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Bottles of homemade beer
Homemade pale ale in glass bottles

Classic Homebrew Pale Ale

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Drinks
This all-grain recipe utilizes the single infusion mash technique. The goal is to activate amylase enzymes at specific temperatures to convert barley starches into fermentable sugars. The result is a standard American Pale Ale profile: medium body, moderate bitterness (IBU), and citrusy aromatics driven by the Cascade hops.
🕒 Prep Time 3 hrs
🍳 Cook Time 1 hr
⌛ Total Time 14 days 4 hrs
🍽️ Servings 20 servings
🔥 Calories 150 kcal
🌍 Cuisine International

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • 5-Gallon Kettle: You need ample headspace for the boil to prevent "boil-over," which is a sticky nightmare to clean up.
  • Auto-Siphon: Essential for transferring beer without splashing. Splashing introduces oxygen, which stales the beer (cardboard flavor).
  • Hydrometer: To measure sugar content. This tells you the potential alcohol (ABV) and lets you know exactly when fermentation is finished.

Allergen Information

⚠️ Gluten

Instructions

1 ✓

Mash: Steep malt at 158°F (70°C) for 60 minutes to convert starches.

Tip: Temperature precision is vital. Lower temps (148°F) yield dry, high-alcohol beer; higher temps (158°F) create a fuller body with more unfermentable sugars.
2 ✓

Boil the wort for 60 mins. Add bittering hops at the start, aroma hops at the end.

Tip: The vigorous boil is needed for the 'hot break' (coagulating proteins) and to isomerize the hop acids, which provides the bitterness.
3 ✓

Rapidly cool wort to 70°F (21°C).

Tip: Use a copper immersion chiller or ice bath. Slow cooling increases the risk of Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS), which makes the beer taste like cooked corn.
4 ✓

Ferment: Pitch yeast and seal. Maintain 65-70°F.

Tip: Sanitize EVERYTHING. Even a speck of dust can carry wild yeast or bacteria that will turn your beer into vinegar.
5 ✓

Bottle with priming sugar solution.

Tip: Dissolve the corn sugar in water and boil it first. Stir gently into the beer to avoid oxidation, which creates cardboard-like off-flavors.
6 ✓

Condition for 2 weeks.

Tip: This period allows the yeast to clean up byproducts (like diacetyl/buttery flavors) and carbonate the liquid.

Recipe FAQ

My airlock isn't bubbling. Is it broken?
Not necessarily. If your bucket seal isn't perfect, CO2 escapes elsewhere. Use your hydrometer to check if gravity is dropping—that's the only proof of fermentation.
There is sediment in my bottles.
This is normal for homebrew! It's the yeast that carbonated your beer. Pour carefully and leave the last centimeter in the bottle.
Storage temperature?
Store bottles upright in a dark, cool place (65-70°F) for carbonation, then refrigerate before serving.

Ingredients

  • 8.8 lbs Crushed Pale Ale Malt
  • 1.7 oz Hops (e.g., Cascade)
  • 5 oz Corn Sugar (for bottling/priming)
  • 1 packet Ale Yeast
  • 5 gallons Water