| STYLE | OG | FG | ABV% | IBU | SRM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. American Pale Ale | 1.045-56 | 1.010-15 | 4.5-5.7 | 20-40 | 4-11 |
| B. American Amber Ale | 1.045-56 | 1.010-15 | 4.5-5.7 | 20-40 | 11-18 |
| C. California Common Beer | 1.044-55 | 1.011-14 | 4.0-5.5 | 35-45 | 8-14 |
Aroma: Usually moderate to strong hop aroma from dry hopping or late kettle additions of American hop varieties. Citrusy hop aroma very common. Esters vary from low to high. Diacetyl moderate to none.
Appearance: Pale golden to amber.
Flavor: Often moderate to high hop flavor. Citrusy hop flavor very common (such as from Cascades), but also other American hop variety flavors are found. Malt flavor moderate relative to aggressive hop flavor and bitterness. Balance towards bitterness. Caramel flavor is usually restrained. Diacetyl moderate to none.
Mouthfeel: Many are rather light, refreshing and more highly carbonated than many other styles, but body can reach medium. Carbonation borders on effervescent in some examples.
Overall Impression: Should be refreshing.
History: An American adaptation of English pale ale.
Comments: In the past, this category also covered what is now called American amber ale. American pale ales differ from American amber ales notably by being lighter in color, but also in having less caramel flavor and usually being balanced more towards hop bitterness.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt, typically American two-row. Light to medium crystal malts. American hops, often the citrusy ones such as Cascade, Centennial and Columbus, but others may also be used (e.g., Brewer's Gold or Willamette). Water can vary in sulfate content, but carbonate content should be relatively low.
Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.045-1.056
IBUs: 20-40
FG: 1.010-1.015
SRM: 4-11
ABV: 4.5-5.7%
Commercial Examples: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Summit Pale Ale, Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale.
Aroma: Often a mild to strong hop aroma from dry hopping or late kettle additions of American hop varieties. Some caramel aroma common. Esters vary from low to high. Diacetyl medium-high to none.
Appearance: Light copper to light brown.
Flavor: Moderate to high hop flavor from American hop varieties. Malt/bitterness balance can be on either side of even and is more likely to be on the malt side, but usually not too far from center. Caramel flavor is moderate to strong. Diacetyl medium-high to none.
Mouthfeel: Body is medium to medium-full. Carbonation typically moderate.
Overall Impression: Caramel usually balances the bitterness.
History: Called West Coast amber ales by some authors, this sub-category was spun-off from the American pale ale style.
Comments: In the past, this category used to be part of American pale ale. American amber ales differ from American pale ales not only by being darker in color, but also in having more caramel flavor and usually being balanced more evenly even between malt and bitterness.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt, typically American two-row. Medium to dark crystal malts. American hops, such as Cascade, Centennial, Brewer's Gold, Columbus and Willamette, but others may also be used. Water can vary in sulfate and carbonate content.
Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.045-1.056
IBUs: 20-40
FG: 1.010-1.015
SRM: 11-18
ABV: 4.5-5.7%
Commercial Examples: Big Time Atlas Amber, Bell's Amber, Mendocino Red Tail Ale, Rhino Chaser's American Amber Ale, St. Rogue Red Ale, North Coast Red Seal Ale.
Aroma: May have a pronounced woody or rustic hop aroma (as from Northern Brewer, for example). Restrained fruitiness. May have a moderate toasted malt aroma. Diacetyl low to none.
Appearance: Dark gold to copper to medium amber.
Flavor: Malty, balanced with a pronounced hop bitterness. Rustic/woody (e.g., Northern Brewer) hop flavor medium to none. May have a toasted (not roasted) malt flavor. Balance is generally about even between malt and hops. Diacetyl low to none.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium to medium-high carbonation.
Overall Impression: A beer with solid malt and hop expression, only mildly fruity and having woody/rustic hop character.
History: American West Coast original. Large shallow fermenters are used. Originally, in the absence of handy ice or refrigeration, the locally cool ambient temperatures of the San Francisco peninsula led to a beer that was fermented with lager yeast, but at temperatures that were at the cool end of the ale temperature range.
