May is going to be a fun month in the home brewery. The two styles are American pale ale and American amber, two hoppy and refreshing beers to get a jump on summer. The Belgian golden and maibock from April’s schedule are also ready to drink this month, but both will cellar very well for the next couple of months — if you have the patience.

Something Borrowed, Something New
When it comes down to it, none of the beers brewed in the United States can really be considered original or unique to our country — not even steam beer. Beers brewed here are, for the most part, imitations of the beautiful foreign crafting of Germany, England, and a few other countries. Immigrant beers for a nation founded by immigrants. However, Americans are noted for their ingenuity and improvement upon products. American pale ale is one example.  

American-style pale ale is still the most popular beer produced after two decades of serious brewing in this country. But is it any wonder? It just may be the perfect beer for all occasions and palates. It just may be the one thing that made the microbrewing revolution really happen in this country.

Pale ale is a medium- to full-bodied beer with moderate to high hop bitterness and high hop presence. The name pale ale does not necessarily denote a color, since color varies widely from beer to beer.

Style guidelines for the Great American Beer Festival describe American pale ale as having an original gravity of 1.044 to 1.056 (11° to 14° Plato), alcohol by volume of 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent, bitterness of 20 to 40 IBUs, and color of 4° to 11° SRM.

The suggested original gravity and IBUs are too light in the opinion of some brewers. It seems old-fashioned, even for our young beer history, to brew a pale ale at the bottom end of the guidelines: 1.044 (11° Plato) and 25 IBUs. Pale ales at 1.060 to 1.064 (15° to 16° Plato) and with higher bitterness levels are hitting the market. Similarly the IPA barrier is being pushed each year by new beers of higher gravity, alcohol, and bitterness levels more than 60.

The guidelines are the same as those outlined for English-style pale ale, but are these beers the same? Absolutely not. In many cases they are not even similar, and for more reasons than just the yeast character or type of hops. American beers seem to have a little more
of everything.

Commercial Examples
Of all the pales brewed today, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is still regarded as the one perfect reference in the category. Sierra Pale’s yeast gives it a dry, crisp finish, and the beer is made with abundant Cascade flower hops that are unmistakably American. Homebrewers can use the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale yeast in the form of Wyeast 1056 (American ale).

Anderson Valley’s Boont Pale has similar characteristics. Crisp, very refreshing, with citrus and floral hop flavors. Good balance and beautiful, light copper appearance.

There are, however, some distinctly American ales brewed with continental ingredients in sort of a hybrid fashion. Deschutes Mirror Pond is a perfect illustration. This pale ale uses 100 percent Cascade hops in the boil, but it is fermented with an English strain of yeast. Does this make it any less an American-style pale ale? Technically, perhaps, but it deserves consideration in this category.

Pyramid DPA (draft pale ale) is another good example of this hybrid mentality. It is the same beer as the regular pale ale produced using Pyramid’s house yeast strain, which is English, but it uses 100 percent Cascade hops and North American malts like the Mirror Pond. The DPA is served under nitrogen blend, whereas the original bottled pale uses CO2.

Both Mirror Pond and DPA are much stronger and more bitter than most of the pales in England.

Other notable pale ales include Boulevard Pale, Bridgeport Pale, Full Sail VSP (Very Special Pale), and Great Lakes Burning River Pale.

Tupper’s Hop Pocket from Old Dominion is a very hoppy pale. In fact it won medals as both an American pale and an IPA. Pike Pale, Goose Island Honker’s Ale, and Yards Extra Special Ale are also highly hopped pale ales.

Medal winners in 1998 included the GABF and World Beer Cup gold to Sharptail Pale from Montana Brewing Co. and the GABF silver to Addison Pale from Big Horn Brewing Co.

British Comparisons
Since the American pale is really just a version of the English pale ale style, it is interesting to compare the two. Some readily available examples include Boddington’s Pale, Samuel Smith’s Pale Ale, Fuller’s, Young’s, and Mackeson’s Extra.

The GABF only awarded a gold and silver medal, no bronze. The medals went to Stoddard’s Pale of Stoddard’s Brewing Co. and Urban Wilderness Pale from Sleeping Lady Brewing Co., respectively. Medal winners in the World Beer Cup for English-style pale ale included Samuel Adam’s Boston Ale (gold medal) and Thomas Hardy’s Royal Oak (silver).

