The Kernel Brewery’s Table Beer clone

Courtesy of Maltose Express Monroe, Connecticut

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.045  FG = 1.020 IBU = 22  SRM =  5  ABV = 3.3%

We visited The Kernel Brewery in London, England last year. It is located under a truss of the London Bridge. There are 12 employees at Kernel and each takes turns brewing the beer. They brew five days a week so each employee brews every two weeks or so. They make five standard beers — a table beer, pale ale, IPA, stout, and a porter. The brewer of the day decides which hops will go into his or her beer. This change in beers has really taken off with customers who look forward to each new tweak on each beer style.

The best selling beer at Kernel is their table beer, which is a well-balanced session ale with a great hop presence, smooth body, and a surprising hoppiness for a 3.3% ABV beer. The key to this beer is the higher final gravity that balances out the US hops in the beer. It is a great summer beer that will give you the hops you want without the high alcohol content.

Ingredients

3.9 lbs. (1.8 kg) Muntons extra light dried malt extract
6 oz. (170 g) US crystal malt (20 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) Belgian aromatic malt
4 oz. (113 g) flaked oats
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) maltodextrin powder
1.8 AAU Centennial hops (60 min.) (0.18 oz./5 g at 10% alpha acids)
4.9 AAU Simcoe® hops (10 min.) (0.375 oz./10.6 g at 13% alpha acids)
3.8 AAU Centennial hops (10 min.) (0.375 oz./10.6 g at 10% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Centennial hops (1 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by step

Bring 5 gallons (19 L) brewing water in your pot up to 150 °F (66 °C). Place the crystal malt, aromatic malt, and flaked oats in a muslin bag and add to the brewing water. Steep for 30 minutes and then remove the grain bag, allowing the liquid to drip back into the pot. Remove from heat and stir in the malt extract and maltodextrin, being careful not to scorch any on the bottom of the pot. Turn heat back on once all the extract is dissolved and bring wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops as indicated.

At the end of the boil, cool wort and ferment at 68–70 °F (20–21 °C). After one week in primary, transfer to a secondary fermenter (ideally a glass carboy) for two weeks, adding dry hops for the final 3 days. Bottle or keg as usual.