Pale Ale

From 17th century England to your carboy
by Horst D. Dornbusch

PALE ALE by the numbers

OG     often 11–12° P (1.044–1.048 SG)
FG      2.5–2.9° P (1.010–1.012 SG)
SRM   11–14 (sometimes less)
IBU    generally 30 (often more)
ABV    generally 4.3–4.8% 

Pale ale originated in England about two hundred years ago when some brewers started to use cleaner, but more expensive, coke  — instead of coal or wood — to dry their malted barley. The higher-priced grain led to higher-priced brews. This helped to foster the British notion that pale beers are for the upper classes, while darker beers are for the toiling masses. Most of this new ale came from just one city — Burton-on-Trent. 

British breweries have only been maintaining reliable brewing records since the beginning of the twentieth century, so we do not have the recipe of the original brew. From the perspective of authenticity, we have only a few vague hints as to what the original pale ale might have looked or tasted like. It ought not to come as a surprise, therefore, that pale ale has one of the broadest style definitions you can find in the world of brewing.

Early English beers brewed with these paler grains were mostly amber to copper in color. Today we might not even consider them pale, because we compare them to modern beers such as the golden-blond Pilsners, the brilliant Munich helles, and even American light lagers. By the standards of the staple brown ales and porters of two hundred years ago, however, these new beers were pale indeed.

The “paleness” of pale ale got a real boost in the 1820s with the introduction of new malting methods that relied on heated air, instead of hot, smoky combustion gasses, to dry the malted grain. From then on, brewers had a bona-fide pale malt. From this  grain they could finally make a truly pale ale.

Originally, in cask-conditioned “real” pale ales, the turbidity from the yeast was taken out of the drink with various finings. But in regular “running” beer — as draft beer was often called then — this was not the case. It was not until the invention of beer filtration in 1878 that pale ales could sparkle, too.

Nowadays, the finest “classic” pale ales have a delicious balance between earthy, peppery English hops and clean, sweet malts. These ales have a gentle undercurrent of butterscotch and some sulfur notes. The finish is polished and may have a note of apple. Many modern pale ales, by contrast, sport an aggressive bitterness that stems from the use of pungent hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest.

What’s in a Name?
The name “pale ale” is not without ambiguity, or even confusion. Initially, the beer was known as India Pale Ale (IPA) because it was being made mostly for shipment to the administrators, merchants and soldiers of the British Empire in India. This beer faced a six-week long, often rough, ocean voyage through the tropics and around the tip of Africa. To ensure that the beer would survive the trip without spoiling, Burton brewers made it almost twice as strong and twice as bitter as the standard ales of the day.

This India Pale Ale acquired a domestic British market only by accident when, after a shipwreck off Liverpool in 1827, casks of IPA were salvaged and sold for local consumption. Once the Liverpudlians had tasted the hoppy export ale, they clamored for more and the Burton brewers obliged. Because of the beer’s bittering levels, it became known domestically as “bitter.” However, because plenty of alcohol as a preservative was no longer necessary on the short transport routes for domestic sales, Burton brewers made their bitter in three strengths. They brewed an ordinary bitter (with an average OG in the mid-1.030s), a best bitter (with an average OG in the mid-1.040s), and a strong bitter (with an average OG in the mid-1.050s). The strong bitter also became known as special or extra-special bitter (ESB). As beer bottles entered the British market from the 1860s onward, the bottled bitters came to once again be called pale ales to distinguish them from the bitters in casks. At this time, however, the “India” prefix was dropped.

As brewers, we may be comfortable with the thought that styles are something fixed and lasting. But in reality, styles are born as an expression of their times and tend to change with them, sometimes even radically. I find it curious that nowadays the designation “pale ale” has disappeared almost completely from British labels. Conversely, in North America the designation “bitter” is not very common. “Pale ale” has become the name for the most common homebrewed  and craft-brewed beer in the New World.

In both Britain and North America, myriad IPAs, bitters and pale ales are now bottled and kegged, ignoring the traditional naming conventions that distinguished between the packaging of these beers. So, all the neat terms and categories that once upon a time seem to have had a very clear meaning are now just as likely to confuse us.

Pale Ale Style Guidelines
There are literally thousands of domestic and imported pale ales on the North American market today. Each ale emphasizes, it seems, a different characteristic of this far-ranging beer style. For generic specifications, see the “Pale Ale by the Numbers” box on the previous page, but also consider the following characteristics:

• The color of a typical pale ale is golden to medium-amber, rarely lighter.
• Its body is medium, as is its effervescence, though some British draft versions are almost flat. Other versions now come   with a very creamy head from dissolved nitrogen instead of carbon dioxide.
• The balance between maltiness and bitterness can vary greatly in a pale ale. Its up-front bitterness can range from very assertive in some versions from the American Northwest (with IBUs in the 40s) to mild and floral in some of the imported British versions (with IBUs in the 20s).
• The middle flavor is usually slightly fruity with malty rather than hop-bitter notes in evidence. It can also be downright estery and butterscotch-like, especially in some versions from the American Northeast.
• Old-style pale ales are fermented with fairly dusty — that is, not very flocculant — yeasts for a dry finish. But there are now also many modern pale ale yeasts that are very flocculant and clear easily.
• The finish is slightly to very strongly hop-aromatic, depending on the type and quantity of hops used for the last addition and whether or not the ale is dry-hopped.
• Depending on the orientation of the particular brewer, the alcohol level can be as low as 3.5 percent by volume, as is likely for an ordinary bitter. Or it can be as high as six percent, in which case the beer would probably be designated as an ESB or IPA. The alcohol level of most British pale ales is now around 4.4% and of most American pale ales around 4.8%.

