Every week I sit down to work on something fun for beerandbrewing.com, usually in the form of picking a recipe and talking through it with you. Sometimes it’s a beer I just brewed, other times it’s a good seasonal fit, and sometimes it’s just one that someone asked me about recently. Today, I’m writing about a style I haven’t brewed in quite a while, but I’ve just been reminded how good it can be even though it’s become so ubiquitous as to be overlooked by brewers and beer geeks alike: the American Pale Ale.
How have we never done this style before? Well, because, to be frank, it’s not one that many people bring up. I get questions all the time about IPAs, lagers of all strengths and colors, sours, Belgians, and more—but I don’t know that anyone has ever asked me about how to brew a great APA. Well, this past Memorial Day I had the privilege of popping open a flag-bedecked can of Stoudts American Pale Ale, and those “just got into craft beer” memories came rushing back. So here we go!
Style
It’s a mistake to think of this style as a kind of “scaled down” American IPA. It’s hoppy, to be sure, but its bittering isn’t especially high, especially by comparison to its ABV range. It’s really no bitterer than an English Pale Ale, despite a higher original gravity, so the bittering-gravity ratio is lower than you find in most IPAs. Malt plays an important role here, especially in better examples. By style, flavor and aroma hops are relatively high (and feature classic American citrus hops flavor), but should stop short of being excessively grassy/resiny. What we want is a moderately strong (but light in flavor) malt character that provides enough bread/toast to prevent the beer’s bitterness from scraping the tongue. This should be a beer that drinks easily and highlights its American hops flavors and aromas. Its closest analog isn’t IPA; it’s British Golden Ale, Americanized!