The Smoked Amber Ale Recipe
- Color: Slightly coppery
- Alcohol: 6.6%
- Quantity: 20L
- Bitterness: Moderate
- Difficulty: Moderate
Ingredients :
- 3.8kg of Smoked Malt
- 1kg of Munich Malt I
- 0.55kg of Caraamber Malt
- 0.4kg of Imperial Malt
- 0.35kg of Best Pale Ale Malt
- 10g of Centennial Hops
- 15g of Centennial Hops
- 15g of Centennial Hops
- 3 packs of Mangrove Jack’s M20 yeast
- 25g of Juniper Berries OR (better): Optional: 2 branches of juniper
- Total water volume: 30.5L (Preferably Sulfate = Chloride)
Want to brew this recipe ?
Brew our Smoked Amber Ale recipe step by step :
Step 1 :
Heat 22 liters of water to 72°C and pour in the crushed grains*.
Stir well to avoid lumps and continue until the temperature reaches 66°C.
Maintain the temperature for one hour.
*If you have been able to obtain juniper branches, add them at this point. This very Nordic “ingredient” will enhance the woody flavor brought by the smoked malt.
Meanwhile, heat 7.5 liters of rinse water to 77°C.
Step 2 :
If possible, perform a 15-minute mash out at 75°C.
Step 3 :
Once the saccharification hour is complete, proceed to filtration and rinsing.
Step 4 :
Heat your wort to proceed with a 90-minute boil. This relatively long boil will add more depth to the color and a more pronounced biscuity flavor.
After 30 minutes, add the first 10 grams of Centennial.
20 minutes before the end of the timer, add the second dose of hops.
10 minutes later, infuse your slightly crushed juniper berries*.
*If you used the branches during mashing, do not add the berries during the boil.
Finally, once the boil is complete, add the last 15 grams of Centennial and cool the beer* to 21°C.
*If you have a wort chiller, don’t forget to immerse it in the boiling wort for 15 minutes to sterilize it.
Step 5 :
Once cooled, transfer to the fermenter, not forgetting the yeast.
Your initial gravity should be around 1.068.
Ferment at 21°C for 5 weeks. The final gravity should be around 1.018.
During the last week, raise the temperature to 23°C to ensure fermentation is complete.
Optional: Once fermentation is complete, you can perform a small cold conditioning for 3/4 weeks at 3°C. This will refine the malty and smoky character of the beer, making it even better.
Step 6 :
Proceed to bottling by sterilizing 6g/l of sugar in a bit of hot water.
Conclusion :
This autumn recipe was inspired by the Norwegian Wood from Haandbryggeriet brewery. The rather creamy roundness and comforting alcoholic warmth you will find at the start will be quickly counterbalanced by the resinous hops and the quite present woody/smoky character of the beer. The whole will give a very balanced texture. Its beautiful malty aromas will reveal flavors of toasted bread, biscuit, caramel, and dried fruits.
The juniper will bring a woody (cedar) finish with a very pleasant “earthy” touch.
The yeast, originally used for Weizen, will give beautiful spicy aromas of clove, which will be maximized by the fermentation temperature of 21°C.
This complex, comforting, and pleasant beer will be ideal to enjoy in November by a fireplace with some roasted chestnuts. 😊
