Js Golden Ale - Recipe Comments

[colinw]

My brother-in-law and I have become unreasonably fond of James Squire Golden Ale - it being the beer he generally brings over when sharing my homebrew - and having plenty of Amarillo sitting in my freezer have decided to try to make something similar.

Based on Googling and previous threads here, I have decided on all Aussie malts where possible, including 30% wheat malt, PoR for bittering and restrained use of Amarillo for flavour and aroma.

My proposed recipe is:

JS Golden Ale Clone
24 litres at my usual efficiency (22 into fermenter after losses)

3kg JW Export Pilsner Malt (60%)
1.5kg JW Wheat Malt (30%)
250g JW Dark Munich Malt (5%)
150g CaraPils (3%)
50g JW Crystal 145 EBC (1%)
50g Chocolate Malt (1%)

Infusion mash, 90 minutes at 66 degrees C.

Boil: 90 minutes

20g Pride of Ringwood (10%AA) pellets @ 60 minutes
10g Amarillo (8.4%AA) pellets @ 12 minutes
10g Amarillo (8.4%AA) pellets @ 2 minutes
5g Amarillo pellets after strikeout

Estimated OG = 1.046
Estimated Bitterness = 28 IBUs
Estimated Colour = 8 SRM

Yeast: Wyeast 1056

Notes on the recipe. A bit of Munich because I detect a slight toastiness in the malt character of the beer. CaraPils to give the creamy head. Chocolate malt because I want a hint of copper in the colour, and it will add a bit of burnt dryness to the finish.
cheers,
Colin

 

[jayse]

That recipe looks pretty damn good to me, thats almost exactly what I would do.


Born to booze.
Jayse

 

[T.D.]

I have no problem with the chocolate malt, but I very much doubt that the real thing has it in there. I actually doubt it has any crystal either. I guess it depends on whether you are trying to make a clone or just something "similar".

My standard Golden Ale recipe is:

45% JW Ale malt
45% JW Pils malt
10% JW Wheat malt

Bitter to 27-28 IBUs
1g/L Amarillo @ 15mins
1g/L Amarillo @ flameout

I have made a version before that was something like 75% Pils malt, 20% Ale malt, and 5% Carapils with the same hop schedule and it turned out really well too.

I like the look of your recipe but I think it will be darker and have a lot more body than the real thing. As I said, it depends if you are trying to clone the beer or just make something in a similar general style.

 

[colinw]

I guess "clone" is probably the wrong term.

I want a beer which is recognisably like JS Golden, but is missing that "hole" in the middle where the flavour & body goes AWOL for a bit.

 

[T.D.]

I guess "clone" is probably the wrong term.

I want a beer which is recognisably like JS Golden, but is missing that "hole" in the middle where the flavour & body goes AWOL for a bit.

[post="126675"][/post]​

Well, in that case I think your recipe is right on the money. The Crystal, Munich and chocolate will fill that hole nicely! :beerbang:

 

[warrenlw63]

I guess "clone" is probably the wrong term.

I want a beer which is recognisably like JS Golden, but is missing that "hole" in the middle where the flavour & body goes AWOL for a bit.

[post="126675"][/post]​

Unfortunately a bad flavour trait on most JS beers except for the IPA. In fact it can be a little frustrating. I'd hate to say it's the JW malt. :unsure:

It's like I enjoy JS beers but find myself strangely wanting another merely because I felt like I didn't get the full measure with the first if that makes any sense. :blink:

Warren -

 

[jayse]

I make one like TD's recipe aswell but last time i tried golden ale it was a fair bit darker than the pale straw colour you end up with that recipe although that recipe is one i do a couple times and year and love to death. Mine actually originated from a recipe andrew at grumpys posted some years ago under the name XLCR.

I do think colins recipe is pretty spot on but the recipe TD posted is also another very cool way to do it.

Horse called war.
Jayse

 

[warrenlw63]

BTW Recipe looks nice Colin. :beerbang:

Warren -

 

[colinw]

Guys,

Thanks for the feedback - useful validation. This is the first time I have used Amarillo in a "restrained" mode rather than the usual legions of angry pellets charging over the hill with lupulin glands drawn.

My problem with the JS beers is as Warren says - you take a sip, it tastes great, but seems to sort of fizzle out leaving you wanting more but feeling vaguely disappointed.

In particular the Amber Ale leaves me cold these days - to me it tastes just like Tooheys Old which someone accidentally left the black malt out of - even the same aroma.

 

[T.D.]

