Hop-cember Pale Ale
All of 2025 was mostly dedicated to brewing Roll-a-Style Beers, and by the end of the year I thought it would be cool to brew a hoppy beer ... sort of inspired by Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale.
I thought the malt bill of Decemberfest would be a good base, and then decided to take out the cara-vienna.
Then, I added classic American hops in the whirlpool and dry hop.
This is that beer.
| Hop-cember Pale Ale --- cost $48.74 |
| Style | American Pale Ale | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 6.60 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 65.00 | Boil Time | 60 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.052 SG | Estimated FG | 1.012 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 34.6 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 5.2 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.670 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 5.0 SRM |
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| Measured OG: | Measured FG: | ||||||
| ADF: | Measured ABV: |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.98 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
| 10.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
| 2.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
| 7 lbs | Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) | Grain | 4 | 58.3 % | 0.55 gal |
| 5 lbs | Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 41.7 % | 0.39 gal |
| 1.000 oz | CTZ [14.90 %] - Boil 20.0 min | Hop | 6 | 20.6 IBUs | - |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) | Fining | 7 | - | - |
| 1.000 oz | Cascade [8.90 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 15.0 min, 180.0 F | Hop | 8 | 3.9 IBUs | - |
| 1.000 oz | Centennial [10.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 15.0 min, 180.0 F | Hop | 9 | 4.4 IBUs | - |
| 1.000 oz | Citra [13.20 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 15.0 min, 180.0 F | Hop | 10 | 5.8 IBUs | - |
| 1.0 pkg | Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70) [50.28 ml] | Yeast | 11 | - | - |
| 0.50 tsp | Gelatin (Bottling 1.0 days) | Fining | 12 | - | - |
| 1.000 oz | Cascade [7.00 %] - 0.0 Days Before Bottling for 3.0 Days | Hop | 13 | 0.0 IBUs | - |
| 1.000 oz | Centennial [9.80 %] - 0.0 Days Before Bottling for 3.0 Days | Hop | 14 | 0.0 IBUs | - |
| 1.000 oz | Citra [13.20 %] - 0.0 Days Before Bottling for 3.0 Days | Hop | 15 | 0.0 IBUs | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Add 31.92 qt of water at 158.8 F | 152.0 F | 45 min |
| Heat | Heat to 158.0 F over 10 min | 158.0 F | 15 min |
| Mash Out | Heat to 170.0 F over 7 min | 170.0 F | 10 min |
If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Recipe Notes
Water salts bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=126,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=2358,Cl=55,HCO3=104
Acid to bring water pH to around 5.3
Mash as directed.
Boil as directed.
Cool wort to as close to 60F as possible.
Ferment at 60 2 days and then let fermentation rise to ambient temp.
Keg after one to two weeks in fermenter.
Add hops in hop sock in the keg.
Force carbonate to taste.
Enjoy!
Brewing Record
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| Pre-boil OG | (1.047 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (6.60 gal) | |||
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