Al's Pale Ale

Classification: pale ale, extract

Source: Al Korzonas (korz@ilpl.att.com) Issue #866, 4/17/92

Here's my foolproof Pale Ale extract+crystal recipe. It has a better nose than Bass, but a little less than SNPA (the one I fondly remember). The Wyeast #1028 "London Ale" imparts a bit of a woody flavor. It has had various names throughout it's various re-incarnations, but let's call it: "AL'S PALE ALE."

Hop rates based upon a *5.5 GALLON BOIL*--- if you do a partial boil, you need to increase the boil hops to compensate for the higher boil gravity. See the Zymurgy Special Issue on Hops for the compensation formula. In any event, boil all the water to sanitize it and drive off any chlorine. If you don't like the woody taste, try substituting Wyeast #1056 American Ale yeast, but the FG will be different.

Ingredients:

3.3 pounds, Munton & Fison Old Ale extract (throw away yeast)
3 pounds, Laaglander light dry malt extract
1/2 pound, crushed crystal malt (40 L.)
1 ounce, Clusters pellets (60 minute boil)
1/2 ounce, Fuggles pellets (15 minute boil)
1 ounce, Goldings, Fuggles, Cascade, or Willamette whole hops (dry hop)
1/3 ounce, Burton water salts
5--1/2 gallons, water
Wyeast #1028 "London Ale" yeast
5--1/2 ounces, Laaglander light dry extract (priming)

Procedure:

Steep the crushed crystal malt in a grain bag in the water as you bring it from cold to 170F, then remove. Don't boil the grains! I use two polyester hop bags, one for each addition, to simplify removing the hops after the boil. The wort must be cooled to 70 or 80F before aeration. I use an immersion chiller, which brings it from 212F to 70F in 15 minutes, and then pour the beer through a large funnel into the fermenter on top of the yeast. I recommend the blowoff method of fermentation---non-blowoff versions of this beer have tasted harsh, astringent and too bitter.

Primary fermentation: 3 weeks in glass at 66F. Dryhops added directly into fermenter (no hop bag) after kraeusen falls (about 4-6 days). No secondary. Boil the priming extract in 16 ounces of water for 15 minutes to sanitize.

Specifics:

O.G.: 1.046
F.G.: 1.014