American Pale Ale
American pale ale is arguably the quintessential microbrew. On tap at nearly every brew house in America, pale ale is the hoppier, fuller-bodied, and maltier cousin of domestic lager. Our pale ale represents the west coast style with an aggressive amount of domestic hops contributing a citrus character. To purchase this kit, click here.
Statistics
Original Gravity 1.056
Final Gravity 1.014
Alcohol Content 5.3%
Ingredients
6 lb. Munton & Fison Extra Light Dried Malt Extract
½ lb. Briess Crystal Malt 20° L
½ lb. Munton & Fison Carapils Malt 20° L
1 oz. Nugget Hop Pellets (Bittering) with 60 minutes left in the boil.
1 oz. Cascade Hop Pellets (Flavoring) with 10 minutes left in the boil.
1 oz. Cascade Hop Pellets (Finishing) with 2 minutes left in the boil.
Wyeast # 1056 XL American Ale Yeast
Procedure
A few hours before you begin to brew, prepare your liquid yeast according to the package instructions. We assume that you are familiar with basic homebrewing techniques, so these procedures are abbreviated.
1. Divide the cracked grains between 2 of the muslin bags (about ½ pound per bag) and add them to your brew kettle along with up to 2 gallons of cold water (keep enough head space to avoid boil-overs). Heat slowly.
2. Steep the grains in hot water (about 145° – 160°F) to extract flavor and color – do not allow to boil. After about 30 minutes, remove the grain bags and then bring the water to a boil.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and add the bags of of dried malt extract. Keep the kettle off the burner and stir until the malt extract is completely dissolved.
4. Put the pot back on the burner and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, place bittering hops into muslin bag (no more than 1 oz per bag), add them to the pot, and set your timer to boil for 1 hour. Keep an eye on the pot to avoid boil-overs.
5. After 45 minutes of boiling, add ½ teaspoon of Irish moss, or 1 Whirlfloc tablet, to help clarify your beer (optional).
6. After 50 minutes of boiling, add the flavoring hops (in a muslin bag).
7. After 58 minutes of boiling, add the finishing hops (in a muslin bag) and boil for 2 more minutes.
8. After 60 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat. Put a lid on your pot and cool it in an ice bath (use your sink) for about 30 minutes. Remove the hop bags from the kettle.
9. Pour 1½ gallons of cold water into your sanitized fermenter, add the cooled wort (the stuff in your pot), and top up with additional water to 5 gallons. Aerate the wort with vigorous stirring, rocking the fermenter, etc.
10. Make sure the wort is below 80°F before adding yeast. Take a hydrometer reading if desired. Add the yeast to the wort.
11. Store the fermenter where the temperature will be a fairly constant 65° – 70°F. Active fermentation may take only a few days, or it can last up to 2 weeks. A hydrometer reading is a great way to determine when the fermentation is done. Keep the beer in the primary fermenter until active fermentation is done (no signs of active fermentation for the last 2-3 days).
12. When ready to bottle, siphon beer into your sanitized bottling bucket, leaving sediment behind. Boil the priming sugar in 1-2 cups of water for a few minutes, gently stir into the beer, and bottle as usual.