American IPA and Old Ale

April is one of those swing months in the Northeast. There can be a balmy warm day that will have you putting down the top on your convertible, and then a few days later, you may wake up to see snow on the daffodils. But spring is right around the corner!        

Look closely at those hops you planted last year; their pointy little sprouts should be peeking out just about now. So celebrate the arrival of this season’s hops by brewing a refreshing, flavorful IPA. And don’t be caught without beer when September rolls around. Brew a luscious, warming old ale now and it will be perfectly aged and ready to drink when the first hint of fall is in the air.

INDIA PALE ALE

OG = 1.050  FG = 1.012
IBUs = 40 to 60+ SRM = 8 to 14   

India pale ale originated in England in the late 18th century. These beers were shipped overseas to the troops and the rulers of the British Empire in India. They were brewed with a high gravity and hop rate in order to survive the trip from England. (Hops and alcohol are natural preservatives.) The beer was stored in wooden casks, which acted as ballasts for the ship. Still fermenting when the trip began, the beer matured at sea. Because of the extreme temperature changes and the listing of the ships during rough weather, when the beers arrived they were highly attenuated. The constant motion roused the yeast and kept it in solution and the higher temperatures promoted fuller fermentation.    

A Scottish brewer named Ballantine came to the United States in the early 1800s and began brewing beer in Albany, New York. One of his beers was Ballantine IPA, aged in wood casks, which emulated the English IPAs. Americans adopted this style of beer, producing a version that was a little lighter in color, drier and hoppier than its English counterparts. This style of beer showcases American hops to the fullest. It pairs well with a wide variety of foods, from fiery Indian curries to standard backyard barbecue fare.    

Our IPA has a dense, off-white head that sits on a pale amber beer. The aroma is fresh and citrusy, with a nuance of malt. The first sip is loaded with hop flavor, but a well-balanced malt profile softens the blow. The finish is long and dry, with a hop presence. This beer is a well-calibrated mix of malt and hops that complement and don’t overpower each other.

Commercial Beers To Try   

Almost every brewery has an IPA on its roster. Some of the more popular examples are Sierra Nevada Celebration, Anchor Liberty Ale, Bert Grant’s India Pale Ale, Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA, BridgePort IPA, Magic Hat’s Blind Faith, McNeill’s Dead Horse IPA, and Victory Hop Devil IPA.    

The beer should have a prominent hop aroma with a low level of caramel or toasted malt. Fruitiness may also be detected. The color is medium gold to deep copper, with a slight haze at cold temperatures acceptable. Hop flavor is medium to high, with assertive hop bitterness. Malt flavor is low to medium but should balance the hops. It is  important to have sufficient malt flavor, body and complexity to support the hops and maintain the balance of the beer. Low levels of diacetyl are acceptable and fruitiness should add to the complexity of the beer. Warming alcohol may be present in stronger-gravity beers. The mouthfeel is smooth and medium-bodied without astringency.

Hops, Malt and Yeast   

Bittering varieties can be Chinook, Cluster, Eroica, Galena, Nugget, U.S. Northern Brewer, Yakima Magnum, or even combinations of bittering hops such as Cascade and Centennial. The most popular flavor hops are Cascade, Centennial, Willamette, Perle, Progress and Columbus. Aroma and dry-hop varieties include Cascade, Centennial, Crystal, Liberty, Ultra, Willamette and a newcomer to the market, Ahtanum. Ahtanum is grown in the Pacific Northwest and has a rich, spicy, floral character. Many brewers combine hops for a more complex IPA.    

The base malt can be well-modified U.S. two-row or British two-row pale malt. Specialty malts include crystal (20° to 80° Lovibond), Munich, cara-Munich, torrified wheat, Victory and small amounts of roasted barley or chocolate malt.   

Our favorite yeast choice for an American IPA is American Ale (Wyeast 1056) because it ferments dry and finishes soft, smooth and clean. Many other strains can be used successfully, such as American Ale II (Wyeast 1272), Northwest Ale (1332), British Ale (1098), British Ale II (1028) London Ale (1335), and California Ale (White Labs WLP001).

Serving Suggestions

Serve at 55° F in a pint glass with sea scallops quickly sautéed in lemon butter. Place the scallops on a mound of whipped Yukon Gold potatoes and surround with a broth of roasted garlic, carrot and ginger curry.

