Stock Standard Pale Ale

[sluggerdog]

As I have been AG brewing for over a year now I am proud (well more surprised) to say I have never made a pale ale before and I think it's about time.

I am planning to make my next few batches pale ales, both australian and american and I am looking to use the same or similar grains for both brews, just changing the hop type and amount until I find something I like.

I am looking at doing the following:

95% Ale Malt
3.5% Carapils
1.5% Dark Crystal (would use light but I have heaps of dark here)

And I might try adding some dextrose (about 10-12%) to an australian pale ale and lower the ale malt for that one.

Does this seem like a pretty simple, easy drinking ale that I can knock up and drink quickly?

Cheers :beer:

slugger

 

[T.D.]

For the Aussie Pale Ale I would be inclined to do away with the crystal altogether. I made a pale ale last weekend that was 4kg pils malt, 500g wheat, and 300g carapils. Tastes great out of the fermenter, but it will be quite light. Maybe go for someting like 92% ale malt, 5% wheat and 3% carapils for the Aussie pale ale. For the american I reckon 95% ale malt and 5% crystal (regular ~ 150EBC) works a treat. So using dark crystal, maybe 97% ale and 3% d-crystal. Anyway, that's what has worked for me in the past and pale ales are pretty much 99% of what I brew.

 

[AndrewQLD]

I would drop the carapils and use wheat malt, more to style. The dark crystal is quite strong in flavour 200g would be noticeable but not overpowering.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[johnno]

Hi SD,
My basic pale ales are usually about 5 k of Powells Pils or ale amlt, with 250 gms of Powells wheat and 400 gms of Powells crystal, give or take a hundred grams or so.

Delicious.

johnno

 

[T.D.]

...and 400 gms of Powells crystal, give or take a hundred grams or so.

[post="110535"][/post]​

Hi johnno, do Powells do Crystal now??? Or maybe that's Caramalt? I'm hanging for them to break into the crystal market! :beerbang:

 

[sluggerdog]

Cheers for the replies.

Reason I changed the wheat for the carapils as I have heaps of it. Think I will try as I stated. The dark crystal works out to be 100 grams so it should be too overpowering.

This is of course the carapils might be too much but it's what I use in all pils/lagers so I thought it would be nice. (around 250 grams)

The wheat would only be for head retention and body yeah or would it add some flavour as well?

 

[AndrewQLD]

the wheat would be more for head retension, in those amounts the flavour would be negligible.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[johnno]

...and 400 gms of Powells crystal, give or take a hundred grams or so.

[post="110535"][/post]​

Hi johnno, do Powells do Crystal now??? Or maybe that's Caramalt? I'm hanging for them to break into the crystal market! :beerbang:

[post="110538"][/post]​

Pardon me.

They do not do crystal. It is the caramalt.

Been a while since I brewed.

johnno

 

[tangent]

i think wheat's a part of the Coopers style of pale ale
i'm trying to get a regular pale ale for an on-tap-all-the-time kinda beer
if you do a search on AHB the varieties of pale ale recipes is overwhelming
my recipe formulations have been running pretty close to Johnnos ratios
definitely wheat and crystal

the latest play around pale was a bit crazy on the malt selection but i'm leaning towards what i'd imagine an english style to be like
Australian Pale Ale Malt 1.75 kg
UK Pale Ale Malt 1.75 kg
German CaraMunich I 0.20 kg
UK Wheat Malt 0.20 kg
UK Crystal Wheat Malt 0.10 kg
UK Torrified Wheat 0.40 kg
German Pilsner Malt 0.75 kg

next one, i'll scrap the crystal wheat but it's damn tasty!

 

[colinw]

I really like a 50/50 mix of JW Traditional Ale and JW Export Pilsner. Gives a lovely malt character without being too heavy like all Trad. ale can be.

This recipe makes a lovely "Australianised" version of an English pale ale which can stand up to chilling. When served chilled it is a bit like a more characterful version of what I imagine a XXXX or VB might have been 100 years ago, sort of like a half way step between an ale and an aussie bitter lager.

For 21 litres:

"Col's Quaffer"

2kg Joe White Traditional Ale Malt
2kg Joe White Export Pilsner Malt
320g Flaked Maize
160g Medium English Crystal Malt 55L
20g Chocolate Malt

Infusion Mash, 90 minutes at 67 degrees C.

