Method: All-grain
Specialty grains: US crystal malt.
Hops: Northern Brewer (bittering), Cascade and Williamette (flavour and aroma).
Yeast: London Ale (liquid)
Comments: This beer fermented much further than the recipe suggested it would which is why I ended up with a much higher ABV. I have yet to work out why this happened.
ABV: 6.2% (the recipe suggests 5.0%).
Yield: 16.5 litres
Tasting notes: This was ready to drink after 4 weeks and is a very refreshing brew.
It pours with a white frothy head made from large bubbles over a cloudy pale amber beer. The hops are very noticeable in this brew with hints of stone fruit and a melon finish. Well carbonated after five weeks with a medium body.
This is a beer designed to be drunk in a pub accompanied with pub food - imagine a plate of thick cut chips with aoli and serving of lemon pepper calamari.
What I learnt: This was my first all-grain brew that was done properly. It makes a complex and satisfying beer. The only downside of all grain to extract brewing would be all the additional equipment required and additional hours you need for sparging and cooling. It really does make you feel a little wasteful using a wort chiller to get the temperature down however, I can see no other way, something that hasn't been an issue with my extract brews (where I use bricks of ice to bring down the temperature).
Would I make this again? Maybe, but probably not. It's a complex beer and you could only manage one or two at a stretch before it began to labour on you. There are plenty of other Pale Ales out there to try before I come back to this recipe.
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