American Amber Ale
As the name suggests, American amber is made from distinctly American ingredients, just as American pale ale is. During the early years of the craft-brewing revolution, there really was no such thing as an amber, exactly. Many breweries were quite a novelty and were not immediately received by the uneducated public. In the pursuit of “the cause” so to speak, as well as capital to continue doing business, breweries created beers that were easy to understand and consumer friendly. In fact it was very common to see such titles as pale and dark describe a wide array of choices.

The famed Mendocino Brewing Co.’s Red Tail Ale is one such beer that is ill defined but broke ground as an early example. This beer has become known for its hop character somewhat like an IPA, but it does fit the profile of an American amber ale in many respects. In fact it has won medals as such.

So it is easy to see that there could be confusion, particularly on the fringes of the category. Look at MacTarnnahan’s Scottish, which won a gold medal at the 1992 GABF as an amber and a bronze in the 1997 World Beer Cup in the same category. Mac’s was sold as a Scottish ale for several years, then a Scottish-style amber ale, and now the tap handles and packaging
simply proclaim it as an amber.

A Portland Brewing product that closely parallels an amber is Malarkey Wild Irish Ale. Brewed as an Irish red, it uses the standard Munich and crystal malts with American Northern Brewer and Mount Hood hops. Malarkey’s is recognizably a Northwest beer with its distinct light caramel finish and Yakima hops. The brewery listed the following statistics for Mac’s: 1.052 (13° Plato) original gravity, 5 percent alcohol by volume, and bitterness of 30 IBUs. The color is estimated at 10° to 12° SRM.

The ambiguity of amber ale might be attributable to beers being too often categorized by color alone. Not that color is unimportant; it is a very relevant part of judging, but it is also open to rather broad interpretation. For instance Rogue American has a deep reddish hue, almost like a port. On the other end of the scale, Alaskan Amber looks more sienna or light orange, similar to John Courage Amber and other British counterparts. Yet both are medal winners.

Furthermore, the silver medal in the 1997 World Beer Cup went to a red ale named Devil’s Head Red of Columbine Mill Brewing Co. in Littleton, Colo., and the gold went to Capstone ESB produced by Oasis Brewery, Boulder, Colo. Neither is sold as an amber. Confusion abounds. There were similar results in 1998 as the gold was awarded to Believer’s Bitter and the silver to Chelsea Sunset Red.

The amber ale gold medal at the 1997 GABF was awarded to the Chelsea Brewing Co. for Chelsea Sunset Red. The name comes from the pier in New York City upon which the brewery is situated. Brewmaster Russel Garet helped establish and has run the brewery for the last three years. He lists Sunset Red as 1.050 (12.5° Plato) OG, finishing about 1.010 (2.5° Plato). The alcohol by volume is 5 percent, and the
bitterness at a comfortable 40 IBUs. “It is a very marketable beer here in the New York area, where beer knowledge is still growing,” explains Garet, who knows what it’s like to work in an emerging market. In the late ’80s and early ’90s he brewed at the Pacific Northwest Brewing Co. in Seattle.

The World Beer Cup gold in 1998 went to Anderson Valley’s Boont Amber.

The 1998 GABF and World Beer Cup guidelines place amber at an OG of 1.044 to 1.056 (11° to 14° Plato), alcohol by volume 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent, bitterness 20 to 40 IBUs, and color 11° to 18° SRM. Essentially these parallel the American pale ale guidelines with one exception: color. And like the guidelines for pale ale, many brewers feel the amber ale guidelines are too light.

In the Northwest the primary name in amber is Full Sail Amber Ale. Full Sail’s amber, with its smoky, rich, long finish, is definitely a benchmark ale. Head Brewer John Harris considers the Full Sail to be the perfect example of an American amber. “I love that beer, and I would never change it,” he says. The recipe has not been changed since 1987, and Full Sail Amber remains the most consistent example on the market.

The Full Sail Amber has an OG of 1.060 (15° Plato). Bitterness of 37 IBUs comes from Yakima, Wash.-grown Cascade and Mt. Hood hops. The grain bill is of typical North American pale malts, medium crystal malts, and a sprinkling of roasted barley for color and aroma.

Over the last few years there has been a new player in the market from the Alaska Brewing Co. Alaskan Amber, the 1995 GABF gold-medal winner, has been very popular among inexperienced beer drinkers looking for a more mild selection. The Alaskan Amber has a clean caramel flavor, low hop presence, and a slightly sweet finish. As an interesting side note, the Alaskan Frontier ale, which is more bold and hoppy, was the brewery’s original American amber.

