How to Make Pale Ale: A Full Homebrew Recipe and Process

American pale ale is one of the most forgiving styles to homebrew: a simple grain bill, an hour-long boil, and whatever combination of American hops you want to throw at it. Here is a full 5-gallon all-grain recipe and the step-by-step process.

Recipe at a Glance (5 Gallons, All-Grain)

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American Pale Ale (5-Gallon All-Grain Recipe)

A classic American pale ale built around 2-row pale malt, a touch of Crystal 40L, and the “5 Cs” hop combination (Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Chinook, Citra). Straightforward single-infusion mash, one-hour boil, clean American ale yeast fermentation.

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Fermenting & Conditioning7 days d

Servings: 20 12 oz bottles

Ingredients

Grain Bill

• 10 lb 2-row pale malt
• 10-12 oz Crystal 40L malt
• 4-6 oz Wheat or Carapils malt

Hops

• 1 oz Cascade (or Centennial/Columbus/Chinook/Citra) 60 min, bittering
• 0.5 oz Cascade (or Centennial/Columbus/Chinook/Citra) 10 min, flavor
• 0.5 oz Cascade (or Centennial/Columbus/Chinook/Citra) 0 min / flameout, aroma
• 1 oz Cascade (or Centennial/Columbus/Chinook/Citra) optional dry hop, 3-5 days

Yeast & Other

• 1 pack American Ale yeast (WLP001 / Wyeast 1056 / SafAle US-05)
• 1 tsp Irish moss or kettle finings added at flameout
• 5 oz Priming sugar if bottle conditioning

Instructions

Mash

• Mill the grains and mash in at a liquor-to-grist ratio of about 1.5 quarts water per pound of grain.
• Hold at 152 to 155 F (67 C) for 60 minutes to convert the starches to fermentable sugar.
• Raise to 168 F (76 C) for mashout.

Sparge & Boil

• Sparge slowly with 170 F (77 C) water, collecting wort until your pre-boil kettle volume is around 6.5 gallons and gravity reads roughly 1.048.
• Bring to a rolling boil (60 minutes total) and add your bittering hops at the 60-minute mark.
• Add flavor hops with 10 minutes left, and your aroma hops (plus Irish moss or kettle finings) at flameout.
• Chill the wort to 65 to 67 F (18-19 C) as fast as possible.

Ferment & Package

• Pitch a healthy amount of American ale yeast (10g rehydrated dry yeast, or a properly sized liquid yeast starter) and ferment at 66 to 68 F.
• Fermentation is usually done within a week. Optionally dry hop for 3 to 5 days once primary fermentation slows.
• Let the beer clear and settle for 2 to 3 more days.
• Keg and force carbonate, or bottle with priming sugar and condition for 2 weeks at room temperature.

Notes

Original gravity 1.052-1.056, final gravity 1.010-1.013, ABV 5.2%-5.7%, IBU 35-40. Substitute 6.6 lbs pale liquid malt extract for the 2-row and Crystal malt if brewing extract instead of all-grain, keeping the same hop schedule.

Brew Day, Step by Step

1. Mash

Mill the grains and mash in at a liquor-to-grist ratio of about 1.5 quarts water per pound of grain. Hold at 152 to 155 F (67 C) for 60 minutes to convert the starches to fermentable sugar. Raise to 168 F (76 C) for mashout.

2. Sparge

Sparge slowly with 170 F (77 C) water, collecting wort until your pre-boil kettle volume is around 6.5 gallons and gravity reads roughly 1.048.

3. Boil (60 minutes total)

Bring to a rolling boil and add your bittering hops at the 60-minute mark. Add flavor hops with 10 minutes left, and your aroma hops (plus any Irish moss or kettle finings) at flameout. Chill the wort to 65 to 67 F (18-19 C) as fast as possible.

4. Ferment

Pitch a healthy amount of American ale yeast (10g rehydrated dry yeast, or a properly-sized liquid yeast starter) and ferment at 66 to 68 F. Fermentation is usually done within a week. Optionally dry hop for 3 to 5 days once primary fermentation slows.

5. Package

Let the beer clear and settle for 2 to 3 more days, then keg and force carbonate, or bottle with priming sugar and condition for 2 weeks at room temperature.

Choosing Your Hops

The classic combination is the “5 Cs”: Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Chinook, and Citra. Any combination of these gives you the citrusy, resinous, grapefruit-and-pine character that defines the American pale ale style. Cascade alone (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale’s signature hop) is the most traditional and forgiving single-hop choice for a first attempt.

If you are starting from zero and need the full equipment kit, not just ingredients, a starter set covers the fermenter, airlock, tubing, and sanitizer you will need before your first batch.

Once your batch is fermenting, check your progress against our ABV Equation guide to calculate your actual alcohol content from your OG and FG readings. And if pale ale goes well, our witbier recipe and IPA history guide are good next styles to try.

FAQs

What temperature should I mash pale ale at?

152 to 155 F (67 C) is the standard range. Mashing toward the lower end gives a drier, crisper beer; the higher end leaves more body and residual sweetness.

What yeast is best for American pale ale?

American Ale yeast, sold as White Labs WLP001, Wyeast 1056, or the dry equivalent SafAle US-05, is the standard choice. It ferments clean with almost no fruity esters, letting the hops stand out.

Can I use extract instead of all-grain?

Yes. Substitute the 2-row and Crystal malt for about 6.6 lbs of pale liquid malt extract plus a small steeped specialty grain bag, and follow the same hop schedule and fermentation steps.

How long does homebrewed pale ale take from grain to glass?

About 1 week to ferment, plus 1 to 2 weeks to carbonate and condition, so roughly 3 weeks total from brew day to a drinkable beer.