Don’t miss our New England Beer & Baseball adventure in 2026! Click here to register!

recipe

Ricardo Fritzche’s American Pale Ale

Ricardo Fritzche’s American Pale Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) OG = 1.056   FG = 1.010 IBU = 65  SRM = 6  ABV = 6.2%

By Ricardo Fritzche of Austin, Texas, winner of the Lunar Rendezbrew 23 (Seabrook, Texas – 403 entries)

Ingredients

9 lbs. 12 oz. (4.4 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt 2 lbs. (0.91 kg) German Munich I malt 4 oz. (113 g) Carafoam® malt 4.1 AAU Magnum hops (first wort hop) (0.33 oz./9 g at 12.4% alpha acids) 27 AAU Citra® hops (15 min.) (2.25 oz./64 g at 12% alpha acids) 2.25 oz. (64 g) Citra® hops (0 min.) 2 oz. (57 g) Citra® hops (dry hop) 5 g (1 tsp.) gelatin fining (secondary) Wyeast 1469 (West Yorkshire) or White Labs WLP037 (Yorkshire Square Ale) or Lallemand Windsor Ale yeast 3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Prepare 33 qts. (31 L) of water with 5 g of calcium chloride and 5 g of calcium sulfate (brew in a bag; if using a standard mash, put the water salts in the mash).

This recipe uses a step mash. Mash in the malts at 125 °F (52 °C) and hold this temperature for 10 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 145 °F (63 °C) and hold for 30 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 162 °F (72 °C) and hold for 30 minutes. Raise to 172 °F (78 °C) and hold for 10 minutes. Remove grain from mash (brew in a bag) or sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected. Add the first wort hops (FWH) and bring wort up to a boil.

Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. When the boil is complete, chill to 61 °F (16 °C). Pitch yeast into oxygenated wort. Allow fermentation to passively warm to 68 °F (10 °C) until fermentation is almost complete. Transfer to secondary with the dry hops already in the container. After fermentation has finished, cold crash to 32 °F (0 °C), then add 5 g of gelatin mixed with water. Keg condition for 7–14 days at 68 to 72 °F (20 to 22 °C). Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.

Ricardo Fritzche’s American Pale Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains) OG = 1.056   FG = 1.010 IBU = 65   SRM = 6.5   ABV = 6.2%

Ingredients

7 lbs. 8 oz. (3.4 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract 4 oz. (113 g) Carafoam® malt 4.1 AAU Magnum hops (first wort hop) (0.33 oz./9 g at 12.4% alpha acids) 27 AAU Citra® hops (15 min.) (2.25 oz./64 g at 12% alpha acids) 2.25 oz. (64 g) Citra® hops (0 min.) 2 oz. (57 g) Citra® hops (dry hop) 5 g (1 tsp.) gelatin fining (secondary) Wyeast 1469 (West Yorkshire) or White Labs WLP037 (Yorkshire Square Ale) or Lallemand Windsor Ale yeast 3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Steep the grain for 30 minutes, then remove. Turn off heat.

Add the liquid malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Add the FWH addition. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the recipe. Chill to 61 °F (16 °C).

Pitch yeast into oxygenated wort. Allow fermentation to passively warm to 68 °F (10 °C) until fermentation is almost complete. Transfer to secondary with the dry hops already in the container. After fermentation has finished, cold crash to 32 °F (0 °C), then add 5 g of gelatin mixed with water. Keg condition for 7–14 days at 68 to 72 °F (20 to 22 °C). Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.

You might also like…

recipe

The King’s Diamonds

This is a riff on Drew’s classic “Queen’s Diamonds” that’s slightly updated to modern ingredients and a change in history. Note th

recipe

Trans Canada Brewing Co.’s MisBEEhavin’ clone

This extra special bitter blends the sweetness of buckwheat honey with the bitterness of the hops. As a homebrewer, this prize was an amazi

Stemmed glass of strong beer. recipe

Gordon Strong’s Strong Scotch Ale

This wee heavy strikes a good compromise between strength and drinkability. It uses homebrew techniques like kettle caramelization, but othe

Glass of Brewing Lair BLT beer. recipe

The Brewing Lair’s BLT clone

A hoppy Belgian tripel brewed with Mosaic® hops added at the end of the boil and as dry hops.