English Pale Ale

Classic English pale ales are golden to copper-colored and display English-variety hop character. Medium to high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma should be evident. This medium-bodied pale ale has low to medium malt flavor and aroma. Low caramel character is allowable. Fruity-ester flavors and aromas are moderate to strong. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures. The absence of diacetyl is desirable, though, diacetyl (butterscotch character) is acceptable and characteristic when at very low levels.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound English crystal malt

• 6 pounds light DME

• 2 ounces Northdown hops

• 1/4 ounce Challenger hops

• 1 teaspoon Burton water salts

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast 1098 British 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 Burton water salts and 1 ounce of the Northdown hops.

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

5. Boil for an additional 5 minutes, then add 1/2 ounce of the Northdown hops.

6. Boil for an additional 9 minutes, then add 1/2 ounce of the Northdown hops.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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 approximately 68-72º F for a week.

10. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter and allow the beer to finish fermentation.

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