Comments: Similar to American pale ale, although typically less fruity. Hop flavor/aroma is woody rather than citrusy, although a slightly citrusy character has been noted by some in a commercial example back in the mid-1980s.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt, American hops (usually woody, such as Northern Brewer, rather than citrusy), small amounts of toasted malt and/or light caramel/crystal malts. Lager yeast, however some strains (often with the mention of "California" in he name) work better than others at the warmer fermentation temperatures (55 to 60oF) used (some German strains produce excessive sulfury character).Water should have relatively low sulfate and low to moderate carbonate levels.
Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.044-1.055
IBUs: 35-45
FG: 1.011-1.014
SRM: 8-14
ABV: 4-5.5%
Commercial Examples: Anchor Steam, Old Dominion Victory Amber.
Pale ale was originally a British invention, a novelty after centuries of dark ales. Now, thanks to microbreweries such as Summit and Sierra Nevada, pale ale has become an all-American beer with a style all its own. Crisp, hoppy, and quenching, our Extra Pale Ale is highlighted with the sharp, citrus aroma of Cascade hops in the new tradition of West Coast ales.
6 lbs. Gold US Malt Syrup
1 lb. DWC Caramel Pilsner
1 oz. Chinook (60 min)
1 oz. Cascade (1-2 min)
Wyeast American Ale #1056
No, it's not your kid's favorite band... it's a highly hopped American-style pale ale with a large Cascade hop flavor and aroma, engineered to split tongues with one sip. The secret in Tongue Splitter is a subtle malt bill underneath a harmonious combination of Fuggle and Cascade hops. The American Ale yeast gives a clean, dry flavor that accentuates the hop character and yields a bracing, refreshing ale.
6 lbs. Alexander's Pale Malt Syrup
1/2 lb. Beeston's Pale Crystal
1/4 lb. Briess Caramel 10
1/4 lb. DWC Aromatic
1 oz. Fuggle (60 min)
1 oz. Fuggle (45 min)
1 oz. Cascade (5 min)
1 oz. Cascade (dry hop)
Wyeast American Ale #1056
If you like a hoppy homebrew, then this recipe is for you. The hop aroma will make your nose tingle as you take your first sip. As it goes down you’ll notice a nice blend of malt flavor and hop flavor. The aftertaste is dry, dominated by Cascade hop flavor. Our ingredients for this recipe include:
6 lbs of light malt extract
1 lb. of Specialty grains
2 oz Perle bittering hops
2 oz Cascade aroma hops
Muslin bag
priming sugar
yeast
This American Pale Ale is well hopped, full bodied, and bronze in color. Our ingredients for this recipe include:
3.3lbs. of Light Malt Extract
4 lbs. American 2-row malt
1 lb. of Specialty grains
1 oz. Bittering hops
1 oz. Flavoring hops
1 oz. Aroma hops
Muslin bag
priming sugar
yeast
Silver medal winner - 1997 Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
American 6-row pale malt 19 lb.
American 6-row toasted malt 1 lb.
Crystal (20L) 3 lb.
Cascade 3 oz. 60 min.
Cascade 1 oz. 20 min.
Cascade 1 oz. 15 min.
Cascade 1 oz. 10 min.
Cascade 2 oz. 5 min.
Cascade 2.75 oz. steep
Cascade 4 oz. dry
Wyeast 1056
Mash Schedule:
All grains with infusion @154 degrees for 120 min.
This ale may be pale in color, but it has a flavor you can really sink your buck teeth into. A great kit for those who are just getting into homebrewing and want a crowd pleasing beer to share with friends. Has been a favorite of homebrewers for decades and is also the most popular micro- brewed style. A staple to have in the cellar. The kit includes:
3.3 lbs. Gold malt extract
3.3 lbs. Amber malt extract
1/2 lb. Crystal 10°L
1/2 lb. Carapils grain blend
1 oz. Willamette bittering hops
1 oz. Fuggles aroma hops
Wyeast 1098 British Ale yeast
priming sugar
10 lb brewers malt
1 lb crystal 10
2 oz Centennial
2 oz Cascade
American Ale
3/4 cup corn sugar
It's not quite an alt, it's not quite a pale ale. Our Boston Amber borrows from German and British brewing traditions to make a beer that's uniquely American, perhaps similar to the ales our forefathers brewed in the colonial days. Hearty and smooth, this beer improves greatly with a little extra aging, if you're patient enough.
