Subscriber Exclusive
Recipe: Reuben’s Brews Little Fox Red Ale
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.
Photo: Thor Stoddard/Reuben’s Brews
All Access Subscribers can download the Beersmith and BeerXML version of this recipe.
Subscribe today.
“Our approach to a modern amber ale brings in elements that are found in modern IPAs,” says Thor Stoddard, innovation manager at Reuben’s Brews in Seattle.
“All of our IBU pickup is from a large whirlpool to maximize flavor and aroma but [keep] the IBUs in check. Our dry-hop focus is on citrus and pine, using newer hops like Citra and classic hops like Cascade. We also keep the caramel malt in check by using a dehusked roasted malt—Weyermann Chocolate Rye—to get the color we’re looking for without all the cloying caramel malt. Lastly, we ferment our amber with a lager strain at a warmer temp, to keep it tasting crisp.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.054
FG: 1.010
IBUs: 35
ABV: 6.5%
Make & Drink Better Beer
Subscribe today to access all of the premium brewing content available (including this article). With thousands of reviews, our subscribers call it "the perfect beer magazine" and "worth every penny." Your subscription is protected by a 100% money back guarantee.
“Our approach to a modern amber ale brings in elements that are found in modern IPAs,” says Thor Stoddard, innovation manager at Reuben’s Brews in Seattle.
“All of our IBU pickup is from a large whirlpool to maximize flavor and aroma but [keep] the IBUs in check. Our dry-hop focus is on citrus and pine, using newer hops like Citra and classic hops like Cascade. We also keep the caramel malt in check by using a dehusked roasted malt—Weyermann Chocolate Rye—to get the color we’re looking for without all the cloying caramel malt. Lastly, we ferment our amber with a lager strain at a warmer temp, to keep it tasting crisp.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.054
FG: 1.010
IBUs: 35
ABV: 6.5%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
7.8 lb (3.5 kg) pale two-row
1.2 lb (544 g) Vienna
9 oz (255 g) Great Western Caramel Steam
9 oz (255 g) Caramel Munich 60L
5.5 oz (156 g) Weyermann Chocolate Rye
HOPS SCHEDULE
1.7 oz (48 g) Cascade at whirlpool [15 IBUs]
0.75 oz (21 g) Chinook at whirlpool [20 IBUs]
1.3 oz (37 g) Cascade at dry hop
1.3 oz (37 g) Citra at dry hop
YEAST
Imperial L17 Harvest
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 153°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Recirculate until your runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes. After the boil, do a whirlpool step: Stir or recirculate for 5 minutes to create a vortex, add the whirlpool hops, and allow 20 minutes to steep at about 205°F (96°C). Chill to about 58°F (14°C), aerate well, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 58°F (14°C). When the gravity has dropped to about 1.028 (7°P), raise the temperature to 65°F (18°C). Add the dry hops on Day 7, raising the temperature to 68°F (20°C) for at least 3 days. Optionally, do a forced diacetyl test (see Hunting for Diacetyl). Then crash to 32°F (0°C) and remove or rack off the hops. Package and carbonate to about 2.6 volumes of CO2.
BREWER’S NOTES
This recipe targets a balanced water profile. Aim for a chloride-to-sulfate ratio of 1.2:1.3. Aim for a mash pH of about 5.2–5.3 and post-boil about 5.1, adjusting if necessary. The last runnings shouldn’t go below 3°P (1.012) in gravity.
