Empire Brewing Company: American Strong Ale clone
“This ale is bold, hoppy, and complex with chocolate and roasted malts adding a full malty character. The strong American hops balance the beer with an aggressive bitterness, followed by a fruity hop flavor and a full hop aroma. “
Empire Brewing Company: American Strong Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.078 FG = 1.016
IBU = 78 SRM = 20 ABV = 8.7%
Ingredients
15.5 lbs. (7 kg) Thomas Fawcetts Maris Otter malt
4 oz. (0.11 kg) Thomas Fawcetts chocolate malt (425 °L)
2 oz. (57 g) Thomas Fawcetts roasted barley (550 °L)
13 AAU Galena hops (60 min) (1 oz./28 g at 13% alpha acids)
6 AAU Nugget hops (30 min) (0.5 oz./14 g at 12% alpha acids)
4.5 AAU Amarillo® hops (15 min) (0.5 oz./14 g at 9% alpha acids)
4.5 AAU Amarillo® hops (10 min) (0.5 oz./14 g at 9% alpha acids)
4.5 AAU Amarillo® hops (5 min) (0.5 oz./14 g at 9% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Amarillo® hops (0 min.)
1.0 oz. (28 g) Galena hops (dry hop)
0.75 oz. (21 g) Amarillo® hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast
1 cup (200 g) dextrose (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brewing, make a yeast starter. (OG 1.015 to 1.020, aerated thoroughly before pitching the yeast.
Ferment yeast starter in the mid 70s °F/~24 °C.) On brew day, mash in at 152 °F (67 °C) in 20 qts. (19 L) of water and hold for 60 minutes. Recirculate until wort clears, then begin collecting your wort. Sparge with water hot enough to make the grain bed temperature rise to 170 °F (77 °C) by the end of wort collection. (Or, mash out to 170 °F/ 77 °C and sparge with water hot enough to keep the grain bed at that temperature.)
Collect at least 8 gallons (30 L) of wort (or monitor runnings and stop collecting wort when the specific gravity drops below 1.010). Boil wort for 90 minutes (or until volume is reduced to 5 gallons/19 L). Add hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. Ferment at 68–70 °F (20–21 °C). Dry hop for 2 weeks at 35-40 °F (1.6–4.4 °C). Bottle or keg as usual.
Extract with grains option:
Reduce the Maris Otter malt in the all-grain recipe to 1 lb. 10 oz. (0.74 kg) and add 4 lbs. (1.8 kg) Muntons light dried malt extract and 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Muntons light liquid malt extract. Steep grains at 152 °F (67 °C) in 3 qts. (2.8 L) of water for 1 hour. Boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Add dried malt extract at beginning of boil, add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.
