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Author Topic: Golden Ale Suggestions  (Read 2134 times)

Offline withak

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Golden Ale Suggestions
« on: November 24, 2010, 09:10:53 am »
Looking to make an American Golden Ale/Blond Ale this weekend.

Anyone have any favorite recipes?  Something moderately bitter with a helping of malt.

Offline EHall

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Re: Golden Ale Suggestions
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2010, 09:22:11 am »
8# 2row
1# honey malt
US05
Mash at 155-158 for 60m
Phoenix, AZ

Offline gordonstrong

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Re: Golden Ale Suggestions
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2010, 09:44:37 am »
Yeah, that will work.  I'd suggest minimal additions beyond the base malt.  Keep it simple.

Maybe 85% US 2-row or a 50/50 2-row/pils blend, 10% light Munich, 5% Caravienne.  Avoid UK base malts and darker crystals.

Hop with an American noble type hop, like Sterling or Crystal.  I prefer these to the citrusy varieties; I'd save those for pale ales.

Shoot for something around 1050 OG or so, 25-30 IBU if you like it bitter.  Maybe 3/4 oz each of flavor and aroma hops for a 5 gal batch.

WLP002, unless you want no esters then WLP001.
Gordon Strong • Beavercreek, Ohio • AHA Member since 1997 • Twitter: GordonStrong

Offline Matt B

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Re: Golden Ale Suggestions
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2010, 10:07:51 am »
What Gordon said.

My favorite is:
90% american 2 row
6.5% american crystal 15
1.3% honey malt
1.3% munich malt

OG: 1.050, WLP001 as I like a clean fermentation for this beer, usually ferments down to 1.008. SRM is around 4.5.

I find that the touch of honey and munich gives just enough of a malty complexity without getting the clean character of a blonde muddled, though your could probably use a pils malt for this as well, and I think you get just enough body and sweetness from the crystal to balance with the bitterness.

I do a two step mash starting at 64C for 30 minutes then raising it up to 70C. But a longer mash at around 64C should be fine. You don't want the longer dextrins in this beer, you want it fermentable.

I do a 50/50 mix of williamette and cascade for 60 minutes, about 10IBU each, most of the citrusy notes are lost with the long boil and leaves just enough for some character, and then another 5IBU of williamette @15 for a subtle flavoring hop.

I also up the sulfates (gypsum) just a tad to help make the beer finish clean and relatively dry. Use a fairly low mineral content water (mix your tap water with reverse osmosis/distilled water), you don't need much bicarbonate in the water for the light grains you're using.


Offline EHall

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Re: Golden Ale Suggestions
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2010, 10:35:39 am »
I forgot to add the choice of hops is up to you... just depends on what you're looking for...I switch this recipe up with noble hops and sometimes cascade or amarillo...
Phoenix, AZ

Offline gordonstrong

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Re: Golden Ale Suggestions
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2010, 10:39:24 am »
Oooh, Amarillo would be good in this style too.  Nice choice.
Gordon Strong • Beavercreek, Ohio • AHA Member since 1997 • Twitter: GordonStrong

Offline withak

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Re: Golden Ale Suggestions
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2011, 07:16:16 am »
I just opened my first one of these and it was good.
A little more sweet than intended, I think I need to back off the honey malt a bit more and do a bit of dry hopping.

It's real smooth though and has a great mouth feel.

I don't have my sheet in front of me, but this is roughly the recipe I went with:

8.5 lbs  american 2 row
.6 lbs american crystal 15
.15 lbs honey malt
.15 lbs munich malt

.75 amarillo 60 minutes
.75 cascade 15 minutes

WLP001

ABV 5.18%