Pale ale makes an ideal base for trying out the split-batch method and experimenting with the different flavors you can get from one kettle of wort and a single brew day. Following this recipe, you’ll get an American-style pale ale, a Belgian-style pale ale, and a British-style strong bitter—but it’s easy to imagine more variations.
From Wild Fields in Atascadero, California, here’s a recipe for a brown ale that won gold medals at both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup in 2022.
From Reuben’s Brews in Seattle, here’s a recipe for a modernized take on amber ale that features plenty of hops in the whirlpool and a broad, malty foundation.
“Paragon is our barrel-aged barleywine produced like a vintage,” says Mike Murphy, brewmaster at Lervig Aktiebryggeri in Stavanger, Norway. “Every year is the same but slightly different due to blending, subtle differences, and other variables. We stick to the same base recipe, and the yeast [and] aging do the rest.”
“Mecha Red is a modern amber ale intended to be malty and caramelly, but not a sticky caramel bomb,” says Van Havig, cofounder and master brewer at Gigantic in Portland, Oregon. “It’s mildly fruity from hops and esters and finishes with a hint of chocolate.”
As one of the very few commercial breweries in modern times to attempt a smoky “ship’s beer,” Right Proper in Washington, D.C., shares this recipe inspired by the Danish tradition.
American craft beer’s archetypal classic style, updated with some contemporary ideas.
From Obelisk Beer of Astoria, Oregon, comes this prototype homebrew-scale recipe for a black barleywine that combines flavorful aspects of both barleywine and stout.
For this glimpse into the past of big stock ale and barleywine, we’re grateful to beer historian Ron Pattinson. This previously unpublished recipe is based on brewing logs from more than 180 years ago.
Brewed since 1988, when Rogue Brewery got its start in Ashland, Oregon—home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival—here’s a homebrew-scale recipe for the OG of American oatmeal stouts.