Amber Ale

Hello,

I am looking to make an amber ale. Something that is easy drinking, not too hoppy, but I would also like to used a pale ale LME. Would I be able to get something red from a pale ale extract and adding grains like a 20-30 crystal and maybe roasted barley?

I have been researching recipes a lot lately and I haven't found anything too promising yet - and if I do, it has amber extract with it.

I haven't made one of my own recipes yet, but the extract with specialty grain recipes don't seem like they would be too hard to come up with something. I just don't want to dump a bunch of money into it yet if it doesn't turn out.

Thanks,

Jamil's American Amber Ale from Brewing Classic Styles is fantastic. I'm pretty sure the extract version calls for pale LME and not amber LME. It has some C40 and C120 but no roasted barley. It comes out amber, not quite as red as an Irish red ale. And it's not too hoppy, something like 35 IBUs. Just rich, well-balanced and very drinkable. Do a search for the recipe, you'll find it out there somewhere. Or better yet, buy the book. It's worth the price and more. Good luck.

This is my amber ale:

http://hopville.com/recipe/1633079

Everyone seems to enjoy it and it's a simple recipe. Keep in mind, that is a 3.5 gallon batch size.

you can definitely do that and I would recommend that way. do you know what color amber you want? light, medium, dark?

something like this should get you there:
1.052 OG, 12 SRM
6.6lbs light extract
1lb crystal 60 ( or whatever level(s) of crystal you want)
0-2oz chocolate or carafa (depending on color desired)

you could add in a lil victory or munich if you want a bit more malt character

I second Jwalker's advice. Buy the book. Excellent recipes as they are written, and also easy to modify here and there to come up with your own unique recipes. I've brewed at least 10 of his recipes and despite my less than professional brewing techniques, they produce good stuff.

For an American amber, I like to use a darker and a lighter crystal malt in lower amounts. It gives a "depth" and complexity to the beer that is really nice.

If you want a non-hoppy amber, are you thinking like Fat Tire? Or more hops than that? I can help you come up with something if I know how hoppy you're thinking.

Yooper said:

For an American amber, I like to use a darker and a lighter crystal malt in lower amounts. It gives a "depth" and complexity to the beer that is really nice.

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Each malt gives you a slight difference in flavor and can fill in the blanks of your flavor profile. Using a couple of different roasts in smaller amounts as Yooper stated (balancing them out to give you the color you want) can give you a more complex depth of flavor.

This is like the difference between the sound of a 3 member garage band and a Rolling Stones concert.

bosco