Name: The Field Irish Pubs Kilkenny Irish Ale Recipe
Cook time: 12 h
Total time: 12 h
Yield: 20 servings
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients: 5 kg Maris Otter pale malt (crushed); 0.5 kg Munich malt (10L); 0.25 kg Crystal/Caramalt (60L); 0.05 kg Black malt (for color, small addition); 0.25 kg Flaked barley; 30 g East Kent Goldings (whole or pellets); 20 g East Kent Goldings (aroma/finish); 1 pkg Irish ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1084 / White Labs WLP004 or dry Irish ale yeast); 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional, kettle fining); 140 g Priming sugar (corn sugar/dextrose) for bottling; 25 l Water (brewing liquor, adjusted to ~70-150 ppm Ca if needed); 1 tsp Gypsum (calcium sulfate) — add to water if very soft; 0.5 tsp Calcium chloride — use sparingly to round malt

Vixen

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

ABV 4.3% A classic Irish Ale that has a fresh malty nose with an entertainingly creamy but slightly bitter, coffee, raisin, and plum palate.

Heat 16–18 L of brewing water to about 75°C (167°F) so that when you dough in the grain you achieve a mash temperature of 65°C (149°F). Adjust amount depending on system losses.

Heat strike water

Add crushed Maris Otter, Munich, Crystal, Flaked barley and Black malt to the mash tun. Stir thoroughly to avoid dry pockets and achieve an even consistency. Target mash temperature: 65°C (149°F).

Mash in

Hold mash at 65°C (149°F) for 60 minutes for full conversion to produce a balanced malt profile with moderate fermentability to leave some body and creaminess in the final beer.

Rest

Raise mash temperature to 75°C (167°F) over 10 minutes (by adding hot water or direct heat) to stop enzymatic activity and ease wort runoff.

Mash out

Sparge with enough 75°C (167°F) water to collect approximately 24–25 L of wort in the kettle (adjust for your system's pre-boil volume requirement). Aim for a total pre-boil volume that will yield 20 L post-boil (final batch volume), accounting for boil-off.

Sparge

Bring the collected wort to a vigorous boil. Watch for boil-overs as the wort reaches a full rolling boil.

Bring to a boil

At the start of the 60-minute boil, add 30 g East Kent Goldings. Continue boiling for 60 minutes.

First hop addition (bittering)

With 10–15 minutes remaining in the boil, add 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc (if using) and add the remaining 20 g East Kent Goldings for late aroma/finish (add at 5–10 minutes left if you prefer less bitterness and more aroma).

Fining

At the end of the 60-minute boil, turn off heat and cool the wort quickly to around 18–20°C (64–68°F) using a wort chiller or ice bath to minimize risk of infection and preserve hop aroma. Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter.

End of boil and chill

Aerate the cooled wort by shaking the fermenter, splashing, or using an oxygenation system until dissolved oxygen is roughly 8–10 ppm (or vigorously aerate by hand for 1–2 minutes). Proper oxygenation helps a healthy fermentation.

Aerate wort

Pitch the Irish ale yeast (one package or rehydrated/started starter) into the wort at 18–20°C (64–68°F). If using a liquid yeast, ensure it's been properly started or warmed to pitching temperature.

Pitch yeast

Ferment at 18–20°C (64–68°F) for 5–7 days until vigorous activity subsides and gravity has dropped substantially. Maintain stable temperature to allow clean ester profile with some fruity notes (raisins/plum hints).

Primary fermentation

Optionally transfer to a secondary fermenter after primary activity slows (day 5–7) and condition at 12–15°C (54–59°F) for 7–10 days to allow flavors to mellow and the beer to clear. This step can enhance creaminess and smooth bitterness.

Secondary/conditioning (optional)

Confirm final gravity is stable over 2–3 days. For bottling, dissolve 140 g priming sugar in 250 ml boiling water, cool, then gently mix with the beer in the bottling bucket to achieve medium carbonation (target ~1.8–2.2 volumes CO2 for a classic Irish ale).

Final gravity check and priming

Bottling: fill and cap sanitized bottles. Kegging: transfer to a keg, carbonate to desired volumes. Allow bottles to condition at 18–22°C for 10–14 days, then cold condition for a few days to a week before drinking.

Bottle or keg

Serve at cellar temperature (10–13°C / 50–55°F) in a clean pint glass. The beer should present a fresh malty nose with creamy mouthfeel and a slightly bitter finish with coffee, raisin, and plum notes.

Serving

If your source water is very soft, add the listed gypsum and calcium chloride to your mash/sparge water before heating to bring mineral content up and accentuate malt flavors. Dissolve and mix thoroughly. Adjust quantities based on water test results — these are approximate starting points.

Maris Otter pale malt (crushed)

Munich malt (10L)

Crystal/Caramalt (60L)

Black malt (for color, small addition)

Flaked barley

East Kent Goldings (whole or pellets)

East Kent Goldings (aroma/finish)

Irish ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1084 / White Labs WLP004 or dry Irish ale yeast)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional, kettle fining)

Priming sugar (corn sugar/dextrose) for bottling

Water (brewing liquor, adjusted to ~70-150 ppm Ca if needed)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate) — add to water if very soft

Calcium chloride — use sparingly to round malt

Kilkenny Irish Ale

On Saturday and Sunday we open our doors bright and early to bring you San Diego's Best Irish Breakfast.

San Diego's Best Irish Breakfast

Select Draft Beer

Draft Beer

Paddy's Irish Whiskey, Simple Syrup, Angostura Bitters, Guinness

Old Irish Fashioned

Titos, Tamarind Syrup, Pineapple Juice, Lime Juice

No Shade

High Noon Cans

Make Kilkenny Irish Ale Recipe in just 12h . ABV 4.3% A classic Irish Ale that has a fresh malty nose with an entertainingly creamy but slightly bitter, coffee, raisin, and plum palate.

Kilkenny Irish Ale Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

You might also like