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American IPA

5 gallons, extract with grains; OG = 1.065; FG = 1.017; IBUs = 51

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. U.S. crystal malt (60° Lovibond)
• 4 oz. U.S. Victory malt
• 4 lbs. Alexander’s pale malt extract syrup
• 4 lb. Muntons extra-light DME
• 4 oz. malto-dextrin
• 13 AAUs Chinook (1 oz. of 13% alpha acid) (bittering)
• 5 AAUs Cascade (1 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (flavor)
• 2.5 AAUs Willamette (0.50 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (flavor)
• 1 tsp. Irish moss
• 5 AAUs Cascade (1 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (aroma)
• 1.25 AAUs Cascade (0.25 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (dry hop)
• 2.5 AAUs Centennial (0.25 oz. of 10% alpha acid) (dry hop)
• American Ale (Wyeast 1056) or California Ale (White Labs WLP001)
• 1-1/4 cup Muntons extra light DME for priming

Step by step:   

Bring 1/2 gallon of water to 155° F, add crushed grain and hold for 30 minutes at 150° F. Strain the grain into the brewpot and sparge with one gallon of 168° F water. Add the malt extract syrup, dry malt, malto-dextrin and bittering hops. Bring the total volume in the brewpot to 2.5 gallons. Boil for 45 minutes, then add the flavor hops and Irish moss. Boil for 14 minutes, then add the aroma hops.    

Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Cool wort for 15 minutes, then strain into the primary fermenter and add water to obtain 5-1/8 gallons. Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F. Oxygenate-aerate well. Ferment at 68° F for 7 days, then rack into secondary and add dry hops. Ferment until target gravity is reached and beer is clear (approximately 3 weeks). Prime and bottle. Carbonate at 70° to 72° F for 2 to 3 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.

Partial-Mash Option:

Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 2.25 lbs. U.S. two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 1 gallon water at 150° F for 90 min. Sparge with 1.5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. Follow extract recipe, omitting 1.75 lbs. of Muntons extra-light DME in the boil.

All-Grain Option:

Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 11.25 lbs. U.S. two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 4.25 gallons of water at 152° F for 90 minutes. Sparge with 5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. The total boil time is approximately 90 minutes. Add 9.5 AAUs of bittering hops for the last 90 minutes of the boil. Add the flavor hops, Irish moss, aroma hops and dry hops as indicated by the extract recipe.

Helpful Hints:

If your water is soft (below 50 ppm hardness), add 2 tsp. gypsum, 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1 tsp. Epsom salts to adjust your water for the style. If your water is moderate (between 50 to 200 ppm hardness), add 1.25 tsp. gypsum, 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1 tsp. Epsom salts. If your water is hard (greater than 200 ppm hardness), add 1/2 tsp. gypsum, 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1 tsp. Epsom salts. Parts per million (ppm) is the unit used to describe the mineral content of your water.   

This IPA is ready to drink 1 month after carbonation. It will peak between 1 and 3 months and will last for up to 7 months at cellar temperatures.

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OLD ALE

OG = 1.060 to 90+ FG = 1.015 to 22+
IBUs = 30 to 60  SRM = 12 to 16   

Old ales are often regarded as winter warmers and are brewed as seasonal offerings for the cold weather. Traditionally they were brewed in the spring to be laid down during the summer months. The name of this style can be taken two ways: “Old” meaning the beer is aged for an extended period, or “old” meaning that it is a style that has been brewed for a long time. Some beers brewed in this style do not have the designation “old” in their name, for example, the lovely Young’s Winter Warmer and the complex Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby.    

Sometimes there is a gray area between old ales and barleywines, with commercial versions blending into each other — most notably, Eldridge Pope’s Thomas Hardy’s Ale. Generally old ales, even with significant alcohol strength, are not as potent or rich as barleywines and, for the most part, are darker in color. When laid down for six months (and in some cases, five years) they change, mature and become more potent.                 Homebrewers can brew many different versions of old ale. The grain bill can range from 75 percent pale malt to 100 percent pale malt. A variety of brewing sugars can be added to the kettle, as well as small amounts of roasted grains and varying amounts of crystal malt. Brew our old ale and then use it as a base to experiment with this delicious, complex, warming style of beer.    

Our old ale has a thick, light-tan head that gradually sinks into a tawny brown beer, leaving foam in its wake. The beer is sweet and malty on the palate with a subtle nuance of a secret ingredient, treacle, adding complexity and depth. The finish is surprisingly dry with a suggestion of alcohol.

Commercial Beers To Try   

Commercial examples are hard to come by in the United States, but a good one to try is Full Sail Wassail Winter Ale. The UK brings us some delicious examples: Old Peculier by Theakston’s brewery in North Yorkshire, Marston’s Owd Rodger, Gale’s Prize Old Ale, Young’s Winter Warmer, Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby and, our favorite, Robinson’s Old Tom. Tooheys Old Black Ale from Australia, Granite Brewery Peculiar from Canada, Broughton’s Old Jock from Scotland, Renwick Hurricane and Shakespeare King Lear from New Zealand are all worth a try.   

