Recipe: Ukrainian Golden Ale

The Ukrainian golden ale sits somewhere between British golden ale and Belgian golden strong—stronger and less bitter than the former, yet without the yeast-derived flavors of the latter—and with a bit more body. A light touch of coriander is typical, while you have some room to play with the hop aroma.

For much more about this style and why it deserves wider recognition on its own merits, see The Battle for the Fields of Gold.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.076
FG: 1.024
ABV: 6.8%
IBUs: 23

MALT/GRAIN BILL
12.1 lb (5.5 kg) pilsner
1.4 lb (635 g) pale wheat malt
11 oz (312 g) caramel/crystal 10L

HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
0.6 oz (17 g) Magnum at 60 minutes [23 IBUs]
0.26 oz (7.5 g) freshly crushed coriander seeds at flameout
0.67 oz (19 g) of your favorite hop variety at dry hop

YEAST
Low-attenuating British-style strain, such as Fermentis SafAle S-33, Lallemand Windsor, or similar

DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 149°F (65°C) for 40 minutes; raise to 162°F (72°C) and rest for 20 minutes; then raise the temperature to 172°F (78°C), rest 10 minutes, and mash out. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle, sparging and topping up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule; at flameout, add the coriander seeds in a small mesh bag. Chill to 65°F (18°C) and pitch the yeast. (If using liquid yeast, aerate the wort.) Ferment at 65°F (18°C) until Day 3, then raise to 68°F (20°C). Once fermentation is almost complete, add the dry hops. Once fermentation is complete and gravity has stabilized, crash to 32°F (0°C) and condition for 14 days. Package and carbonate to 2.5 volumes; if bottle-conditioning, store at room temperature for 2 weeks, then refrigerate and enjoy.

BREWER’S NOTES
Malt: If you are going for a lower-ABV version, you can replace some or all of the pilsner malt with pale ale malt. You could also increase the crystal malt for more residual sweetness.
Coriander: Many Ukrainian brewers add the freshly crushed seeds either at flameout or in the whirlpool, at amounts that vary from 0.1 to 1 gram per liter, depending on the seeds and individual preference. Coriander pairs nicely with citrus-forward hops in the whirlpool or at dry hop. The addition of coriander is optional, so feel free to experiment with your favorite spices or hops.
Yeast: We leave that extra body and sweetness in the finished beer by using a lower-attenuating British ale strain—one that doesn’t metabolize maltotriose. In lighter versions, a neutral American ale strain can also work.
Water profile: We also promote that body with our water profile, by favoring chloride over sulfate (roughly 90:60 ppm).