Malt
All-grain brewers can use any domestic or imported pale malt of 3–4° L that is intended specifically for ales, such as Briess two-row pale ale malt or Maris Otter malt from such maltsters as Crisp Maltings, Hugh Baird, Beeston or Warminster. Maris Otter has been the traditional barley variety for the finest English ales. Such malts add a bit more residual sweetness and less graininess to the brew’s flavor than do regular two-row pale malts. Do not use German-style pale Pils malts, incidentally, as they lack the heftiness needed in British-style brews. Here are a few hints for those who wish to experiment with their malt bill.

The grain bill of a typically English pale ale may contain five to ten percent crystal malt (40 °L). Other versions of pale ale — especially those from Scotland — tend to be brewed with a greater addition of darker, or even roasted, malts. These malts can give Scottish pale ales a rich, deep copper color as well as a slight toffee aroma. This aroma is especially evident because hops are used much more sparingly in Scotland (with IBUs in the low 20s). If you wish to imitate a Fuller’s ESB from London, on the other hand, use about 7.5 percent crystal malt and 20 percent flaked maize in your grain bill.

Extract brewers might want to use British plain light malts, such as Edme Maris Otter malt extract, for the British pale ale recipes. Use plain light malts from the United States, such as Alexander’s, for the American-style recipes. Most plain light extracts have a color rating of around 4° L. Avoid extra-pale extracts, though. Depending on your preference, use the extract as a replacement for the pale grist only and then steep the specialty malts as indicated in the partial-mash recipes. Alternately, use the malt extract as a replacement for the entire grain bill. Light extract-only ales, however, will have less depth of color and flavor than do all-grain or partial-mash ales, unless you add some dark extract.

Hops
For a beer style that is also known as “bitter,” hops are important. As for the choice of hops, pale ale traditionalists prefer Fuggles and East Kent Goldings — in any combination — for bittering, flavor and aroma. For a uniquely American profile, though, you might want to substitute one or more of the hops listed in the recipes with Cascades hops.

Water
Pale ale — just like the pale Munich Helles or the Dortmund lager, but unlike the pale Pilsner lager — is not too fond of exceptionally soft water. In part, this is because soft water suppresses the perception of hop bitterness on the palate and would thus give the beer too much of a malty accent.

Burton has exceptionally hard water, in the range of 300–350 ppm calcium and magnesium. Without taking a cumbersome detour into water science, let’s just remember that the hardness of your water affects — in a complicated chain of events — the alkalinity or acidity of your mash. The alkalinity or acidity (measured as the pH value) of the mash in turn affects the pH of your wort and of your beer. A mash pH of 5.2–5.4 is universally considered perfect for pale ales. The wort pH should be no higher than 5.9 at the beginning and not over 5.6 at the end of the boil. A pH in the range of 4.2–4.4 is the ideal for flavor and stability in the finished beer.

So check your pH value and find out how hard your water is for guidance. Call your municipal water department for this information. Or, if you have your own well, have your water analyzed by a commercial lab. Then make the needed corrections with gypsum (calcium sulfate, CaSO4). One teaspoon of gypsum raises the hardness of one gallon of water by slightly more than 50 ppm. Equivalently, one teaspoon of gypsum raises the hardness of five gallons of water by about 10 ppm. Then brew your next batch and check your pH values to gauge your improvements. But do not be too finicky, unless your water is extremely soft and acidic. An acceptable target for your pale ale brewing water is about 150 to 200 ppm of calcium and magnesium ions, but I have made superb pale ales with brewing water with as little as 60 ppm of hardness.

Yeast
On the yeast front, any of the ale strains listed in the recipes are authentic and work well. Of note is Burton, which yields perhaps the most complex flavor. London gives you a fairly dry finish. Southwold yeast imparts a touch of citrus. Ringwood may give you the most butterscotch flavor, which can be overpowering, especially if your fermentation temperature slips above 70° F.

Horst Dornbusch writes the “Style Profile” column each month for BYO.
 

