American Classic Pale Ale

Recipe from the book Beer Brewing 101.

This legendary Pale Ale is one of the first great American craft beers. the subtle malt backbone supports the grapefruit and pine quality of the Cascade hops. This recipe is a showcase of this popular American hop variety and should be a regular staple in your homebrew rotation. the recipe is a special nod to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

1. Pre-crush the malt, grind or put them in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag and thoroughly crush with a rolling pin. Put the crushed grain in a muslin bag.
   
   
2. Add the 2.5gal water to your kettle. add the Muslin bag to your kettle, suspending it so it doesn't touch the bottom of the pot. You can tie the bag to the pot handle if the bag is long enough. If not, or if you don't have a handle, use a large binder clip to clip it to the side of the pot so it's not touching the bottom. Start heating the water. Remove the sack before the water starts to boil, preferably at about 160F.
   
   
3. When the water reaches 120F, add the DME a little at a time, Stirring constantly to prevent any clumping. Return the pot to the heat once the DME is dissolved.
   
   
4. When the water is nearly at a boil, move it off the heat and add the LME, stirring as you pour it in. When it's fully mixed in, return the pot to the heat.
   
   
5. When the water comes to a boil, make the first addition of hops and set your timer for 60 minutes. Adjust the heat to keep a rolling boil while managing the foam.
   
   
6. With 20 minutes left to go, make the second hops addition.
   
   
7. With 5 minutes left to go, add the remaining hops and the
   whirlfloc tablet.
   
   
8. Pour three-quarters of the chilled water into your fermentor, then transfer in the hot wort. Add as much of the remaining chilled water as needed to bring the volume up to 5.5 gal.
   
   
9. When the wort has cooled to 65 to 75F sprinkle the yeast on top. Seal the fermentor, Shake or swirl to aerate, then let ferment for 10 to 14 days, until fermentation is complete.
   
   
10. When ready to bottle, prepare your priming sugar and add to the fermented beer, or add a carbonation drop to each bottle. proceed with bottling and conditioning.