# Sierra Nevada Pale Ale



## calobes (4/8/14)

Could I brew anything remotely close to this?? 

I'm still green and doing extract brews so I know I won't get as good a quality as an ag but does anyone have any recipes that comes kind of close?

I can however steep grains and boil hops so..... Am i reaching to high for my current expertise?

Cheers


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## burrster (4/8/14)

Here's a good place to start
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/40797-sierra-nevada-pale-ale-clone/

basic ingredients

Use Pearle and cascade hops, Light malt extract (3kg or more) and maybe some caramalt grain 200 - 300g

US05 is a good yeast too

I could expand but it's covered quite well in the above link

I've actually yet to do it but it's on my list of brews to do.


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## calobes (4/8/14)

Thanks mate, have you tried this one? (Ignore that, just re-read your post)


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## indica86 (4/8/14)

http://www.blackbucketbrew.com/sierra-nevada-pale-ale-clone/ is pretty good, but a little heavy on the crystal 

That was, in fact, my first ever extract brew.


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## calobes (4/8/14)

indica86 said:


> http://www.blackbucketbrew.com/sierra-nevada-pale-ale-clone/ is pretty good, but a little heavy on the crystal
> 
> That was, in fact, my first ever extract brew.


Thanks Indica, how much crystal would you use instead of the 450g?


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## calobes (4/8/14)

Im also curious as to why neither of the recipes called for dry hopping. Its a pretty aromatic beer so I thought there would be a fair bit of dry hopping involved.


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## slcmorro (4/8/14)

I personally would drop the crystal back to 250gm, but then again I don't like overly sweet beers. Dry hop with 30gm of Cascade if you want a big hit


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## Burt de Ernie (4/8/14)

This!





page 2


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## piraterum (4/8/14)

Check out this recipe apparently made with help from a brewmaster at Sierra Nevada. I've made it a few times and it's on the money. You can easily substitute the pale malt for light malt extract.

http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=15532


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## Pilchard (5/8/14)

I drink one of these once a week at work and not once have I thought to brew it, it seems to be a close proximity to their steam beer and has no nasal characteristics. To me there are better beers out there. It seems to have that same American hop schedule that is bitter and loosing the aroma hops. It's a staple in the resturant so I keep trying it to see if I can grow to like it. It just seems plain jane to me. No issues if you like it but there are a lot of better beers out there than that. NB we pay $90 a carton for it. Punters love it with our food. I'm just not converted. To me ita a blah beer, but then I'll drink their steam ale and get excited.


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## indica86 (5/8/14)

calobes said:


> Thanks Indica, how much crystal would you use instead of the 450g?


250 is great for an APA


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## Spiesy (5/8/14)

Burt de Ernie said:


> This!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Much of a muchness, but I thought they used 001 as the yeast.


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## calobes (5/8/14)

Thanks for the replies guys. I have my recipe ready to go but I am 90% sure im not going to be able to get magnum hops. Am I right in saying that because they are a bittering hop, I can use another hop of similar aa % and most of the hops flavours will get boiled out after 60mins anyway?


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## Bribie G (5/8/14)

Whereabouts on the MNC are you?


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## calobes (5/8/14)

Coffs harbour.


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## Bribie G (5/8/14)

Yeah I see that Country Brewer Toormina doesn't stock Magnum. When are you looking to brew? I could send you some - I've got enough magnum to keep California going for a decade thanks to bulk buys :lol: Post leaves Old Bar at 3.30
Magnum is a very neutral bittering hop, a lot of the others will carry over into the finish which is either good or bad depending on the recipe.

For example Magnum is the second volume of hops grown in Germany, they use it to "stretch out" the noble hops in their megabrews as it is so neutral.


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## calobes (5/8/14)

Bribie G said:


> Yeah I see that Country Brewer Toormina doesn't stock Magnum. When are you looking to brew? I could send you some - I've got enough magnum to keep California going for a decade thanks to bulk buys :lol: Post leaves Old Bar at 3.30
> Magnum is a very neutral bittering hop, a lot of the others will carry over into the finish which is either good or bad depending on the recipe.
> 
> For example Magnum is the second volume of hops grown in Germany, they use it to "stretch out" the noble hops in their megabrews as it is so neutral.


I was planning on doing this one today but if I can get the magnum hops I will definantly wait. Thanks for the offer mate thats much appreciated, pm me with details and how much your willing to let go and cost etc.