3.3 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup
3.3 lbs. Amber Malt Syrup
1 lb. DWC CaraVienne
1 oz. Northern Brewer (60 min)
1 oz. Hallertau (1-2 min)
Wyeast American Ale #1056
A persistently popular style of domestic microbeer: medium-red in color, hoppy, clean, and crisp.
8# US 2 row
1/2# DWC CaraMunich
2 oz Liberty (60 min)
1 oz Liberty (5 min)
Wyeast American Ale #1056
This recipe is red in color using amber malt, hence the name. This kit has a sweet, rich malt flavor. Not too dark and not too light. A real crowd pleaser. Our ingredients for this recipe include:
4 lb. Edme Microbrewery Series Red Ale hopped can kit
2 lbs. of Light Dried Malt Extract
1 oz. Cascade aroma hops
priming sugar
yeast
This Amber Ale features a deep amber-red color balanced with selected flavoring and aromatic hops. The dark specialty grains give this ale just a hint of roasted flavor. Not too dark and not too light. Our ingredients for this recipe include:
6 pounds of gold malt extract
1 pound of specialty grains
2 ounces of hops
yeast
priming sugar
muslin bag
This Red Ale features a deep amber-red color balanced with selected flavoring and aromatic hops. Red ales are currently the most popular style beer being brewed by homebrewers. Our ingredients for this recipe include:
6 pounds of gold malt extract
Crystal malt
Special Roast malt
Roasted Barley malt
2 ounces of hops
yeast
priming sugar
muslin bag.
The specialty grains of this recipe result in a slightly sweet, red colored beer. Our ingredients for this recipe include:
3.3lbs. of Light Malt Extract
3.5 lbs. American 2-row malt
1 lb. of Specialty grains
Tettnanger Bittering hops
Tettnanger Aroma hops
Muslin bag
priming sugar
yeast
California Common, a.k.a. Steam Beer, was an accidental discovery; the residents of old San Francisco wanted to brew lager but had no refrigeration. This is the result, one of America's few original contributions to the beer world. Like the original, this kit uses lager yeast at warm temperatures (58 — 68° F).
6.6 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup
1 lb. UK Carastan
1 oz. Northern Brewer (60 min)
1 oz. Northern Brewer (30 min)
1 oz. Northern Brewer (1-2 min)
Wyeast California Lager #2112
10 lb Moravian well-modified malt
1/2 lb crystal 60
3 oz No. Brewer
1 oz Cascade
California Lager yeast
1 cup corn sugar
Born in the USA, this style of beer has caramel like maltiness, strong hop flavor and is copper in color. Our ingredients for this recipe include:
3.3lbs. of Light Malt Extract
3.5 lbs. American 2-row malt
1 lb of Specialty grains
Chinook Bittering hops
Cascade Flavoring hops
Cascade Aroma hops
Muslin bag
priming sugar
yeast
Gold Medal Winner - Minnesota Renaissance Festival 1997.
American 2-row malt 3.75 lb.
Crystal (10L) 0.75 lb.
Crystal (40L) 0.5 lb.
Belgian Carapils 0.75 lb.
Victory (toasted) 0.25 lb.
No. Brewer light extract 3.3 lb + 1 cup Munton wheat extract 0.5 cup
No. Brewer 0.75 oz. 60 min.
No. Brewer 0.25 oz. 45 min.
No. Brewer 0.5 oz. 20 min.
No. Brewer 0.5 oz. 10 min.
Cascade 0.5 oz. 10 min.
Cascade 0.5 oz. 3 min.
Liberty 1.0 oz. dry
Wyeast 2112 California Common Yeast
Mash Schedule:
Protein rest in 8 qt. @122 degrees for 30 min.
Infusion @151 degrees for 60 min.
Mash out @168 degrees for 10 min.
Sparge with 8 qt. @168 degrees
Can't decide whether to make an ale or lager? A California common style of beer that was first made popular during the gold rush. This beer uses lager yeast fermented at ale temperatures. A truly American style of beer that we can claim as our own. The kit includes:
6 lbs Gold Malt Extract,
3.3 lbs. Amber Malt Extract,
1 oz. Northern Brewer bittering hops,
2 oz. Cascade aroma hops,
1/2 lb. Crystal 10°L
1/2 lb. Carapils grain blend
Wyeast 2112 California Lager yeast
priming sugar
ala Anchor which has trademark.
1 lb 10L crystal
7 lb Moravian pale
3 oz No Brewer
1 oz Cascade
California Lager yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar