English Pale Ale & Tiantai Beer Brewing Equipment
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The base malt for English Pale Ale is english pale malt. The classic type is English two row barley malt with low nitrogen content, traditionally a bit darker than classic pale malt due to the use of higher kilning temperatures. Pale malt composes about 90% of the total grain bill. For extract brewers, start with a pale base extract and add the appropriate color steeped caramel malt to achieve your desired color.
Crystal and caramel malts are used in most pale ales, both to add color and body. Crystal generally makes up 5-10% of the total grain bill and is selected in a color to balance the overall target color.
Maltose syrup is used in many commercial pale ales, but is hard to find for use in home brewing. Corn or cane sugar can be used in small quantities (generally less than 10%) to give a similar effect.
Wheat, cara-pils, or flaked barley are occasionally used in pale ales to add body. Generally only a few percent are added, as any larger amount will result in a cloudy finish to the beer. Chocolate and black malts are used very rarely in some recipes, but I recommend not including them in your pale ale.
BC Goldings and Fuggles hops are the favorite varieties for Pale ales. Target, Northdown and Challenger are occasionally substituted. My personal preference is BC Goldings. Often three hop additions are used – one for boiling/bitterness, an aroma addition at the end of the boil and finally dry hops for added aroma after fermentation.
A single step infusion mash is sufficient for mashing a pale ale, as the highly modified English malt will convert easily. A medium to high body mash profile (153-157 F) will give you an authentic rich bodied beer.
For Burton style English Pale Ales, the water profile is extremely high in Calcium Carbonate and Bicarbonate. Burton water has 295 ppm Ca, 725 ppm Sulfate and 300 ppm Bicarbonate. This exceptionally hard water accentuates the bitterness in the hops giving a sharp finish to the beer. However, achieving the appropriate water balance can be difficult for homebrewers. Usually a small amount of Gypsum (CaSO4) added to the brewing water is sufficient to give a slightly sharper finish.
English Pale Ale yeast is used for traditional Burton ales like Bass, and the major liquid yeast manufacturers even carry a special strain for Burton ales. Other english ale yeasts are also popular with homebrewers for all types of pale ales. Finally, many homebrewers use American ale yeast for its clean finish and neutral flavor.
Pale ale should be fermented and aged at traditional ale temperatures (generally 62-68F), lightly carbonated and served slightly warm if you are a traditional ale fan. American brewers may prefer higher carbonation and a colder serving temperature.
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