On the other hand Rogue’s American Amber has assertive hops and a crisp finish. Brewer John Maier’s most beautiful creation since the Red Dry Hop — or maybe even Mogul. Maier spoke about the differences between the Red and the American, saying that they essentially “have to enter the red as an amber because there is no GABF category for a red beer like the Saint Rogue, even though the American is the one we really are trying to push as our amber.”

Rogue Amber is brewed in the long-standing Maier style of big beers, with abundant Cascade and Goldings hops, an OG of 1.064
(16° Plato), 53 IBUs, and a large grain bill including crystal 95°, 115°, 135°, and 165° Lovibond.

More examples of bold amber include Lang’s Tri-Motor Amber, akin to the Rogue with its generous hops and bold, estery profile; Anderson Valley Boont Amber; and Atlas Amber of Big Time Brewing. The Atlas happens to be one of the foundations upon which the Seattle beer market was based.

In this month’s recipe section there are two different versions of American amber for you to try. The first is a higher gravity, hoppier beer like a Full Sail or Rogue, and the second is more subdued. It is lighter in color, flavor, and bitterness.

Another admirable, although unorthodox, version of the American amber is Thomas Kemper’s Amber Lager. This beer is an excellent example of how a classic style can be manipulated to form an American product by mixing continental and American ingredients. The grain bill consists mostly of two-row and Munich pale malts with caramel 40° Lovibond and 80° Lovibond for color and body, but is hopped with Northwest Liberty (a Hallertauer variety) and Nugget (a German Northern Brewer varietal). The Amber Lager starts at 1.052 (13° Plato).

TK’s Amber was formerly called Integrale, but the name was changed for “packaging and salability.” Creator and former Head Brewer Rande Reed comments, “I liked the Integrale, including the name, but it wasn’t selling anywhere but in Italian restaurants. So it was fixed up and re-released in a way.” He explains, “It isn’t an Italian beer. It’s a Seattle amber lager. Our Northwest version of a märzen, if you will.”

The TK example brings up an interesting connection to the Old World, namely märzen/oktoberfest-type beers, that bear a distinct resemblance to American amber ales.

Recipe Formulation
Malt: As with any beer, the base ingredient in pale and amber ales is some sort of authentic pale malt. For bocks Munich is desired and for ESB an English pale is used, and so on.

In this country the most chosen two-row is still Harrington, with Manley and Galena (the grain) running second and third. These malting grains are mostly grown in the northwestern United States, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Six-row varieties such as Robust and Excel are widely grown in the Midwest states where they are used predominately for feed, although malting of these grains does occur. And they are all, for the most part, considered American ingredients.

In addition to pale malt, these beers need some sort of dextrin malt (such as carapils) to provide extra body and mouthfeel. Dextrin malts contain no active enzymes for conversion due to full modification. The result is an abundance of
dextrins (unfermentable long chain carbohydrates) that add viscosity and surface tension to beer that in turn creates added body and head retention. Powdered-form maltodextrin will achieve the same result and is very popular with partial mash and extract-only homebrewers. No American styles should be lacking in body.

For specialty grains in both beers, a variety of caramel malts should form the bulk of the color, aromatic condition, and flavor. In amber ales the crystal malt is also coupled with a scant amount of roasted barley, black malt, or chocolate malt to offset the red hue and add a slightly earthy note. Two recipes are given for amber, one with roasted barley and the other with chocolate since both seem to be popular among commercial and homebrew recipes.

Hops: There are a variety of hops that will create a good American ale. Widely used bittering hops include Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Eroica, Galena, Cluster, Nugget, and U.S. Northern Brewer.

For the middle and finishing hops, Cascade, Liberty, Crystal, Ultra, and Willamette are all good choices. Note that different hop varieties were chosen for the pale and amber recipes.

Some brewers like to dry hop pale ales, but for the most part this is completely optional. The idea is to have a good balance in the finished product. The recipes provided do not have a dry-hop step included. If you wish to really push the bounds of the style, use any American aroma hop such as Cascade or Liberty. You can even try the bittering hop Columbus, which has great aroma properties in dry hopping. The
second, stronger amber recipe can more readily accept dry hops due to the heavy use of caramel malts and high original gravity.