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## Bribie G (5/8/14)

No probs, I'll dig the pack out of the freezer and have a look.

Edit: pm sent


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## Spiesy (5/8/14)

There's US and German Magnum, both are great for bittering.


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## jkhlt1210 (5/8/14)

piraterum said:


> Check out this recipe apparently made with help from a brewmaster at Sierra Nevada. I've made it a few times and it's on the money. You can easily substitute the pale malt for light malt extract.
> 
> http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=15532


Cheers for posting the AG recipe! I must try this as a BIAB. Love the SN pale ale!


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## mmcenall (5/8/14)

piraterum said:


> Check out this recipe apparently made with help from a brewmaster at Sierra Nevada. I've made it a few times and it's on the money. You can easily substitute the pale malt for light malt extract.
> 
> http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=15532


I am going to put this one down on the weekend and i cant wait i am just waiting for my magnum to turn up.


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## calobes (5/8/14)

mmcenall said:


> I am going to put this one down on the weekend and i cant wait i am just waiting for my magnum to turn up.


Ha, im in the same boat. Thanks Bribie


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## RobboMC (7/8/14)

Once you have the style organised you should set yourself the goal of brewing something BETTER than the commercial version.

All commercial beer is brewed to a price. Their main objective is to sell you alcohol so you can get drunk, but it has to be flavoured with malt and hops to be acceptable to both the customer and the politicians who would ban swilling of pure alcohol.

So brew yourself a clone by all means, then have a second and third go and improve it. Your taste buds will appreciate it.
Set you sights higher mate!


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## calobes (10/8/14)

Brewed this today, all went well apart from not having enough ice so it cooled down slower than I would've liked post boil. Didn't smell as hoppy as I thought it would, with around 100g of hops I was expecting a bit more aroma. Maybe this will come after some sugars ferment out? I'm excited for this one, its my first extract.


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## calobes (10/8/14)

Also, I ended up with an OG of 1.056, I just checked my recipe on Brewmate and it was meant to be 1.059

- 250g Crystal steeped for 30 mins at 68*c
- Grains removed, wort brought to boil
- Removed from heat and 3kg LDME added
- Brought back to boil for 60 minutes of hop additions
- Ice bath to 27*c (1/2 hour), add to fermentor and top up to 20L

OG: 1.056 @ 20*c

As i said, Brewmate predicted 1.059. Is this a large discrepancy and something went wrong or is everything ok?


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## stewy (10/8/14)

calobes said:


> Also, I ended up with an OG of 1.056, I just checked my recipe on Brewmate and it was meant to be 1.059
> 
> - 250g Crystal steeped for 30 mins at 68*c
> - Grains removed, wort brought to boil
> ...


Nah mate, 3 points is bugger all. Also if using us05 yeast it will devour it. I got 86% attenuation with it couple weeks ago, others have gotten 81-86 also, so might end up with a lower FG than the software predicted as it's prob set at 75% attenuation.


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## calobes (11/8/14)

stewy said:


> Nah mate, 3 points is bugger all. Also if using us05 yeast it will devour it. I got 86% attenuation with it couple weeks ago, others have gotten 81-86 also, so might end up with a lower FG than the software predicted as it's prob set at 75% attenuation.


thanks for the reply stewy. 
I set the attenuation at 75% as I've read it is between about 73 - 77. In saying that I did read alot of people like yourself that get much higher. 

I've been K&K for a while now, this is my first extract. The cold break scared the shit out of me till I looked it up lol


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## Donske (11/8/14)

calobes said:


> thanks for the reply stewy.
> I set the attenuation at 75% as I've read it is between about 73 - 77. In saying that I did read alot of people like yourself that get much higher.
> 
> I've been K&K for a while now, this is my first extract. The cold break scared the shit out of me till I looked it up lol



If you're using extract with cara malts 70-75% is about right for US05 I reckon, it's about what I get when I throw it at a dextrinous wort, 80-83% if I've targeted fermentability when mashing.


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## calobes (12/8/14)

Donske said:


> If you're using extract with cara malts 70-75% is about right for US05 I reckon, it's about what I get when I throw it at a dextrinous wort, 80-83% if I've targeted fermentability when mashing.


Dextrinous wort means less fermentable sugars right? 