British Nineteenth-Century Best Bitter
(5-gallon, all grain)
OG = 1.044
FG = 1.010 
SRM = 11–13
IBU = 30   

Ingredients

• 7.0 lbs. two-row pale ale malt (3° L)
• 1.0 lb. crystal malt (40° L)
• 6.75 AAU East Kent Goldings hops (bittering)
• (1.35 oz. of 5% alpha acid)
• 0.5 oz. Fuggles hops (flavor)
• 0.5 oz. East Kent Goldings (aroma)
• Wyeast 1028 (London Ale) or White Labs WLP026 (Premium Bitter Ale) yeast
• 0.75 cup corn sugar (for bottling)

American Twentieth-Century Pale Ale
(5-gallon, all grain)
OG = 1.048 
FG = 1.012
SRM = 12–14 
IBU = 30

Ingredients

• 8.6 lbs. two-row pale ale malt (3° L)
• 0.9 lbs. crystal malt (40° L)
• 6.72 AAU Galena or Columbus hops (bittering) (0.56 oz. of 12% alpha acid)
• 0.25 oz. Willamette hops (flavor)
• 0.5 oz. Willamette hops (aroma)
• Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
• 0.75 cup corn sugar (for bottling)

Step by Step
Mash the grains using a single-infusion mash. Mash in at 152° F and let the mash rest for 60 minutes. Recirculate the wort for 20 minutes or until wort runs bright. Then sparge for about 90 minutes while raising the temperature of the mash gradually to 170° F.

Boil the wort for 90 minutes. Add bittering hops 15 minutes into the boil, flavor hops 75 minutes into the boil, and aroma hops at shut down.         Chill the wort to 68° F, aerate and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68–72° F for one week. Rack to secondary  for two weeks. Bottle, condition for one week and serve at 50–55° F.

British Nineteenth-Century Best Bitter
(5-gallon, partial mash)
OG = 1.044 
FG = 1.010   
SRM = 11–13 
IBU = 30   

Ingredients

• 5.6 lbs. plain light malt extract (such as Coopers, Muntons or John Bull) or Edme Maris Otter malt extract
• 1.0 lb. crystal (40° L)
• 6.75 AAU East Kent Goldings hops (bittering)
• (1.35 oz. of 5% alpha acid)
• 0.5 oz. Fuggles hops (flavor)
• 0.5 oz. East Kent Goldings (aroma)
• Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP006 (Bedford British Ale) yeast
• 0.75 cup corn sugar (for bottling)

American Twentieth-Century Pale Ale
(5-gallon, partial mash)
OG = 1.048
FG = 1.012   
SRM = 12–14
IBU = 30

Ingredients

• 6.9 lbs. plain light malt extract (such as Alexander’s)
• 0.9 lbs. crystal malt (40° L)
• 6.72 AAU Galena or Columbus hops (bittering)
•     (0.56 oz. of 12% alpha acid)
• 0.25 oz. Willamette hops (flavor)
• 0.5 oz. Willamette hops (aroma)
• Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
• 0.75 cup corn sugar (for bottling)

Step by Step
Crack the crystal malt. Avoid milling the grain finely, because you want to avoid phenols and unconverted starches in your brewing liquor. Immerse the cracked grain in a muslin bag in about two gallons of cold water.  Heat the water slowly for about half an hour until the brewing liquor is at 170–190° F. Then lift the bag out of the kettle and rinse it with a cup or so of cold water. Because unconverted starches become water soluble at 176° F, do not squeeze the bag. This can add milky starch residues to your wort.

Bring the steeping water to a boil, turn off the heat and add the malt extract. Stir thoroughly and resume heating. Boil wort for 90 minutes. From this point forward, follow the instructions given for the all-grain recipe.

British Nineteenth-Century Best Bitter
(5-gallon, extract only)
OG = 1.044 
FG = 1.010   
SRM = 11–13 
IBU = 30   

Ingredients

• 6.2 lbs. plain light malt extract (such as Coopers, Muntons or John Bull) or Edme Maris Otter malt extract
• 6.75 AAU East Kent Goldings hops (bittering)                   
  
• (1.35 oz. of 5% alpha acid)
• 0.5 oz. Fuggles hops (flavor)
• 0.5 oz. East Kent Goldings (aroma)
• Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) or White Labs WLP023 (Burton Ale) yeast
• 0.75 cup corn sugar (for bottling)

Note: For a darker, more authentic beer color, substitute the 7.3 lbs. of plain light malt extract with 6.6 lbs. plain light plus 0.6 lbs. plain dark (30 °L) malt extract (such as Coopers, Muntons or John Bull).

American Twentieth-Century Pale Ale
(5-gallon, extract only)
OG = 1.048
FG = 1.012
SRM = 12–14
IBU = 30   

Ingredients

• 7.3 lbs. plain light malt extract (such as Alexander’s)
• 6.72 AAU Galena or Columbus hops (bittering)
•     (0.56 oz. of 12% alpha acid)
• 0.25 oz. Willamette hops (flavor)
• 0.5 oz. Willamette hops (aroma)
• Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
• 0.75 cup corn sugar (for bottling)

Step by Step
Bring between three and five gallons of water to a boil. Turn off heat and add malt extract. Stir thoroughly to mix malt extract with water, then turn the heat back on.

Boil wort for 90 minutes. Add the bittering hops with one hour in the boil. Add the flavor hops with 15 minutes left in the boil. Add the aroma hops at the end of the the boil.

Cool the wort either with a wort chiller or by adding cold water to make five gallons of wort.  Follow the all-grain instructions for fermentation, conditioning and serving instructions.