Yeast Selection: For these American-style ales it is most appropriate to select an American-type strain of yeast. The most common is the Wyeast 1056 (American ale). Several alternatives impart different flavors and as a result make the beer more unique. Wyeast 1272 (American ale II) and 1087 (Wyeast ale blend) both produce good examples of these styles. The 1272 is also a bit more flocculent than the 1056 (it settles out better), which is nice for home-brewing where filtration may not be possible. Brewers interested in creating these styles as lagers can use the Wyeast 2035 (American lager) and 2112 (California lager).

Fermentation for both styles should be very complete, so a terminal gravity in the 1.008 to 1.012 (2° to 3° Plato) area is perfect for a crisp, dry finish with good balance.

Recipes

American Pale Ale
(5 gallons, all-grain)

Ingredients:
• 8.5 lbs. two-row pale malt such a Gambrinus or Great Western
• 0.5 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 0.5 lb. crystal malt, 20° Lovibond
• 0.5 lb. crystal malt, 60° Lovibond
• 0.5 oz. U.S. Northern Brewer hops (3.5% alpha acid) for 90 min.
• 2.5 oz. Cascade whole hops (4.5% alpha acid): 0.75 oz. for 45 min., 0.75 oz. for 15 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
• 1 pt. starter of Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step:
Mash grain in 3.25 gal. of water at 150° F for 60 min. Sparge with 168° to 170° F water to collect 5.75 gal. of wort.

Total boil time is 90 min. At beginning of boil, add Northern Brewer hops and boil 45 min. Add 0.75 oz. Cascade hops, boil 30 min., and add 0.75 oz. Cascades. Boil remaining 15 min., at end of boil, add 1 oz. Cascades to finish. Whirlpool and cool to 69° F to pitch starter. Oxygenate/aerate well.

Ferment at 69° F for seven days, then rack to secondary fermenter. Continue fermentation for seven more days until gravity is about 1.012 (3° Plato) or fermentation stops. Let settle, rack, prime, and bottle. Age seven more days before drinking.

    OG = 1.056 (14° Plato)
    40 IBUs
    SRM = 12
    ABV = 5.75%

American Pale Ale
(5 gallons, extract with grain)

Ingredients:
• 8 lbs. pale malt extract syrup
• 0.5 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 0.5 lb. crystal malt, 20° Lovibond
• 0.5 lb. crystal malt, 60° Lovibond
• 0.75 oz. U.S. Northern Brewer hops (5.25% alpha acid) for 60 min.
• 2.5 oz. Cascade whole hops (4.5% alpha acid): 0.75 oz. for 45 min., 0.75 oz. for 15 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
• 1 pt. starter of Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step:
Start with 5 gal. of 150° F water. Steep crushed grain for 30 min. Sparge grains with enough 170° F water to make 5.5 gal.

Heat to boiling and add extract syrup. Total boil will be 60 min. At beginning of boil, add Northern Brewer hops and boil 15 min. Add the first Cascade addition, boil 30 min., and add second Cascade addition. Boil remaining 15 min., at end of boil, add last Cascades to finish. Whirlpool and cool to 69° F to pitch starter. Oxygenate/aerate well.

Ferment at 69° F for seven days then rack to secondary fermenter. Continue fermentation for seven more days until gravity is about 1.012 (3° Plato) or fermentation stops. Let settle, rack, prime, and bottle. Age seven more days before drinking.

    OG = 1.056 (14° Plato)
    40 IBUs
    SRM = 12
    ABV = 5.75%

American Amber I
(5 gallons, all-grain)

This version is hopped fairly aggressively but balanced by a high enough gravity to provide an even product. It also shreds the guidelines to bits. That’s why it’s so good. The numbers are close to the Rogue American.

Ingredients:
• 9 lbs. two-row pale malt
• 1 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 0.5 lb. carastan malt or caramel malt, 20° Lovibond
• 0.5 lb. crystal malt, 60° Lovibond
• 0.5 lb. crystal malt, 120° Lovibond
• 0.25 lb. roasted barley
• 0.5 oz. Columbus hops (7% alpha acid) for 90 min.
• 1.5 oz. Cascade whole hops (3% alpha acid): 0.5 oz. for 30 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
• 0.5 oz. Liberty hops, dry hop (optional)
• 1 pt. yeast starter, Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step:
Mash grain in 3.75 gal. of water for 60 min. at 150° F. Sparge with enough 168° F water to yield 5.75 gal. of wort.

