Pale ale recipe advice (Widmer HopJack Clone)

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

smalltown2001

Active Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2008
Messages
42
Reaction score
0
Location
Portland, OR
I am trying to brew another pale ale recipe, and ran across this recipe and thought it might be good. And I already have half of the ingredients on hand.

Widmer Hop Jack Clone
(5 gallons, extract with grains)
Ingredients

2.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 23.39 %
3.30 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 38.60 %
1.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 17.54 %
1.00 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 11.70 %
0.50 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 5.85 %
0.25 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.92 %
0.50 oz Williamette [4.90 %] (60 min) Hops 7.9 IBU
0.75 oz Cascade [8.30 %] (60 min) Hops 20.1 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min) Hops 6.4 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial [9.30 %] (2 min) Hops 1.3 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (2 min) Hops 0.7 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc

1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001)

Est Original Gravity: 1.045 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Bitterness: 36.4 IBU
Est Color: 12.8 SRM Color: Color

The only thing I can see is that the Original Gravity is low. What do you guys think?
 
OG and IBU are on the lower end of the BJCP style parameters. Depends on what you want, I guess.

More technically, a pound and a half of crystal malt in 5 gallons is a bit much, IMO, and risks making the beer cloyingly caramelly. Never made the recipe, though, so I can't speak definitively.

Cheers,

Bob
 
I am trying to brew another pale ale recipe, and ran across this recipe and thought it might be good. And I already have half of the ingredients on hand.

Widmer Hop Jack Clone
(5 gallons, extract with grains)
Ingredients

2.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 23.39 %
3.30 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 38.60 %
1.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 17.54 %
1.00 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 11.70 %
0.50 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 5.85 %
0.25 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.92 %
0.50 oz Williamette [4.90 %] (60 min) Hops 7.9 IBU
0.75 oz Cascade [8.30 %] (60 min) Hops 20.1 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min) Hops 6.4 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial [9.30 %] (2 min) Hops 1.3 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (2 min) Hops 0.7 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc

1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001)

Est Original Gravity: 1.045 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Bitterness: 36.4 IBU
Est Color: 12.8 SRM Color: Color

The only thing I can see is that the Original Gravity is low. What do you guys think?

Um, wow, that's a lot of ingredients for a pale ale.

Up front, It looks fine in its current capacity. +1 on the "possibly too much Caramel malt".

I would ask, though, what you have in stock and what you don't? You may have the ingredients right now to make a good Pale Ale without blowing the budget.

Also, still being the frugal one, I'd switch up the hop schedule a bit. Assuming that you're opening new 1 oz. packages and will have some leftovers (which I've had terrible luck with keeping for an extended period of time), the following may be up your alley:

.5 oz. Centennial (60 Min)
.75 oz. Cascade (60 Min)
.5 oz. Cascade (20 min)
.5 oz Cascade 10 min
.5 oz Centennial 2 min
.25 oz cascade 2 min

That zero's out your leftovers. Just a thought. Take it or leave it. You could probably go even less complicated and do an ounce of Centennial at 60 min and then a half ounce of cascade at 10 min and 2 min respectively and achieve a similar hop character, IMO, and same some cash, even more so, save some hops.

I'm not at home, so I can't get you the correct IBUs.

Cheers,
 
Back
Top