The aroma is malty, with complex fruity esters. A small amount of oxidation is acceptable because of the long aging period. The color can range from medium amber to extremely dark amber.

Hops, Malt, Adjuncts and Yeast   

Hops are typically English in origin, but, because of the extended aging time and emphasis on malt, the variety is not as important. East Kent Goldings, English Fuggles, Challenger, Northdown, Styrian Goldings or Progress are all suitable. Kettle hops should be added for bittering, flavor and aroma. Dry hopping gives balance. The base malt should be well-modified British two-row pale. Generous additions of caramel malts should be used (55° to 80° Lovibond). In darker versions, small amounts of dark malts are used sparingly.    

Torrified wheat and flaked barley can be used for head retention and to impart a smoothness and full body. Old ales can contain up to 15 percent brewing sugars, such as invert sugar, cane sugar, black treacle, Lyle’s Golden syrup and brown sugar. Our yeast choices are all strains from the UK: London Ale (Wyeast 1028), Irish Ale (Wyeast 1084), London III (Wyeast 1318), or Ringwood (Wyeast 1187).

Serving Suggestions   

Serve at 55° F in a footed goblet with pan-seared pork chops, caramelized Granny Smith apples and Vidalia onions in an old ale beer pan gravy, accompanied by steamed fingerling potatoes tossed with fresh garlic, herbs and oil.

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Old Ale

5 gallons, extract with grains; OG = 1.077 to 1.080 FG = 1.018 to 1.020; SRM = 35 IBUs = 36

Ingredients

• 14 oz. British crystal malt (55° Lovibond)
• 6 oz. torrified wheat
• 2.5 oz. British chocolate malt
• 8.75 lbs. Muntons extra-light DME
• 6 oz. black treacle
• 7.8 AAUs East Kent Goldings (1.5 oz. of 5.2% alpha acid) (bittering)
• 5.2 AAUs East Kent Goldings (1 oz. of 5.2% alpha acid) (flavor)
• 1 AAUs Fuggles (0.25 oz. of 4% alpha acid) (flavor)
• 1 tsp. Irish moss
• 5.2 AAUs East Kent Goldings (1 oz. of 5.2% alpha acid) (aroma)
• 2.6 AAUs East Kent Goldings (0.50 oz. of 5.2% alpha acid) (dry hop) London Ale (Wyeast 1028) or English Ale (White Labs WLP002)
• 1-1/4 cup Muntons extra-light DME for priming

Step by Step   

Bring 1 gal. of water to 155° F, add crushed grain and hold for 30 min. at 150° F. Strain the grain into the brewpot and sparge with 1 gal. of 168° F water. Add the dry malt, black treacle and bittering hops. Bring the total volume in the brewpot to 3.5 gal.   

Boil for 45 min., then add the flavor hops and Irish moss. Boil for 14 min., then add the aroma hops. Boil for 1 min. Cool wort for 15 min. Strain into the primary fermenter and add water to obtain 5-1/8 gal.   

Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F. Oxygenate/aerate well. Ferment at 68° F for 7 days, then rack into secondary (glass carboy) and add dry hops. Ferment until target gravity has been reached and beer has cleared (5 weeks). Prime and bottle. Carbonate at 70° to 72° F for 3 to 4 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.

Partial-Mash Option:

Acidify the mash water to below 7.2 pH. Mash 1.75 lbs. British two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 1 gal. water at 150° F for 90 min. Sparge with 1.5 gal. of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. Follow the extract recipe, omitting 2 lbs. of Muntons extra- light DME from the boil.

All-Grain Option:

Acidify the mash water to below 7.2 pH. Mash 12.75 lbs. British two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 4.25 gal. of water at 150° F for 90 min. Sparge with 5 gal. of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. The total boil time is 90 min. Add 6 AAUs of bittering hops for the last 90 min. of the boil. Add flavor hops, Irish moss, aroma hops and dry hops as indicated.

Helpful Hints:

If your water is soft (below 50 ppm hardness), add 1/4 tsp. gypsum, 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1 tsp. chalk to adjust. If your water is hard (greater than 200 ppm hardness), dilute it 50/50 with distilled water. Old ale is ready to drink 3 months after carbonation. It will peak between 6 and 10 months and will last for up to 1 year at cellar temperatures.

Tess and Mark Szamatulski are the owners of Maltose Express in Monroe, Connecticut. All recipes are adapted from their new book, “Beer Captured” (Maltose Press, 2000).