Total boil time is 90 min. At beginning of boil add Columbus hops and continue for 60 min. more. Add first Cascade addition and boil for remaining 30 min. At end of boil, add last Cascade addition. Whirlpool and cool to 69° F to pitch starter.

Ferment beer at 69° F for seven days and transfer to secondary. Ferment for seven more days until the gravity has reached 1.008 to 1.012 (2° to 3° Plato) or has stopped fermenting. Let settle, rack, prime, and bottle. Dry hop in secondary if desired with 0.5 oz. Liberty pellets in a nylon hop bag.

    OG = 1.064 (16° Plato)
    42 IBUs
    SRM = 18
    ABV = 6.5%

American Amber I
(5 gallons, extract with grain)

Ingredients:
• 8 lbs. light malt syrup
• 0.5 lbs. crystal malt, 80° Lovibond
• 0.5 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 0.25 lb. roasted barley
• 0.75 oz. Columbus hops (10.5% alpha acid) for 60 min.
• 1.5 oz. Cascade whole hops (3% alpha acid): 0.5 oz. for 30 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
• 0.5 oz. Liberty hops, dry hop (opt.)
• 1 pt. starter of Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step:
Start with 5 gal. of water in boil kettle. Steep crushed grains in a nylon bag at 150° F for 30 min. Remove bag and rinse with enough 168° F water to make 5.5 gal.

Add extract. Total boil time is 60 min. At beginning of boil add Columbus hops and continue for 30 min. Add first Cascade addition and boil for remaining 30 min. At end of boil add last Cascade addition and whirlpool. Cool to 69° F to pitch starter.

Ferment beer at 69° F for seven days and transfer to secondary. Ferment for seven more days until the gravity has reached 1.008 to 1.012 (2° to 3° Plato) or has stopped fermenting. Let settle, rack, prime, and bottle. Dry hop in secondary if desired with 0.5 oz. Liberty pellets in a nylon hop bag.

    OG = 1.064 (16° Plato)
    42 IBUs
    SRM = 18
    ABV = 6.5%

American Amber II
(5 gallons, all-grain)

Here is a more subtle version of an amber ale that is good to pair with foods.

Ingredients:
• 8 lbs. two-row pale malt
• 1 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 0.5 lbs. crystal malt, 80° Lovibond
• 0.25 lb. crystal malt, 120° Lovibond
• 0.25 lb. chocolate malt
• 0.25 oz. Centennial hops (2.75% alpha acid) for 90 min.
• 1.75 oz. Willamette hops (3.5% alpha acid): 0.75 oz. for 15 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
• 1 pt. starter of Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step:
Mash grain in 3.25 gal. of water for 60 min. at 150° F. Sparge with 168° F water to yield 5.75 gal. of wort.

Total boil time is 90 min. At beginning of boil add Centennial hops and continue for 75 min. more. Add first Willamette addition and boil for remaining 15 min. At end of boil, add last Willamette addition. Whirlpool and cool to
69° F to pitch starter.

Ferment beer at 69° F for seven days and transfer to secondary. Ferment for seven more days, or until the gravity has reached 1.012 (3° Plato). Let settle, rack, prime, and bottle. Age seven more days before drinking.

    OG = 1.052 (13° Plato)
    ABV = 5%
    SRM = 16
    23 IBUs

American Amber II
(5 gallons, extract with grain)

Ingredients:
• 7.5 lbs. light malt syrup
• 1 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 0.5 lb. crystal malt, 80° Lovibond
• 0.25 lb. crystal malt, 120° Lovibond
• 0.25 lb. chocolate malt
• 0.25 oz. Centennial hops (2.75% alpha acid) for 60 min.
• 1.75 oz. Willamette hops (3.5% alpha acid): 0.75 oz. for 15 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
• 1 pt. starter of Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step:
Start with 5 gal. of water in boil kettle. Steep crushed grains at 150° F for 30 min. Remove bag and rinse with enough 168° F water to make 5.5 gal.

Add extract. Total boil time is 60 min. At beginning of boil add Centennial hops and continue for 45 min. Add first Willamette addition and boil for remaining 15 min. At end of boil, add last Willamette addition and whirlpool. Cool to 69° F to pitch starter.

Ferment beer at 69° F for seven days and transfer to secondary. Ferment for seven more days, or until the gravity has reached 1.012 (3° Plato). Let settle, rack, prime, and bottle. Age seven more days before drinking.

    OG = 1.052 (13° Plato)
    ABV = 5%
    SRM = 16
    23 IBUs