Trying for a pale ale...help please?

Northern Brewer General
1

I’m trying to come up with an american pale ale recipe. what do you think?

1lb of rahr Pale Ale Malt steep at 170
8lbs of NB organic light malt syrup
1 oz Chinook boil 60 min
.5 oz Falconer’s Flight boil 20 min
1 oz Falconer’s Flight boil 5 min
2 oz Wilamette boil 0 min
White Labs 001 California Ale yeast
dry hop with 1.5 oz whole leaf Chinook hops

2

The Pale Ale malt needs to be mashed, not steeped. Keep the temp in the 150 range for 45-60 minutes.

Organic LME? If you want organic, you should find organic Pale malt and hops. Otherwise you are wasting your money.

Otherwise the recipe looks drinkable.

3

Okay so if I don’t have a grain crusher then what grains should I go for? Also, I’m not looking to make organic, just looking for a lighter malt extract without going to the NB gold, since its so dark.

thanks

4

[quote=“sunshine22”]Okay so if I don’t have a grain crusher then what grains should I go for? Also, I’m not looking to make organic, just looking for a lighter malt extract without going to the NB gold, since its so dark.

thanks[/quote]

I’m not an expert on extract brewing, but don’t grains need to be crushed for steeping as well as mashing?

5

[quote=“Brew Meister Smith”]
I’m not an expert on extract brewing, but don’t grains need to be crushed for steeping as well as mashing?[/quote]
Excluding flaked grains, all grain should be crushed.

6

[quote=“sunshine22”]Okay so if I don’t have a grain crusher then what grains should I go for? Also, I’m not looking to make organic, just looking for a lighter malt extract without going to the NB gold, since its so dark.

thanks[/quote]
Crystal/caramel and roasted malts can generally be steeped, however they should be crushed.

7

[quote=“sunshine22”]Okay so if I don’t have a grain crusher then what grains should I go for? Also, I’m not looking to make organic, just looking for a lighter malt extract without going to the NB gold, since its so dark.

thanks[/quote]

If you are just doing small amounts and only for steeping, you can probably just use a rolling pin or something like that to crush the grains.

8

What are you going for with steeping the grains? Normally steeping is used for adding color/flavor. It sounds like you want a very light colored beer. You could probably skip the grains if you want a light colored beer just showcasing the hop flavor. Most NB recipes call for 1/2 to 1lb of a caramel malt of some sort to add a little color and flavor. They can be bought crushed if you don’t have a mill.

9

[quote=“sunshine22”]Okay so if I don’t have a grain crusher then what grains should I go for? Also, I’m not looking to make organic, just looking for a lighter malt extract without going to the NB gold, since its so dark.

thanks[/quote]

Use Extra Light DME.

You can still use some Pale malt or regular 2 row to give it a “Fresher” taste. But soak it at 150* for 30-60 minutes instead of 170* for 15-20.

10

[quote=“Brew Meister Smith”][quote=“sunshine22”]Okay so if I don’t have a grain crusher then what grains should I go for? Also, I’m not looking to make organic, just looking for a lighter malt extract without going to the NB gold, since its so dark.

thanks[/quote]

If you are just doing small amounts and only for steeping, you can probably just use a rolling pin or something like that to crush the grains.[/quote]

Just make sure it isn’t SWMBO’s favorite rolling pin.

11

Okay, yeah I am going for a moderately bright beer. I want to almost copy a Sierra Nevada pale ale, but with a little bit more hoppiness. Not an IPA though. So DME and caramel malt?

12

[quote=“sunshine22”]I want to almost copy a Sierra Nevada pale ale, but with a little bit more hoppiness. Not an IPA though. So DME and caramel malt?[/quote]Exactly. Light DME, 1lb or so C-60, OG around 1.055, IBUs around 40 and finish with Cascade hops. Take a look at this thread on cloning a SNPA, there are some extract recipes on the second page:
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=15532