When a legendary brewpub closes its doors, one way to keep its legacy alive is to brew a tribute beer. That’s exactly what we’re doing with this batch. It’s an attempt to clone Cambridge Brewing Company’s American Amber Ale.
CBC, a staple of the Massachusetts craft beer scene for over 30 years, recently closed as its founders retired, marking the end of an era. Their Amber Ale was a consistent presence on their tap list, a malty and balanced brew that always delivered.
Since this beer was a personal favorite of Mike’s, he set out to replicate it as best he could, relying on memory and a bit of creative problem-solving.

The Recipe – First Attempt

For a 3 gallon batch

Ingredients:

Malts
4 lbs Brewers Malt (Briess)
12 oz Pale Ale Malt (Crisp)
6 oz Victory Malt
5 oz Crystal 40
1 oz Roasted Barley (for color adjustment)

Hops
0.5 oz Nugget (60 min – bittering)
1 oz East Kent Goldings (flameout)

Yeast
Mangrove Jack’s Empire Ale Yeast (British strain, ~67% attenuation)

Water Adjustments
Lactic acid (for pH adjustment)
Calcium chloride
Calcium sulfate
Magnesium sulfate

Process:

145°F for 60 minutes (for fermentability)
156°F for 30 minutes
168°F for 10 minutes

Fermented for two weeks at 65°F

Results
OG: 1.052
FG: ~1.018
ABV: ~4.5%

Amber Ale Clone Thoughts

While the beer turned out enjoyable, it’s not quite there yet. The malt character is a little too dominant, likely due to the combination of Victory malt and the yeast strain’s lower attenuation. The beer could benefit from drying out more.

Next time, Mike will opt for a more attenuative yeast—maybe a clean American strain or something like WLP007 to keep it crisp. The hop bill also needs adjusting; Willamette would be a better fit for authenticity.

Despite these tweaks, this batch does evoke the nostalgic flavors of turn-of-the-21st century brewpub Ambers—bready, malty, and smooth. With a few refinements, we think we’ll be able to nail the true character of Cambridge Brewing Company’s classic Amber Ale. Stay tuned for round two!

BREW ON!