The recipe I used was 3kg DME and 250g crystal so im guessing this is a pretty dextrinous wort?


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## clauddr (22/8/14)

Guys, I'm keen to give this a bash but I've never done an extract with just DME, I've Always had a can of LME or kit to go with 1-2kg of DME. Which is the better to use and why? Does the DME give you a better yield (more fermentable)?


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## Spiesy (22/8/14)

RobboMC said:


> All commercial beer is brewed to a price. *Their main objective is to sell you alcohol so you can get drunk*, but it has to be flavoured with malt and hops to be acceptable to both the customer and the politicians who would ban swilling of pure alcohol.


You're kidding, right?

SNPA was/is not brewed with the main objective to get you drunk. It was brewed to be an awesome beer, which it is.

No doubt they could have made it cheaper, no doubt they could have made it more expensive - not really the point.


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## calobes (22/8/14)

> recipe="clauddr" post="1213593" timestamp="1408691042"]Guys, I'm keen to give this a bash but I've never done an .xtract with just DME, I've Always had a can of LME or kit to go with 1-2kg of DME. Which is the better to use and why? Does the DME give you a better yield (more fermentable)?


If a recipe calls for 3kg DME you need more LME for the same recipe. I used DME on this brew as the recipe called for it. Its dead easy using DME over LME. Put this brew into the secondary a few days ago and it tastes awesome for flat warm beer. I'll let you know how it turns out in 2 weeks or so.


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## panzerd18 (22/8/14)

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one rung above a lot of mainstream beers. 

When I first sampled one I was blown away with its complex taste. At the moment its my favorite beer.


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## Spiesy (22/8/14)

panzerd18 said:


> Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one rung above a lot of mainstream beers.
> 
> When I first sampled one I was blown away with its complex taste. At the moment its my favorite beer.


Personally, I'd put it a whole ladder ahead of a lot of mainstream beers, particularly when drinking it fresh, in tap, in the States.


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## panzerd18 (22/8/14)

I find the aroma to be beautiful. 

Is that from Cascade hops?


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## Blind Dog (22/8/14)

Yes. All cascade


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## calobes (23/8/14)

Magnum and perle for bitterness (perle would impart flavor too) and hesps of cascade for flavor and aroma


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## stakka82 (23/8/14)

Pilchard said:


> I drink one of these once a week at work and not once have I thought to brew it, it seems to be a close proximity to their steam beer and has no nasal characteristics. To me there are better beers out there. It seems to have that same American hop schedule that is bitter and loosing the aroma hops. It's a staple in the resturant so I keep trying it to see if I can grow to like it. It just seems plain jane to me. No issues if you like it but there are a lot of better beers out there than that. NB we pay $90 a carton for it. Punters love it with our food. I'm just not converted. To me ita a blah beer, but then I'll drink their steam ale and get excited.


You're drinking it after shipping. I imagine fresh it's a different beast... the fresher ones I have had are definitely aromatic. I would bet my house it's dry hopped.


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## calobes (23/8/14)

stakka82 said:


> You're drinking it after shipping. I imagine fresh it's a different beast... the fresher ones I have had are definitely aromatic. I would bet my house it's dry hopped.


According to SN they don't dry hop their pale ale. But they would have to have really late hop additions to get the aroma???


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## Spiesy (23/8/14)

calobes said:


> According to SN they don't dry hop their pale ale. But they would have to have really late hop additions to get the aroma???


And they'd chill to lock in that aroma.


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## calobes (23/8/14)

Spiesy said:


> And they'd chill to lock in that aroma.


Yeah, right. The couple of clone recipes I've looked at all chill as well.


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## calobes (7/9/14)

This is my first write up on a brew, so hopefully my untrained taste buds serve me well 

I'm quite happy to say this was a pretty successful clone.






Sorry for the crappy photography

Mine is on the right. As you can see mine is a little darker. The SN Pale Ale on the left is also clearer. Head on the SN is a shade whiter, but the head was creamier on mine and also had better retention and lacing.

My clone had a slightly bigger mouthfeel, I would probably say that the 250g of crystal had something to do with that. Also I think it made mine a bit darker in colour.

Mine had more of a malty taste but also had more hop flavour which balanced it out. The SN was less malty but also less hoppy.

The clone definitely had a more bitter after taste in the back of my mouth, I would say the magnum is the culprit for this.

