No matter where you live, it’s probably getting hot out there. So you’ll need a nice, light beer to beat the heat. Our first style is a golden ale, a crisp, pale-colored beer with a moderate amount of hop bitterness and alcohol. We’ll also brew an Oktoberfest, which we’ll condition until mid-September by traditional lagering at cold temperatures.

The pilsner we brewed in March and the IPA from May are ready to drink this month. So you’ll have no shortage of homebrews for the summer barbecue scene.

Golden Ale: The Story

Golden ale, blonde ale, Canadian ale. No matter what you call it, you’re describing the beer we’re brewing in June. The name may be a bit fuzzy, but the beer is usually an all-malt ale that’s light and dry. It resembles a light lager, with greater bitterness and hop flavor. It’s also similar to pale ale, but it’s lighter in color in body.

For starters, sample some commercial golden ales to get a feel for the style. Goose Island Blonde, made by Goose Island Brewing in Chicago, won a gold medal at last year’s Great American Beer Festival. It’s a great one to try; Goose Island beers are gods, in my opinion. Still, my favorite American golden is probably Full Sail Golden Ale, brewed by Full Sail Brewing Company in Hood River, Oregon. It has a nice clear appearance, mild hopping and a dry finish.

From Canada, try Warthog Ale from the Big Rock Brewing Company in Calgary, Alberta. And even though it’s brewed Down Under, Cooper’s Sparkling Ale, made by Cooper’s Brewery in South Australia, is another prime example of a Canadian golden. It’s a classic light ale, pale and crisp with a subdued hops presence. It’s highly carbonated and tastes great ice-cold.

By the numbers, here’s how golden ales come together. The original gravity ranges from 1.044 to 1.056 (11° to 14° Plato); the alcohol by volume is between 4 and 5 percent; the bitterness falls between 15 to 30 IBUs; and the color is 3 to 10 SRM. By way of commercial comparison, Foster’s Lager is approximately 4 SRM (for more information, see “The 411 on SRM,” page 21).

To brew this month’s golden ale, we’ll use a standard two-row malt and a little bit of crystal malt (10° Lovibond or as light as you can get). The mash will be a standard single infusion, at 149° F.

Many brewers mash at temperatures higher than the 149° or 150° F that I recommend. It’s well known that the alpha-amylase enzyme works best at slightly higher temperatures, sometimes known as the “conversion temperature.” This varies depending on the source consulted, but is usually between 158° and 161° F. That’s too hot for beta amylase activity, a very important step in breaking down complex starches during the mash. The beta amylase enzyme is most effective from 140° to 149° F.

At 149° F, the alpha is not in its optimum range and the beta is at the high end of its optimum range. Still, both enzymes are active at this compromise temperature.

Also, beta amylase is a much stronger maltose producer than alpha amylase. This means that the 149° F temperature produces the most converted mash, and subsequently the most fermentable wort.  Higher temperatures tend to produce a more dextrous wort, higher in body but lower in overall fermentability. So I always include a bit of dextrin malt, like carapils, for good measure.

Dr. Michael Lewis, a renowned (and now retired) professor from the University of California at Davis, described this “compromise” mash to me when I happened to meet him a few years back. I’ve stuck with it ever since,with great results.

Mildly bittering, aromatic, American hop varieties work well for this refreshing style of beer. Cascade, Mount Hood, Willamette and Liberty are great choices. You could also try Crystal, a great aroma variety with about 4 percent alpha acid. The timing for the hop additions are 90 minutes (beginning of boil), 30 minutes and 0 minutes (end of boil). Flower hops are best for this particular beer. They add a freshness that can’t be denied.

The fermentation schedule is standard, with a seven-day primary and secondary. This beer should not be estery, or fruity, so watch your fermentation temperature.  Try to keep it at 68° F, because higher temperatures mean more esters.

Golden ale
(5 gallons, all grain)

Ingredients
• 7.5 lbs. pale malt
• 0.5 lbs. carapils
• 1.0 lb. crystal malt (10° Lovibond)
• 1.0 oz. of 4.5% alpha-acid Liberty hops (4.5 AAUs)
• 0.75 oz. of 4.5% alpha-acid Liberty hops (3.4 AAUs)
• 0.75 oz. of 4.5% alpha-acid Liberty hops (3.4 AAUs)
• 1 pt. starter of American ale yeast (Wyeast 1056 or equivalent)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step

Mash grain in 3 gal. of water at 150° F for 60 minutes. Sparge with 168 to 170° F water to collect 5.75 gallons of wort. Total boil time is 90 minutes. At beginning of boil add first Liberty hops and boil 60 minutes. Add the second Liberty, boil 30 more minutes. At end of boil, add final Liberty hops. Whirlpool and cool to 68° F to pitch starter.  Oxygenate-aerate well.

Ferment at 68° F for 7 days, transfer to secondary and ferment at 68° F for 7 more days or until gravity is about 1.008 (2° Plato) and fermentation stops. Rack, prime and bottle. Condition at 45° F (in the refrigerator) for two to three weeks. If the carbonation is insufficient, due to inactive yeast at the cooler temperature, leave the beer at room temperature for a day, then rechill before drinking.

Extract with grain option:

Substitute the pale malt with 6.5 lbs. pale malt extract syrup. Increase the first hop addition to 1.25 oz. Liberty.

