Homebrew Recipe
Cream Ale
- Method:
- All Grain
- Style:
- Cream Ale
- Boil Time:
- 90 min.
- Batch Size:
- 5 gal.
- Boil Size:
- 6.5 gal.
- Efficiency:
- 0
- Rating:
- Source:
- Brew Your Own
- Source Notes:
- October 2019, Vol. 25, No. 6 page 27. My example uses a mixture of German Pils and American 2-row malt, a common blend that I use when I'm trying to cut the flavor a bit in my beer. You can use the Curt Stock approach and use all German Pilsner malt, if you prefer. I'm also using the traditional corn and sugar. Rice can be substituted for the sugar. I'm using a single infusion mash to keep it simple. When I brew with flaked corn in the mash, I often add a pound of rice hulls to the mash to assist in lautering. It's cheap insurance against a stuck mash. I'm using Vanguard hops, but you can also use German Hallertauer Mittelfruh, Liberty, or Mt. Hood hops. The gentle hops addition will give a trace amount of floral aroma and flavor while not dominating the beer. A neutral yeast is a must for me, and the classic Chico-type yeast works well here. I keep the fermentation cool to retain the neutral profile I am after, and I lager the beer to produce the characteristic smoothness.
- Notes:
- This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. of calcium chloride to the mash. Mash the malts and corn at 152 F for 60 minutes. Begin the lauter process by recirculating the wort. Raise the temperature to 168 F for 15 minutes. Add the first wort hops to the kettle during the sparging process. Sparge slowly and collect approximately 6.5 gallons of wort in your boil kettle. Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated. Add the sugar in the last 15 minutes of the boil. Chill the wort to 62-64 F, pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete. Cool to 32-34 F and lager for four weeks. Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate the beer. All-grain brewers can swap out the 2-row pale malt with a quality continental Pilsner malt to build a more bready flavor profile. Flaked rice can be substituted for the sugar in the all-grain recipe as well. The ale/lager blend found in White Labs WLP080 could make for an interesting substitute in this recipe. A steam beer lager strain would work best with a Chico strain if the White Labs strain is unavailable at your store.
Brew Numbers
| OG | FG | ABV | SRM | IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.052 | 1.01 | 5.6 | 3 | 14 |
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % Grain Bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lager or Pilsner Malt | 3.5 lbs. | 35.00 |
| Notes: German Pilsner malt | ||
| Pale Malt - 2-Row | 3.5 lbs. | 35.00 |
| Notes: US 2-row malt | ||
| Flaked Corn | 2 lbs. | 20.00 |
| Rice Hulls | 1 lbs. | 10.00 |
| Total: | 10.00 lbs. | |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Product |
|---|---|---|
| American Ale | Wyeast | 1056 |
| California Ale | White Labs | WLP001 |
| SafAle | Fermentis | US-05 |
Other Ingredients
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn Sugar | 1 lb. | 15 minutes | Boil | Other |
Mash Steps
| Step | Name | Temp | Time | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single Infusion Mash | 152 | 60 | All Grain |
| 2 | Mashout | 168 | 15 | All Grain |