Bass & Co’s Pale Ale clone

Bass & Co’s Pale Ale clone
Bass p.l.c., England

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.049  FG = 1.010
IBU = 32  SRM = 11  ABV = 5%

Michael Jackson claims that Bass uses a single addition of Challenger and Northdown hops. He’s probably right, but we think two Northern Brewer additions best captures the minty flavor and aroma of Bass’s hop presence in a homebrew clone. This is an attempt to clone the bottle version found in the United States.

Ingredients
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) English pale ale malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) flaked barley
1 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
0.5 oz. (14 g) roasted barley (500 °L)
8.0 AAU Northern Brewer hops (60 min.) (0.89 oz./25 g of 9% alpha acids)
2.0 AAU Northern Brewer hops (15 min.) (0.22 oz./6.3 g of 9% alpha acids)
2.6 AAU Challenger hops (5 min.) (0.35 oz./10 g of 7.5% alpha acids)
1 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
1/4 tsp. yeast nutrients (15 min.)
Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP007(Dry English Ale) yeast
3/4 cups (150 g) dextrose (if priming)

Step by Step
Make 13 gallons (49 L) of brewing liquor with 100–150 ppm Ca2+ and a slightly lower level of carbonates. If you start with very soft, distilled, or reverse osmosis (RO) water, use 5 teaspoons of gypsum and 4 teaspoons of chalk (calcium carbonate) for your 13 gallons (49 L). (Yes, Burton-on-Trent’s water is harder than this, but you don’t need “extra chunky” water for a great clone.)

On brew day, mash the grains at 152 °F (67 °C) and rest for 1 hour. Vourlaf until runnings are clear and sparge, collecting around 6.5 gallons (25 L) and boil for 90 minutes. Add hops, Irish moss and yeast nutrients at times indicated in the ingredients list. After the boil, turn off the heat and chill the wort rapidly to 68 °F (20 °C). Aerate the wort well and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). When the beer has reached final gravity, transfer to a bottling bucket for priming and bottling, or transfer to a keg.

Partial Option: Omit the flaked barley. scale the 2-row pale ale malt down to 1 lb. (0.45 kg), and add 0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Muntons light dried malt extract, and 3 lbs. 12 oz. (1.7 kg) Alexander’s pale liquid malt extract (late addition) and 1 lb. 6 oz. (0.62 kg) corn sugar. Before brewing, make the brewing liquor: Add 6 gallons (23 L) of soft, distilled, or RO water to a clean brewing bucket and add 1 tsp. of gypsum and 0.5 tsp. of chalk to make your brewing liquor.

Place crushed grains in a nylon steeping bag. Heat 3 quarts (2.9 L) of brewing liquor to 163 °F (73 °C) and submerge the bag. Steep the grains at 152 °F (67 °C) for 45 minutes, then pull the bag out and let it drain over the pot in a colander. Rinse the grains with 1 quart (~1 L) of water at 170 °F (77 °C). Add brewing liquor to the steeped “grain tea” to make 3 gallons (11 L) of wort. Add the dried malt extract and corn sugar and the pot bring to a boil. Add the first charge of hops and boil for 60 minutes. Add other hops, Irish moss, and yeast nutrients at times indicated. With 15 minutes left in boil, shut off heat and stir in the liquid malt extract. Resume heating and finish the boil. Cool wort and transfer to fermenter. Top up to 5 gallons (19 L) with brewing liquor, aerate the wort well, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C).