, with a very deft touch of caramel malts. To maximize the hop character, I dosed all of the aroma hops in the whirlpool and the dry hop additions. Otherwise, there’s not a ton of note in the recipe design.

Stratigraphic Pale Ale

  • 7.25 lb. 2-row pale malt (Rahr)
  • 4 lb. Maris Otter malt (Crisp)
  • 5 oz. crystal 15 (Great Western)
  • 4 oz. caramel 10L (Briess)
  • 0.25 oz. Bravo hop pellets (14.2% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 1 oz. El Dorado hop pellets (16.2% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
  • 1 oz. Strata hop pellets (13.7% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
  • 1 pkg. Safale American Ale yeast (Fermentis US-05)
  • 1 oz. El Dorado hop pellets (16.2% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 1 oz. Strata hop pellets (13.7% alpha), dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

  • 1.053 s.g., 1.011 f.g., 5.5% abv, 5 SRM, 38 IBU
  • Full volume mash, 60 minute mash at 152°, 10 minute mash-out at 168°
  • Claremont tap water adjusted to hit target of 71 ppm Ca, 6 ppm Mg, 91 ppm Na, 154 ppm SO4, 85 ppm Cl, 144 ppm bicarbonate, RA=63.

Procedure

  • I heated 7.25 gallons of water to 159°, and mashed in with the grains to hit a target mash temperature of 152°. I added 7.5 mL of 88% lactic acid to adjust the pH. I held it here while recirculating for 60 minutes, before raising the temperature to 168° for a 10 minute mash-out.
  • I removed the grain basket and brought the kettle to a boil. In total, I collected 6.4 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.048, for 70% mash efficiency. I added 5 g of gypsum to the boil kettle, to adjust the mineral profile of the water.
  • I added hops and finings per the recipe, with a 60 minute boil. After 60 minutes, I turned off the heat, added the whirlpool hops, and whirlpooled for 15 minutes.
  • After the whirlpool, I chilled and then transferred to the fermenter.
  • I chilled the wort down to 66° in my fermentation chamber, before pitching the yeast. I fermented at 66° also.
  • I brewed the beer on 29 January 2022. I kegged it on 8 March 2022, adding the dry hops to the keg.
  • Final gravity was 1.012, for 5.4% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Gold beer, slight haze; pours with a persistent fine white head.
  • Aroma
    • Citrus/orange prominent, with a bit of tropical fruit and strawberry also. Light malt aroma. Clean yeast character.
  • Flavor
    • Light malty flavor, against a moderate bitterness. The hop flavor is citrus, tropical fruit, and strawberry. Very nice!
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium body, medium carbonation, slightly dry finish.
  • Would I brew this again?
    • Yes! This is a nice hop combo. I ding the beer slightly for the haze, but otherwise this is a great recipe for tropical-type hops. I enjoyed Strata–the strawberry character really is something!
  • Overall
    • 8/10