Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Heat ~3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of brewing water to about 165°F (74°C) to reach a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C) when grains are added.

Heat Strike Water

Add the crushed Pale Ale malt, Light Munich, and Carapils to the mash tun. Dough in with the heated water, stir to eliminate dry pockets, and ensure temperature stabilizes at 152°F (67°C). Maintain mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes.

Mash In

After 60 minutes, raise temperature to 168°F (76°C) and hold for 10 minutes if you plan to mash out to improve wort runoff (optional).

Mash Out

Sparge with enough water at ~170°F (77°C) to collect about 6.5–7.0 gallons (24.6–26.5 L) of wort in the brew kettle (target pre-boil volume ~6.5 gal).

Sparge

Bring wort to a vigorous boil. At the start of a 60-minute boil, add 0.5 oz Willamette hops (bittering). Boil for 60 minutes total.

Boil and Bittering Hop Addition

With 15 minutes left in the boil, add 0.5 oz Cascade hops and 1 tsp Irish moss (or Whirlfloc tablet per package instructions). With 5 minutes left, add 0.5 oz Cascade hops.

Late Boil Hop Additions and Clarifying Agent

At flameout, chill the wort quickly to yeast-pitching temperature (about 66–70°F / 19–21°C) using a wort chiller or ice bath. Aim to chill to 68°F (20°C).

Cool Wort

Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving most trub behind in the kettle. Top up with pre-boiled and cooled water to reach 5.25 gallons (19.9 L) in the fermenter (final batch size ~5.0 gal). Take a pre-fermentation gravity reading (expected OG ~1.049).

Transfer to Fermenter

Aerate the wort by shaking or oxygenate to about 8–10 ppm dissolved oxygen. Rehydrate or prepare the yeast per manufacturer instructions, then pitch the yeast into the wort at about 66–68°F (19–20°C).

Pitch Yeast

Ferment at 66–68°F (19–20°C) for about 5–7 days until vigorous fermentation subsides. Expected FG around 1.012–1.014, targeting ~5.45% ABV.

Primary Fermentation

After primary activity slows (around day 5–7), optionally rack beer to a secondary fermenter (or leave in primary) and add 0.75 oz Cascade hops for dry hopping. Dry hop for 3–5 days at 65–68°F (18–20°C) to add fresh hop aroma without adding bitterness.

Secondary / Dry Hop

If possible, cold crash the beer to near 35–40°F (2–4°C) for 24–48 hours to clear before bottling/kegging.

Cold Crashing (optional)

Boil 3.5 oz (approximately 100 g) corn sugar in 1 cup (240 ml) water for 5 minutes, cool and add to a sanitized bottling bucket.

Prepare Priming Sugar

Rack beer gently into the bottling bucket on top of the dissolved priming sugar, stir gently to mix, then bottle into sanitized bottles and cap. Target carbonation: 2.3 volumes CO2 (typical for American Goldens). This priming amount corresponds to about 2.2–2.5 volumes for a 5 gal batch; adjust if necessary.

Bottle or Keg

Condition bottles at 68°F (20°C) for 2 weeks, then chill and test. Flavor will continue to improve over 3–4 weeks. If kegging, carbonate to ~2.3 volumes and condition for a few days.

Conditioning

Expected Original Gravity (OG): ~1.049. Expected Final Gravity (FG): ~1.012–1.014. Estimated ABV: 5.45%. Estimated bitterness: 25 IBUs. Color: pale golden. Adjust mash efficiency and hop alpha acids to meet target OG and IBUs; scale hops if your alpha acid percentages differ from assumed averages (Cascade ~5–6% AA, Willamette ~4–5%). Water chemistry additions are optional and depend on your source water.

Metolius Golden Ale

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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