Start with 5 gallons of 150° F water. Steep crushed grain for 30 minutes. Sparge grains with enough 170° F water to make 5.5 gallons. Heat to boiling and add extract syrup.  Total boil will be 60 minutes. At beginning of boil add Liberty hops and boil 30 minutes. Add the second Liberty, boil 30 more minutes and add final Liberty. Whirlpool and cool to 68° F to pitch starter.  Oxygenate-aerate well.  Follow fermentation schedule for all-grain version.

OG = 1.052
FG = 1.012
Color = 6 SRM
Bitterness = 30 IBUs

Oktoberfest: The Story

The first Oktoberfest was brewed to celebrate the wedding of King Ludwig I to Princess Maria Therese in 1810. Ever since, the beer has been brewed to commemorate the annual event that takes place on the same Munich village green, known as Theresienwiese, or “Therese’s Meadow.” The original one-day celebration has expanded to a sixteen-day festival attended by some six million visitors.

The Oktoberfest style is regulated by Munich Brewer’s Guild law. It specifies that the beer must be filtered and that the original gravity must be at least 1.052 (13° Plato). The brewer’s guild is comprised of the eight Munich breweries; those that brew Oktoberfest outside Munich must create a product that’s lower than the mandated 13° Plato. This results in a beer that’s slightly lower in alcohol than the traditional Munich beers.

The style guidelines for Oktoberfest are OG of 1.052 to 1.056 (13° to 14° Plato); ABV of 5.3 to 5.9 percent; bitterness of 18 to 25 IBUs; and color of 4 to 15 SRM.

The term Märzen is often used in place of Oktoberfest, and the guidelines for the World Beer Cup and GABF list the beers as a single style. The only difference is that Märzens traditionally were brewed in the spring (“Marz” is the German word for March) and conditioned until late summer.

From Germany, classic examples come from Spaten, Paulaner, Augustiner and Andeks. From the United States, some of the better brews are created by New Glarus Brewing (New Glarus, Wisconsin), Full Sail (Hood River, Oregon), Abita Brewing (New Orleans, Louisiana) and Boston Beer Company - Sam Adams (Boston, Massachusetts).

For our version, we’ll keep the grain and mash simple: Chariot pilsner, dextrin and Munich crystal malt (40° Lovibond) mashed in a single infusion at 150° F.

You can use American and English malts. Or if you prefer, German malting companies like Weyermann and Durst make very good and widely available products. If you’re a purist, you could conduct a decoction or step mash. But besides respect for the German decoction tradition, there’s really no need for it. All of the malt in this recipe is highly modified.

Generally I recommend an accelerated lagering technique. But this time, we’ll try a slow, cold lagering process. If you have a spare refrigerator, great. For the rest of us, there are a few options. First, you could split the beer into small containers (a gallon) and cram it into your normal refrigerator. The second option is to immerse your lagers in an ice-water bath.  

In a carboy or Cornelius keg, the beer can sit in a garbage can or similar container. It should be just big enough to hold the carboy and ice, with six inches of headspace above. This way, you can loosely cover the can, which will help insulate the ice. The ice water should rise to a level just below that of the beer. Don’t let the water get too high or the carboy will float around, disturbing the contents. I drilled a hole in my garbage can three-fourths of the way up. The hole drained water and also vented carbon dioxide.

The beer will ferment for 7 to 10 days at 50° to 55° F and seven more days at 40° F. At that point, cool the beer as close as possible to 32° F for another week. When the gravity is constant, rack to a secondary and continue at 32° F until September.  

Keeping beer on ice for three months isn’t as hard as it sounds, especially if you have a cool basement. Once the beer is chilled to 32° F and the yeast has slowed, the temperature should hold steady. And the ice should last a few days before you need to replace it.

Oktoberfest
(5 gallons, all grain)

Ingredients
• 6.5 lbs. Chariot pilsner malt
• 2.25 lbs. cara-Munich (40° Lovibond)
• 1 lbs. carapils or other dextrin-type malt
• 0.75 oz. of 4.5% alpha-acid Tettnang hops (3.4 AAUs)
• 1.0 oz.  of 4.5% alpha-acid Tettnang hops (4.5 AAUs)
• 2 pt. starter of Bavarian lager yeast (Wyeast 2206 or equivalent)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step:

Mash grain in 3 gallons of water for 60 minutes at 150° F. Sparge with enough 168° F water to yield 5.75 gallons of wort. Total boil time is 90 minutes. At beginning of the boil add first Tettnang hops and continue for 75 minutes. Add second Tettnang and boil for 15 minutes. Whirlpool and cool to 40° F to pitch starter.

Ferment the beer at 50° to 55° F for 7 to 10 days. Cool to 40° F over 7 more days, then begin cooling to 32° F. Continue fermentation at 32° F for approximately one more week. Lager will then age at 32° F for the next eight weeks.

Extract with grain option:

Substitute the pilsner for 6 lbs. malt extract syrup and increase first Tettnang addition to 1 oz.

Start with 5 gallons of water in the boil kettle. Steep the crushed grains at 150° F for 30 minutes. Remove the grain bag and rinse with enough 168° F water to make 5.5 gallons. Add extract. Total boil time is 60 minutes. At beginning of boil add first Tettnang hops and continue for 45 minutes. Add second Tettnang hops and boil for remaining 15 minutes. Whirlpool and cool to 45° F to pitch starter. Ferment and condition as described above.

OG = 1.052
FG = 1.012
Color = 14 SRM
Bitterness = 23 IBUs

Mikoli Weaver has been BYO’s “Style of the Month” columnist since January 1999. A former pro brewer, he currently works at Belmont Station in Portland, Oregon.