Classic American Pale Ale

Classic American Pale Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.050 (12.3 °P)  FG = 1.011 (2.7 °P)
IBUs = 40  SRM = 6  ABV = 5.1%

This is an all-grain version of my first American Pale Ale recipe. It won gold medals in five different competitions before my wife drank it all.

Ingredients
8.5 lbs (3.86 kg) American two-row malt
0.25 lb (113 g) crystal malt (20 °L)
0.5 lb (226 g) Caravienne malt
7 AAU Columbus whole hops (0.5 oz/14g at 14% alpha acids) (60 min.)
5.5 AAU Centennial whole hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 11% alpha acids)
3 AAU Cascade whole hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 6% alpha acids)
6 AAU Cascade whole hops (0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 6% alpha acids)
1.5 oz (43 g) Centennial whole hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II) or White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V) or Mangrove Jack M36 (Liberty Bell Ale) yeast

Step by Step
Mill grains and dough-in using RO water until a medium thickness mash is achieved. Treat mash with 1 tsp calcium chloride. Hold mash at 152 °F (67 °C) until conversion is complete. Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 °C) RO water treated with 2 tsp phosphoric acid, collecting 6 gallons (22.7 L). Bring wort to a boil.

After the hot break, add the first charge of bittering hops. Boil for 60 additional minutes, adding the other hops per the hopping schedule. Allow the wort to rest for 5 minutes, then chill rapidly to 65 °F (18 °C). Rack to fermenter, leaving break material behind. Oxygenate, pitch the yeast, and ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Fermentation should be done in less than a week, but don’t rush it.

After the yeast has mostly settled, prepare a secondary fermenter (carboy). Blow in some CO2 to displace any oxygen, add the dry hops and rack the fermented beer on top of the dry hops, minimizing splashing. Leave the beer in contact with the hops for a week.

Rack to a keg and force carbonate, or rack to a bottling bucket, add priming sugar and bottle. Target a carbonation level of 2 to 2.5 volumes.

Variation: Add 0.5 lb (0.23 kg) Orange Blossom honey in the last 15 min of the boil.

Classic American Pale Ale

(5 gallons/19L, extract with grains)

Substitute 6.4 lbs (2.9 kg) of light-colored American liquid malt extract or 5.1 lbs (2.3 kg) of very pale dry malt extract for the American two-row malt. Mill the specialty grains and put them in a grain bag. Steep the bag in the 6 gallons (22.7 L) of strike water (RO water treated with 1 tsp calcium chloride) at 155 °F (68 °C) for 30 minutes. Lift the bag from the water and rinse gently with hot water. Let the bag drip into the kettle while adding the malt extract. Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil. Follow the main recipe from there.