Creating a pale ale

I’m likely over my head, as I’m new to brewing, but I want to try to make a pale ale.

I’m starting with Alexander’s Pale Malt Syrup, but from here, I’m a bit lost.

For grains, are there specific grains for pale ales you should use and can you combine them?

Then for hops, how do you know which hops should be in for 60 mins, 30 mins or 5 mins, etc?

Anything else I’m missing that I should include in a pale ale?

Thanks for any help!

I’ll tackle the hops as I would be a little rusty on the specialty grains, as it’s been awhile since I’ve done an extract brew. I would suggest an ounce of magnum at 60 minutes, then 0.5 ounces of citra at 5 minutes and 0.5 ounces of citra at flameout. Easy and straightforward and I love citra! :cheers:

I haven’t brewed with Alexander’s for many years. I do have a very basic recipe from my extract brewing days that had 2 - 3.3 lb cans Alexander’s Pale Malt, with 2/3 cup crushed wheat malt and 1/3 cup crushed crystal 40 (back in my pre-scale days). The crushed grains were steeped. I was attempting to brew a mock lager that American beer drinking friends would enjoy. I used 1 oz of Saaz hops in a 30 min boil, with another 1 oz of Saaz at about 5 min. Notes were few, but were “Great light beer, beautiful gold color. Nice hoppy aroma and flavor. Got to make again. Perfect for American beer drinkers.” I used a clean ale yeast. Anyway, The malt is very light and will let hops shine through. For a pale ale I think 8 oz or so of a medium crystal would add a little flavor depth and color, with hops being the primary character. More crystal will work and add additional sweetness, body, and color. I still remember this beer as being very enjoyable, but I never got around to brewing it again and eventually moved on to all grain brewing. The recipe is dated in my records as December of 1990.