Recipes in this post:
- Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone
- Chico Reloaded: less bitter, juicier twist nearly the same ingredients
Contents
- Basics
- SNPA Backstory
- Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone Recipe
- Chico Reloaded Recipe
- American Pale Ale History
Overall experience
APA is a very drinkable beer, clean tasting and slightly balanced bitter that showcases its hops well in the flavor and aroma. The malts should be quite neutral which helps bring out a true hop experience, but decidedly less bitter than IPA. Malt is firm, but often only yielding bread-like qualities. There is often a touch of sweetness to balance bitterness.
| IBU | 30-50 |
| SRM | 5-10 |
| OG | 1.045 |
| FG | 1.010-1.015 |
| ABV | 4.5-6.2% |
SNPA Clone Backstory
Sierra Nevada has proudly embraced their Pale Ale as a homebrewer's "right of passage," posting their recipe on their website. Making classic clone beers is fun because you can actually drink them side by side and make your head spin as to why they taste different.
Of course more than a few variations of a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone exist - generally concerning the hop lineup. What's not debatable is pale malt, crystal 60, Cascade, and neutral American yeast. In spirit of Double Dank, we're going full-trad here.
Before thinking nothing's changed since 1976, early versions likely varied a bit or a lot due to crop harvests and regional differences across hop lots (the same went for macro brewers at the time). This would be evident for a hop-sensitive beer. Cascade itself has evolved genetics after 46 years, since being breed to become more bitter with higher AA units.
It is my responsibility to inform you that Sierra Nevada's own instructions specifically call for opening a bottle or can of their Pale Ale at the start of brew day before doing any work at all.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone
5 gallons | OG: 1.052 | FG: 1.010 | IBU: 39 | SRM: 9 | ABV: 5.6%
Fermentables
Hops
- .25 oz Cascade, 90 minutes
- .25 oz Cascade, 60 minutes
- 1 oz Cascade, 30 minutes
- 1.5 oz Cascade, flameout
Yeast
Brewer's Friend Recipe - see all tech specs, copy, and modify.
Process
- Due to the historic significance of this beer, it is mandatory to drink a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale before doing anything.
- Do a single-step mash at 155°F for 60 minutes.
- Mash out to 170°F (optional). Collect about 6 gallons of wort - or the estimated volume for your system to make 5 gallons with a 90 minute boil.
- Boil following hop schedule above.
- Cool wort to 68°F before pitching yeast.
- Ferment with temperature in yeast specs - usually upper 60s.
- After final gravity has been achieved for at least 3 days, it is helpful to cold crash (refrigerate) the beer for at least 24 hours prior to bottling or kegging.
- Bottle or keg, targeting 2.5 C02 volumes.
Sensory Comparison
How did it turn out?? Luckily, we have some resources to compare to! It's helpful to walk through the analysis with a SNPA, then compare to yours.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale scoresheet and audio analysis
Chico Reloaded Recipe
Keeping the spirit of the original, this recipe seeks to carefully dial up some "juicy" character from Cascade. Compared to SNPA, the idea is softer bitterness, cleaner and brighter caramel sweetness, and increasing base malt complexion. This is done by adjusting the hop schedule, using higher kilned, pale base malts, and dropping from C60 to C45 for brighter and lighter caramel sweetness.
Cascade does not behave like a modern juicy hop, but does have a grapefruit/citrus aroma that can be carefully dialed up. It is a complicated hop with pine, spice, herb, earthy and so forth- you tell me what it is! This beer will highlight the lighter elements of that. Going too far with its usage, Cascade can easily become grassy and bitter. The dry hop should be on beer contact for 3 days maximum!
5 gallons | OG: 1.052 | FG: 1.010 | IBU: 39 | SRM: 9 | ABV: 5.6%
Fermentables
- 10 lb Proximity ReGenMalt Pale
- Option: 10 lb Root Shoot Genie Pale
- Option: 10 lb Simpsons Maris Otter
- .75 lb Proximity ReGenMalt Crystal 45
- Option: .75 lb Proximity ReGenMalt Crystal 60
Hops
- .25 oz Cascade, 90 minutes
- .25 oz Cascade, 60 minutes
- 1 oz Cascade, 30 minutes
- 1.5 oz Cascade, flameout
Yeast
Brewer's Friend Recipe - see all tech specs, copy, and modify.
American Pale Ale History
American Pale Ale: The beer that sparked the American craft beer revolution! The history of this beer rhymes with the actual American Revolution.
APA roots are only about 50 years old. In 1975, Anchor Brewing brewed "Liberty Ale" named to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Paul Revere's midnight ride of 1775. The beer was inspired by Anchor owner Fritz Maytag's travels to England, where he encountered English pale ales that were served on cask and all-grain, as opposed to the grain with adjunct norm of the day in the US - as American macro lagers were and still are. Liberty Ale was distinct in its high usage of cascade hops, and as such, was documented by Englishman Michael Jackson as the original APA. So, while commemorating the 200th year of United States independence from England, an American craft beer revolution had also begun, once again inspired by the English.
A few other brewers made similar beers in the late 70s with simple malt profiles and increasing amounts of what are now the classic west coast hop varieties: cascade, centennial, and columbus. But the style did not take foothold until Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was brewed in November 1980, when Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman had to convince bars in Chico, CA to try what was an experimental brew at the time.
After American craft beer began to take a firm foothold in the 90s, the style slowly began to evolve as new hop varietals entered the market. Despite being a bit overshadowed in popularity by its more bitter and robust cousin, American IPA, APAs regularly appear on craft brewery lineups, with drinkers appreciating less ABV and less intense hop experience. Brewers often use the beer to experiment with and showcase hops. One popular method is brewing SMaSH (single malt and single hop) beer, usually using house 2 row and a single hop.
Discover more APA history here.
Resources
-BJCP style page: 18B. American Pale Pale Ale
-BYO: Award-winning APA commentary, by Gordon Strong
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