Golden Ale Recipe

1. Mill & Heat

Mill the grains (if whole) to a coarse crush. Heat 4.5 gallons of strike water to approximately 162°F (72°C) to achieve a mash temperature target of 150°F (66°C).

2. Mash

Add the crushed grains to the strike water and stabilize mash at 150°F (66°C). Hold for 60 minutes. Stir and recirculate as needed to maintain even temperature. If mash pH is above 5.6, add up to 0.25 tsp lactic acid in small increments to target pH 5.2–5.4.

3. Mash Out

Raise temperature to 168–170°F (76–77°C) for 10 minutes for mash out, then begin vorlauf until runoff is clear.

4. Sparge

Sparge with ~3.5 gallons of 170°F (77°C) water slowly until you collect ~6.5 gallons of wort in the kettle (adjust volumes for system losses).

5. Bring to Boil

Bring collected wort to a rolling boil. Watch for boil-overs.

6. Bittering Addition

At the start of the 60-minute boil, add 0.25 oz Magnum hops. Boil for 60 minutes total.

7. Late Hop Additions

With 15 minutes left in the boil, add 0.5 oz Cascade. With flameout (end of boil), shut off heat and add 0.5 oz Cascade and let steep for 5–15 minutes (whirlpool) to extract aroma without extracting harsh bitterness.

8. Cool Wort

Cool the wort quickly to 64–68°F (18–20°C) using an immersion chiller, plate chiller, or ice bath. Aim to get wort into the yeast pitching range used for the chosen low-ABV yeast (check yeast specs).

9. Prepare Yeast

Rehydrate or make a small starter per the yeast manufacturer's instructions if using a conventional ale yeast. For specialty low-alcohol strains follow the package directions. Add 1 tsp yeast nutrient to the wort before pitching.

10. Pitch Yeast & Ferment

Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter. Top up with water if pre-boil volumes were low to reach 5 gallons. Aerate the wort thoroughly (shake, splashing, or oxygenate to ~8–10 ppm O2). Pitch the yeast at the lower end of its recommended range (often ~60–64°F / 16–18°C for low-alcohol styles) to encourage moderate fermentation and preserve delicate hop aroma. Ferment for 5–10 days or until gravity stabilizes — because this recipe targets ~0.5% ABV, plan for higher mash fermentability and possibly early harvest; monitor gravity frequently and stop fermentation early (or blend with sterile wort) if necessary to keep ABV low. Aim final gravity consistent with target 0.5% ABV (~1.010–1.016 depending on OG).

11. Optional Dry Hop

If using the optional 0.5 oz dry hop (Citra or Mosaic), add to the fermenter after main fermentation slows (day 3–5) and leave for 48–72 hours, then remove/dry-hop bag and proceed to cold crash.

12. Cold Crash & Clarify

After fermentation and dry-hop (if used), cold crash to 34–38°F (1–3°C) for 24–48 hours to help clarify the beer.

13. Carbonation & Bottling / Kegging

Sanitize bottles, caps, and bottling equipment. If bottling, dissolve 3 oz priming sugar in 8 oz boiling water, cool, and add to bottling bucket before racking beer onto it. Bottle and cap. For kegging, carbonate to ~2.4–2.6 volumes CO2 (typical for a golden ale) using CO2 gas. If you want slightly lighter carbonation for a sessionable 0.5% beer, 2.2–2.4 volumes works well. Age bottles/keg at room temperature for 10–14 days for natural carbonation, then chill before serving.

14. Serving

Serve chilled (40–45°F / 4–7°C) in a clean pint or tulip glass. Expect a pale golden color, low alcohol presence, a light bready malt backbone, soft mouthfeel from dextrins, and bright citrus-floral hop character.

15. Dissolve 0.25 tsp gypsum and 0.25 tsp calcium chloride in mash or strike water to adjust mineral profile for a balanced malt-hop character. Add small amounts dissolved and mix thoroughly; this is optional and most Pilsen-forward water works fine without additions.