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Not So Pale Ale
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- Last Updated on Monday, 01 March 2010 08:57
Not So Pale Ale
A while back I needed to get another batch brewing quickly as I had too many empty bottles waiting. The homebrew shop isn't open on Sundays but I could get some basics from the supermarket. I bought a can of Coopers Pale Ale and Coopers Brew Booster number 2.
But I had a couple of extra ingredients to make it more interesting and it is always fun to experiment with flavors. In my freezer I had a 12gm packet of Cascade finishing hops which always goes well with Pale Ales. I also had a 1Kg can of Saunders Malt Extract in the cupboard. My Mum had brought this around one day intending it for the kids. it is sweet like treacle and is meant for use in cakes, biscuits, milkshakes etc. So I decided to chuck in half a can and see how it came out.
The results were fantastic although it is much more like an amber ale than a pale ale. This brew is amber in color from the extra malt extract. But it has wonderful depth of flavor and lovely bitterness with a smooth finish. This could well become my 'staple' beer in future, or the one I brew regularly while experimenting with other brews.
Ingredients:
1 Can Coopers Pale Ale
1 Kg Coopers Brew Booster 2
500gm or half a can Saunders Malt Extract
12gm Cascade finishing hops
Use the yeast under the kit lid.
Method:
Steep the Cascade hops for at least 10 minutes while the can is softening in hot water. Also soften the can of malt extract if you like. Especially if you are using the second half of the can as this makes it easier to get it all out.
Also re-hydrate the yeast in a cup of luke warm water.
Put the dry brew booster into the sanitized fermenter and add 2 litres of boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add in the Coopers Pale Ale can and the Saunders Malt Extract. Use some additional hot water to rinse the last of the pale ale mix out of the can. Stir thoroughly until everything is dissolved.
Add in the steeped hops, bag and all and stir again.
Fill up the fermenter with cold water until you have 23 litres, stirring as you go. use the empty coopers can to take a few cans of wort out of the bottom and pour it back into the top. This gets the rich, sugary bit out of the tap and from the bottom and mixes it through the top.
Ideally the temperature should be about 20 to 24 degrees C but don't worry if it isn't quite right. Pitch the re-hydrated yeast into the wort and stir in.
Put the lid on and air lock. Should be ready to rack or bottle in 4 to 5 days depending on the ambient temperature.
Notes:
The Saunders malt extract is quite sweet. As such this brew will be quite high in alcohol or at least higher than a standard kit and kilo recipe. I didn't take a SG reading at the start so I can tell you what percentage it will be. I'll be sure to do that on the next batch.
The all important taste test was a winner. An absolutely awesome beer. I'd describe the taste as very similar to the James Squire amber ale or if you have ever had the Gordon Bierch amber ale from the USA, it is also quite similar to that.