90 minute boil:
- 20g Northern Brewer (pellet) 10%AA @ 60 minutes
- 14g EKG (plug) 4%AA @ 30 minutes
- 14g EKG (plug) 4%AA @ 15 minutes
- 14g EKG (plug) 4%AA @ 2 minutes

1/2 tablet whirlfloc @ 10 minutes

1 sachet Nottingham ale yeast.

1.047 OG, 36 IBUs, 7 SRM
FG was about 1.011 for around 4.8% ABV.

For a more "Australian" flavour, use PoR instead of Northern Brewer for bittering.

While this is a somewhat English looking ale from the recipe, the beer actually comes out rather like an Aussie pub beer when fined to clarity with polyclar and served chilled with plenty of carbonation. My non-homebrew friends will happily drink this stuff by the schooner load - and it provides a stepping stone to introducing the more hardline stuff!

cheers,
Colin

 

[warrenlw63]

Hey Slugger

For something different and usually quite nice try dropping the Xtal and CaraPils and adding about 100-150g of British Amber malt (not Aus.) to a 23 litre batch.

Beer will finish biscuity, dry and not bad at all. :beer:

Pale Ale slightly outside the box. If you don't want it too dry add 100g of light Xtal and keep the Amber to no more than 100g.

Warren -

 

[Airgead]

Folks

For what its worth my standard pale ale is (not really an aussie style or an English style.. just a darn good beer)-

4kg JW Trad Ale
500g Wheat
100g JW crystal

10g northern brewer for 60 min
30g hallertau for 15 min
20g hallertau for 5 min
Gives about 30IBU.

or for a more English style replace the hallertau with a 50/50 mix of fuggles and EKG (with appropriate adjustment of quantity to stay at 30IBU). For a yank type just replace the hallertau with about 10kg of cascade and amarillo and you'll be spot on h34r:

Cheers
Dave

 

[Shunty]

l and keep the Amber to no more than 100g.

[post="110556"][/post]​

Ditto to that - just tapped a bitter made with 300g amber in 20L - very overpowering flavour

 

[mje1980]

I mainly use dark crystal for my bitters and pales, and i usually use around the 200g mark. I think its a good amount without being overpowering. And i also find it doesn't really darken the beer at all. I do agree with the amber comments, its a good addition, but dont use too much. I use around 50-75g, just for something different. I almost always add around 10% sugar ( plain table sugar @ 15 mins to go ) in my low gravity bitters ( under 4.5% ). It makes it very easy to dink 5 or 6 pints!, light bodied, but with good flavour. In fact my last bitter was my best summer beer i've made so far, about 3.5%, light bodied, but it had a top flavour, and it didn't last long at all. I've got another batch going now actually!!

 

[sluggerdog]

Cheers, so when you add sugar or dex to any brew do you add it at the last 15 mins?

Is this the norm?

 

[Mr Bond]

Airgeads malt bill looks the" GOODS"

Take that, and pick the hops u like english or aussie its up to you ,as is the yeast choice, fruity or dry.

 

[tangent]

always a topic that gets my attention
i've been researching these threads: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/Ag_R...-t1713-s30.html
Colin seems to have the definative recipe there. Have you tinkered with it since CW?
also : http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/Suga...eers-t5241.html
I think TDA mentioned a good recipe somewhere also.

 

[colinw]

Um, do you mean the Coopers or the Pale Ale?

The pale ale I posted in this thread is a standard, and is one of the beers Adrian and I will brew on a larger scale when our 100 litre system is finished.

The Coopers is a work in progress, but what I posted there seems to agree with the known stats for Coopers and other people's recipes. Its primarily the sparkling that I really want to reproduce, but Coopers Pale Ale is noce as well.

More brewing will have to wait - I'm off to the UK for work for over a month so no brewing until mid April I'm afraid. But staying in Bath will compensate nicely - Bath Ales, Abbey, Wadworth, Arkells, Ushers, etc. all on hand pump, plus a Fullers pub not far from work.

 

[Joel]

I've been thinking of using 5kg of Pale malt and a couple hundred grams of Melanoidin or maybe Munich 2. 20g Northern Brewer at 60min, 20g EKG at 30min and 15g EKG at 10min.

Yaddaya reckon? Will it work? I've never used Melanoidin ar Munich malts before. How much Melanoidin could you use before it becomes too overpowering?

 

[colinw]

I reckon that would be nice with the Munich 2, maybe even a bit more than 200g.

Personally I hate melanoidin malt and have banned the the stuff from my brewery after a couple of beers which had a nasty one dimensional malt flavour.