Our Jar of Destiny series wraps up the second beer of the fifth pick, which is American Amber Ale – BJCP 19A beer style. Mike’s plan was to brew a malt-forward beer that is not too over the top in its flavor. He was seeking to add a modern finish to the beer, making it drier and more drinkable. With plenty of experience drinking commercial versions of this style, Mike put together this recipe. See our tasting video for more details.

Recapturing the glory of American Amber Ale

American Amber Ale Recipe

WATER
Spring water with magnesium sulfate and Gypsum added
Final profile:

63 PPM of calcium
7 PPM of magnesium
5 PPM of chloride
166 PPM of sulfate

GRAINS
78.8% Pale Ale Malt
15% Dark Munich Malt
1.4% Crystal 80 Malt
1.4% Crystal 120 Malt
2.4% Black Patent Malt

HOPS
20 grams of Nugget Hops added at 60 minutes to go in the boil
28 grams of Willamette Hops added at flameout

YEAST
Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast

INSTRUCTIONS
Mash the grains at 143 degrees Fahrenheit (62° C) for 75 minutes.
Step mash at 168 degrees Fahrenheit (76° C) for 15 minutes.

Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops times noted above.
Cool the wort to 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit and pitch the yeast.

Our Tasting Notes

I think Mike hit the spot with this beer. It has a nice malty backbone with just a touch of sweetness. There wasn’t much hop aroma from Mike’s choice of Willamette. Mike felt the hops are well-balanced with the malts and they provide a nice bitterness. The color the Black Patent malt brings matches the vision we had for the beer. That brown/orange look shines through. Mike feels like there is a note of tobacco on nose, which is a bit of a surprise. It could be coming from the combo of malts.

Overall, we feel this beer is a good example of an American Amber Ale!

BREW ON!