Unfortunately a bad flavour trait on most JS beers except for the IPA. In fact it can be a little frustrating. I'd hate to say it's the JW malt. :unsure:

It's like I enjoy JS beers but find myself strangely wanting another merely because I felt like I didn't get the full measure with the first if that makes any sense. :blink:

Warren -

[post="126680"][/post]​

Its funny you should mention this Warren. Just the other day I was thinking about this very thing. I have used Powells malt for the past 6 months or so and I find Powells ale to be much more full bodied than JW ale. In fact I did two brews that were identical exacpt one was 100% Powells Ale and the other was 100% JW Ale. Due to the JW brew's higher efficiency, it had a slightly higher alcohol content, but overall I still thought the Powells brew had more body and flavour. Very interesting outcome I thought.

 

[colinw]

I've used a fair bit of JW Traditional Ale, as well as Bairds Maris Otter and Fawcett's Halcyon Ale Malt. Never tried Powell's but keep hearing good things about it.

I find the differences between different ale malts quite distinct.

- JW Trad. Ale malt is distinctly darker than the UK malts I've used, and gives a slightly bready/biscuity flavour
- Maris Otter gives the most malty and rounded flavours, almost caramelly even without much crystal malt
- Halcyon is my favourite so far. It gives a lovely malty but crisp flavour, and with some yeasts even the vaguest hint of a slightly peaty/smoky flavour. For a Scottish ale I'd say it cant be beat!

For Aussie malts, by far the best results I've had so far have been by mixing JW Trad. Ale and JW Export Pils in roughly 50/50 proportion. All of my American Pale Ales are formulated this way, with a minimum of 5% medium crystal as well.

The Golden Ale recipe is a change for me, but I want to brew something new & different but resembling a commercial beer I quite like (even with the faults Warren and I have noted).

cheers,
Colin

 

[T.D.]

I guess it would be silly to ever assume that all ale malts would be the same, I always thought you could mostly use them interchangably though, but its obviously a bit more complex than that!

I like the 1/2 Ale - 1/2 Pils split too. My last APA was all Pils as the base malt (with crystal too of course) and it just didn't have enough body. Will be including at least some ale malt in the future!

 

[Samwise Gamgee]

Hi Colin,

I've played around with a Golden Ale recipe before. Here's a link to my Xmas entry which was my Golden Ale

Golden Ale

I actually liked this better than the JS Golden Ale but I liked to have more Amarillo flavour and aroma.

Cheers,

 

[warrenlw63]

Could it be that JW Trad Ale is almost exclusively malted to spec for Malt Shovel? :unsure:

It's a poor generalization but I've always found my JW beers to have that Malt Shovel flavour. :lol:

BTW Been using Powells exclusively for the last 3 brews, while I'd say it's a little better than JW Trad Ale for British styles it still doesn't hold a candle to Marris Otter. Particularly in lower grav beers that cling to what little malt you afford them. h34r:

Warren -

 

[Trough Lolly]

...
In particular the Amber Ale leaves me cold these days - to me it tastes just like Tooheys Old which someone accidentally left the black malt out of - even the same aroma.

[post="126685"][/post]​

Ditto to that! I used to swear by JS Amber as one of my favourite commercial beers but lately I had a 6 pack and was, well, disappointed... :blink:

I was all set to put down an IPA over the weekend, but that recipe of your's Colin looks good - I'm gonna have a go at it too! Only probs are my lack of JW malt - I'll have to make do with Weyermann Pils and Wheat malt and I'll grab some Dark Munich at the HBS, or bake some of my Bairds munich to colour...

Cheers,
TL

 

[colinw]

Compare notes in a month or two! :beer:

Which reminds me, I need to apply for my "permission to brew" slip.

 

[Screwtop]

Compare notes in a month or two! :beer:

Which reminds me, I need to apply for my "permission to brew" slip.

[post="126746"][/post]​

CW, where's the honey, thought JS Golden Ale had honey. Thought I could get a hint of it in the draught, anyway.

 

[colinw]

I seriously doubt it has any honey in it, nor does the blurb on the JS website mention it.

Honey like flavours and aromas can sometimes occur as a result of mild oxidation.

 

[Mr Bond]

MMMM.....That recipe looks like a nice balanced ale Colin.

On the base malt digression i too found JW trad ale bland and unsatisfying(hence I've only used it once).
Marris Otter however is sensational.I once did a 60% MO 40% JW light munich base plus some cara munich and choc(4 colour),and loved it.JW light munich seems to be closer to an english ale malt to my palate and works well with MO.

 

[wessmith]

Warren, the JW Trad Ale Malt was developed exclusively for Malt Craft. As far as I know, no other big commercial brewer has ever used that malt. Agree with all the comments about MO and Halcyon but nothing comes close to the floor malted malts from Thomas Fawcett for flavour and consistency. As for Powells, they should have been able to produce a great floor malted ale malt from day one. They didnt - but if they have now got there act together, thats great. I will have to try another brew! Just hope they have got the poor modification issues resolved.

Wes