Beer Style: Pale Ale Family
Merriman Old Fart clone
Sadly, Merriman’s Brewery in Leeds is apparently no longer brewing. The information that I have for this beer is: OG: 1.050. Malt bill: Halcyon pale malt, crystal malt, wheat malt, pale chocolate malt, roast barley. Hops: Liberty, Progress. IBU: 32. When one has no information about malt bill proportions, the only option is to guess. However, we are aware of the usual style guideline ranges for using specialty grains, so we can use these as a starting point.
Oakhill Brewery’s Yeoman Strong Ale clone
The Oakhill Brewery in Somerset closed down when the owner retired. This beer has obviously been renamed during its history and the information that I have for it is: OG: 1.049–1.050. Malt bill: 91.5% Triumph or Halcyon pale malt, 8.5% crystal malt. Hops: Bramling Cross, Challenger, Fuggles, Goldings. In this case, we have malt bill proportions, but no IBU, so again we have to guess. However, style guidelines are a good guide to expected ballpark IBU.
Anderson Valley Brewing Co.’s Summer Solstice Seasonal Ale clone
Anderson Valley describes this summer sipper as a slightly sweet, malty session beer with a creamy mouthfeel and clean finish.
Long Trail Brewing Co.’s Double Bag Alt clone
A German Style Alt. Long Trail Brewing Co. describes this beer on it’s website, “This double altbier features a distinct malt presence balanced by a subtle hop backbone that delivers a smooth, complex drinking experience. At 7.2 percent alcohol by volume, this is one brew worth milking.”
Elk Grove Brewery and Restaurant: Otis Alt clone
This beer should be bitter and have a nice “Spalty” nose to it. But to keep the hops from overwhelming the palate the malt has to come through as well. The roasty undertones of the Munich and Vienna malts complement the aggressiveness of the hops very well.
— Bill Wood, Brewmaster
Kölsch
by the numbers OG: 1.044–1.050 (11–12.4 °P) FG: 1.007–1.011 (1.8–2.8 °P) SRM: 3.5–5 IBU: 20–30 ABV: 4.4–5.2% My first time wandering the streets of Cologne was a magical moment. In between dramatic
Extra Special Bitter (ESB)
by the numbers OG: 1.048–1.060 (11.9–14.7 °P) FG: 1.010–1.016 (2.6–4.1 °P) SRM: 6–18 IBU: 30–50 ABV: 4.6–6.2% Extra special bitter, often referred to as English pale ale or strong bitter (ESB is
Cream Ale
by the numbers OG: 1.042–1.055 (10.5–13.6 °P) FG: 1.006–1.012 (1.5–3.1 °P) SRM: 2.5–5 IBU: 15–20 ABV: 4.2–5.6% My friends know I am fond of saying that I love every beer style if
Belgian Pale Ale
by the numbers OG: 1.048–1.054 (11.9–13.3 °P) FG: 1.010–1.014 (2.6–3.6 °P) SRM: 8–14 IBU: 20–30 ABV: 4.8–5.5% Mick, the bartender at the Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco, serves me a De Koninck.
American Pale Ale
by the numbers OG: 1.045–1.060 (11.2–14.7 °P) FG: 1.010–1.015 (2.6–3.8 °P) SRM: 5–14 IBU: 30–45 ABV: 4.5–6.2% The very first homebrew I ever drank was an American pale ale my neighbor Steve
American Blonde
by the numbers OG: 1.038–1.054 (9.5–13.3 °P) FG: 1.008–1.013 (2.1–3.3 °P) SRM: 3–6 IBU: 15–28 ABV: 3.8–5.5% Oh where have all of the American blonde
Ordinary Bitter
Jamil Zainasheff provides readers with a recipe to make a classic English Ordinary Bitter.