Good cheap pale ale

[Sometimesyoudie]

Hey all I've been brewing for a couple years now and I've done about 7 batches with fairly good results.

I just got a mr beer kit as a present. I've always done full 5 gallon batches but this little thing has got me excited. I want to do a small batch pale ale I can hopefully have done in time for Christmas. And one I can hopefully pull off on the cheap

I know that I can pretty much take any 5 gallon recipe and divide it in half to use in the mr beer fermenter (2.5 ish gallons) but I want to try something all on my own. Not necessarily follow a recipe but just go with it.

I like pale ales mainly.

So what I was thinking is is
a 3lb liquid malt
2 oz of bittering hops
3 oz aroma hops

Would I need specialty grains or could I get by with just the liquid malt?

Also what's the best way to go about sourcing ingredients a la carte? I've always just bought recipe kits and my lhbs just closed this year


Thanks guys and tell me your thoughts

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

No, you don't need any specialty grains. You can make what is considered a SMASH beer ( single malt and single hop). So pick your favorite hop and add it to your malt and your good to go.

Almost any online beer store will have these items a la carte for you. Here are some example links. I chose Pilsner malt extract and cascade.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/pilsner-malt-extract-syrup.html
https://www.morebeer.com/products/cascade-pellet-hops.html

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Also, I think Vienna malt makes a nice base for a SMASH thats a little different than the normal.

 

[meatcleaver]

this is helpful when formulating recipes...
http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator/

 

[Sometimesyoudie]

You guys are awesome! I'm hoping this works out well because I'm always wanting to brew but seldom have the scratch to afford a full decent kit. This is good stuff

 

[kristiismean]

have you decided on what bittering hop you are going for?

2oz of bittering hops is way to much. How much IBU are you going for.

use a hop shot if you want cheap IBU's. There is nothing wrong with a hop shot, .5 oz for 10 Ibu for 2.5 gallons at 60 Minutes approx.

then throw in an aroma hop at the end, 1 oz ,then 1 oz dry hop optional.. Keep it very simple.

figured out what aroma hop you are going for? I just did one with Liberty to try it, but that was Sat, not sure how good it will turn out. (5 gallons, 1oz magnum 60 1 oz liberty 10 1 oz liberty 0 11 lbs pale, 4 lbs red x 1 lbs flaked wheat us-05)

 

[meatcleaver]

if you really want to save money you should consider going all grain.
you can easily do 2.5 gal biab (brew in a bag) on your kitchen stove.
morebeer will ship a 55 lb bag of 2 row to your door for $63 or so.
hopsdirect is the best place I've found for bulk hops.
http://www.hopsdirect.com
learn how to save/harvest your own yeast & make beer for pennies per pint!

 

[BigFloppy]

learn how to save/harvest your own yeast & make beer for pennies per pint!

DEFINITELY!

You'll find that you like certain brews and when you don't have to rebuy the yeast @ $7+ per batch, makes brewing much more palatable.. AND you're brewing beers you already like

 

[RM-MN]

Hey all I've been brewing for a couple years now and I've done about 7 batches with fairly good results.

I just got a mr beer kit as a present. I've always done full 5 gallon batches but this little thing has got me excited. I want to do a small batch pale ale I can hopefully have done in time for Christmas. And one I can hopefully pull off on the cheap

I know that I can pretty much take any 5 gallon recipe and divide it in half to use in the mr beer fermenter (2.5 ish gallons) but I want to try something all on my own. Not necessarily follow a recipe but just go with it.

I like pale ales mainly.

So what I was thinking is is
a 3lb liquid malt
2 oz of bittering hops
3 oz aroma hops

Would I need specialty grains or could I get by with just the liquid malt?

Also what's the best way to go about sourcing ingredients a la carte? I've always just bought recipe kits and my lhbs just closed this year


Thanks guys and tell me your thoughts

Any hop can be a bittering hop. You choose the variety and amount to get the level of bitterness you want. 2 oounces of a high alpha acid hop would be very bitter while 2 ounces of a very low alpha acid may leave your beer too sweet.

Malt extract will have a mix of base malt and specialty grains. Until you know what malt extract you are going to use giving advice about adding specialty grains is pointless.

 

[Crohnnie]

Is ordering grain online in bulk cheaper than buying it in bulk from my lhbs? The lhbs is frustratingly expensive but I'd imagine shipping would be expensive as well.

 

[RM-MN]

Is ordering grain online in bulk cheaper than buying it in bulk from my lhbs? The lhbs is frustratingly expensive but I'd imagine shipping would be expensive as well.

Yes/no. You may find it cheaper online in bulk but I can't tell you for sure. It depends so much on the supplier and the shipping charges. Some places have flat rate shipping but charge more for their grains. Some have cheap grains but their shipping is very high. It will be up to you to find the mix of pricing and shipping that makes sense for where you are.