The first time I decided to make my Black Ale was a couple of years ago, and since then I have been trying to perfect the recipe, adjust it and try and find the right balance – and I think I finally did. Over the last few months I have also been playing with BIAB, focusing on making an IPA but ending up with a very aromatic light Pale Ale, which has become my wife’s favourite and is joining the Black Ale as one of the regular home beers.
So, to make it simple and clear, here are the recipes:
Light Pale Ale (or IPA, more testing is needed) – BIAB
Mash: 90 minutes at mid temperature (64°c-68°c), last half an hour is just cooling with no heat to increase bitterness.
1kg crushed pale malt in 4 litres (1.056 gallons) filtered water, I use Brita from the London tap
Boil: 60 minutes with 100g dextrose at the start.
0 minutes – 20g Target hops
30 minutes – 30g Challenger hops
45 minutes – 10g Fuggles hops
Yeast: 6g Safale US-05 dissolved in 500ml (16.9oz) filtered cool water (21°c) with 10g dextrose
Let sit for 90 minutes to activate
Fermentation: Mix wort with yeast and 3.5l filtered water
Aim: 7l cool wort with OG=1035-1038
Dry hop: 20g Citra hops + 5g Celesia hops 7 days after brewing
Dry hop for 7 days and then bottle. 35g dextrose for priming
Black Ale – LME
Wort: Short boil (30 minutes) of Coopers Dark Malt Extract with 4.4l (1.16 gallons) boiled (in electric kettle) and Filtered water
0 minutes – 15g Fuggles hops + 20g Target hops
15 minutes – 30g Fuggles hops
Yeast: 6g Safale US-05 dissolved in 500ml (16.9oz) filtered warm water (27°c) with 10g dextrose
Let sit for 60 minutes to activate
Fermentation: Wort, yeast and another 4l (1.056 gallons) at 25°c
Aim: 8l warm wort with OG=1045-1048
Dry hop: 30g Fuggles 7 days after brewing
Dry hop for 7 days and then bottle. 35g dextrose for priming
As you can see these recipes are pretty basic, but this is why I like them so much. You want your home beers to be relatively simple to make and have a familiar taste; I like the idea of such simple beer as I can also (and will) tweak with them in the coming years.
By all means this is not the final version of those two home beers, and new versions will come due to my curious nature, but the basic recipes will remain. I promise to re-publish them as and when a big change will take place.