They are both well balanced, I just think mine was slightly "bigger".

In all honesty I like mine better, and am quite proud of myself. This is my best brew yet by far.

If you wanted to closer replicate SN Pale, I would suggest less Crystal and also less Magnum hops. Like I said flavour wise its spot on, just needs to be toned down a level.

First review, and a happy one. I'm pretty stoked :beerbang:

I'll post my recipe if anyone is interested


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## chromakey (7/9/14)

Hi Calobes

What recipe did you go with in the end?

Congrats on the successful clone


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## calobes (7/9/14)

I looked at a few recipes and took the advice on this thread and came up with this:

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20.0
Total Grain (kg): 3.250
Total Hops (g): 110.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.059 (°P): 14.5
Final Gravity (FG): 1.015 (°P): 3.8
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.80 %
Colour (SRM): 9.9 (EBC): 19.4
Bitterness (IBU): 37.1 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 70
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
3.000 kg Dry Malt Extract - Light (92.31%)
0.250 kg Crystal 60 (7.69%)

Hop Bill
----------------
8.0 g Magnum Pellet (14.4% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
18.0 g Perle Pellet (6.9% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil) (0.9 g/L)
28.0 g Cascade Pellet (5.6% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (1.4 g/L)
56.0 g Cascade Pellet (5.6% Alpha) @ Flameout (Boil) (2.8 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------
1.4 g Whirlfloc Tablet @ 10 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 66°C for 30 Minutes.
Fermented at 20°C with Safale US-05


Like I said earlier, if you want a closer replication of SNPA I would tone town the crystal and the magnum.

I'll be brewing this again and not changing the recipe at all.


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## chromakey (8/9/14)

Thanks calobes


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## abe max (11/9/14)

I have Cascade at home but no Magnum, would Centennial go alright in it's place?


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## browndog (11/9/14)

stakka82 said:


> You're drinking it after shipping. I imagine fresh it's a different beast... the fresher ones I have had are definitely aromatic. I would bet my house it's dry hopped.


It's absolutely delicious out of the bright tank!


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## calobes (11/9/14)

abe max said:


> I have Cascade at home but no Magnum, would Centennial go alright in it's place?


Magnum is a neutral bittering hop. If you cant get it maybe try horizen or target? Its a pretty small amout so it shouldn't matter too much, maybe use more perle in its place to replace the IBUs. Do you use beer mate or anything?


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## manticle (11/9/14)

Centennial marries well with cascade and will be fine in this kind of beer. Otherwise just use all cascade.


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## Porkchop (11/9/14)

indica86 said:


> http://www.blackbucketbrew.com/sierra-nevada-pale-ale-clone/ is pretty good, but a little heavy on the crystal
> 
> That was, in fact, my first ever extract brew.


 I brewed it with 500g of crystal and it is the most Caramel tasting beer I have ever tasted. Not bad but it's a bit of a desert beer.


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## calobes (11/9/14)

Porkchop said:


> I brewed it with 500g of crystal and it is the most Caramel tasting beer I have ever tasted. Not bad but it's a bit of a desert beer.


Yep, I saw alot of recipes calling for that much crystal.
I used half that and it was still too much for a clone. Was a delicious beer, but more malty than SNPA


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## calobes (11/9/14)

Just noticed that in my write up I stated mine is on the right... It's actually the one on the left.. Dickhead


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## abe max (14/9/14)

calobes said:


> Do you use beer mate or anything?


Just the spreadsheet


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## abe max (14/9/14)

manticle said:


> Centennial marries well with cascade and will be fine in this kind of beer. Otherwise just use all cascade.


Sweet, cheers.


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## poggor (14/9/14)

Spiesy said:


> You're kidding, right?
> 
> SNPA was/is not brewed with the main objective to get you drunk. It was brewed to be an awesome beer, which it is.
> 
> No doubt they could have made it cheaper, no doubt they could have made it more expensive - not really the point.


I agree with Spiesy- SNPA is a terrific beer- it's just "mainstream" because it was so good. It was a niche craft beer before a lot of people here were old enough to be drinking beer that's all! It's one of the great success stories of a carefully crafted uncompromising ale becoming very successful. 
I also agree that it's way better in the states- I have great memories of consuming large quantities of it in a hot tub in the snow in wyoming a few years back. Yes, there were american girls in bikinis...


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