American Pale Ale would have to be one of the most popular beer styles, and in this post we'll be taking a deep dive into what makes them, and what you need to include in your own homebrew recipe to make your best version of the style.
Style Overview
A pale, refreshing and hoppy ale, yet with sufficient supporting malt to make the beer balanced and drinkable. The clean hop presence can reflect classic or modern American or New World hop varieties with a wide range of characteristics. An average-strength hop-forward pale American craft beer, generally balanced to be more accessible than modern American IPAs.
Appearance
Pale golden to light amber. Moderately large white to off-white head with good retention. Generally quite clear, although dry-hopped versions may be slightly hazy
Aroma
Moderate to strong hop aroma from American or New World hop varieties with a wide range of possible characters such as citrus, floral, pine, resinous, spicy, tropical fruit, stone fruit, berry or melon. Low to moderate maltiness to help support the hops. Small amounts of specialty malts are acceptable such as bready, toasty, biscuit or caramelly. Fruity esters from moderate to none.
Flavour
Moderate to high hop flavour, typically showing American or New World hop character. Low to moerate clean grainy-malt character supports the hop presentation. Balance is typically towards late hops and bitterness. Malt presence should be supportive, not distracting.
Mouthfeel
Medium light to medium body. Moderate to high level of carbonation. Overall smooth finish without astringency or harshness.
Vital Statistics
- ABV: 4.5% - 6.2%
- IBU: 30 - 50
- SRM: 5 - 10
- OG: 1.045 - 1.060
- FG: 1.010 - 1.015
Malts/Grains
Common/Popular/Classic Option
- Pale Malt - 95%
- Crystal Malt - 5%
Alternative Option
- Pilsner Malt - Up to 95% (using pilsner malt instead of pale will give a more neutral base allowing hop character to shine through even more)
- Munich - Up to 30%
- Biscuit - 1-3%
- Aromatic - 1-5%
- Melanoid - 1-3%
Hops
Hops are typically added at the beginning of the boil (typically 60 minutes) for bittering, with later additions being added at any or all of 15, 10, 5 and 0 minutes for flavour and aroma. 30 minute additions are redundant and should be avoided (unless you're doing a 30 minute boil instead of 60 minutes)
There's no shortage of hop options and varieties, but some popular combinations are;
- Ahtanum, Centennial, Simcoe
- Galaxy, Nelson, Columbus
- Cascade, Chinook, El Dorado, Mosaic
- Chinook, Simcoe
- Columbus, Citra
- Chinook, Mosaic, Citra
- Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo
- Galaxy, Citra
- Columbus, Centennial, Cascade
- Citra, Mosaic
- Centennial, Nelson, Citra
- Centennial, Chinook, Columbus
- Centennial, Amarillo - (research has proven this combination to be incredibly popular)
If in doubt, look to the five C's - considered to be the cornerstones of modern American craft beer brewing. Any or all of these hops in combination will work very well and give that classic american flavour;
Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Chinook, Citra
Dry Hopping
Dry hopping is optional - typical rate is 2-4g/L - being too aggressive can lead you into IPA territory
Whirlpool Hop Additions
Whirlpool hop additions are also optional but can certainly be done to help impart even more hop flavour and aroma in addition to (or instead of) late hop additions to the boil. Typical whirlpool hopstand would be for 15 minutes at approx 80 degrees celsius.
Mash (Temperature & Time)
- Mash @ 65C (for a drier/crisper finish)
- Mashout @ 75C for 10 minutes
Yeast
Liquid Yeast
- WY1272 American Ale II
- WLP 001 Californian Ale
Dry Yeast
- Mangrove Jacks M36 Liberty Ale
- Fermentis US-05
- Lallemand BRY-97
Fermentation Temperature
Begin fermentation at the lower end of the yeasts recommended temperature range. After at least 5 days of fermentation, begin raising the temperature 1C per day for 3 days (for a 3C total increase in temperature). Raising the temperature towards the end of fermentation helps the yeast clean up after itself.
Pressure Fermentation
Pressure fermentation can be beneficial for this style of beer as fermenting under pressure will help to suppress any off flavours from being created. Typical pressure used is around 10psi
Cold Crashing
Cold crashing can be beneficial to this style of beer. If you are dry hopping, it can help the hop debris settle to the bottom of the fermenter with the rest of the trub. Can also help improve the clarity of the beer.
Sample Recipe
Check out our favourite American Pale Ale Recipe
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