American Pale Ale

American pale ales range from deep golden to copper in color. The style is characterized by American-variety hops used to produce high hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma. American pale ales have medium body and low to medium maltiness. Low caramel character is allowable. Fruity-ester flavor and aroma should be moderate to strong. Diacetyl should be absent or present at very low levels. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces 60º L crystal malt

• 1/4 pound malto-dextrin

• 6 pounds light DME

• 1 ounce Nugget hops

• 1 ounce Perle hops

• 1 ounce Cascade hops

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast 1056 American ale yeast

• 3/4 cup corn sugar

Instructions:

1. Place the crushed specialty grains in a nylon hop bag and steep them in 1 gallon of preheated 150º water for 30 minutes.

2. Drain and discard the spent grains.

3. Bring at least 3 gallons of liquor to a boil, remove the brew kettle from the heat source then stir in the extract, the malto-dextrin and the Nugget hops.

4. Return the brew kettle to the heat source and boil for 45 minutes, then add the Perle hops and the Irish moss.

5. Boil for an additional 14 minutes, then add the Cascade hops.

6. Boil for an additional 1 minute, then remove the brew kettle from the heat source, cover it and drop the temperature of the wort as quickly as possible to 77º F.

7. Once the wort has cooled to below 77º F, take an original gravity reading, pour the wort into a primary fermenter through a funnel with a strainer and add enough cool water to create 5 gallons.

8. Once the wort has been transferred to the primary fermenter, pitch the yeast, stir the wort vigorously, seal the fermenter with an airlock and ferment at 68º-72º F for a week.

9. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter, dry-hop the remaining Cascade hops and allow the beer to finish fermentation.

10. Once fermentation is complete, rack the beer to a bottling bucket, prime with the corn sugar and bottle and condition as usual.