I have always wanted to ask this question to folks across the pond.
Do you folks over there base your recipe off examples of packaged beer over there? Meaning examples you get shipped from the states, or on beers you have had while traveling here?
Danicomix - I’m in agreement that your recipe looks fine and I would predict will be satisfying and delicious. Two things I will note: firstly, that while the style “American pale ale” does imply some confines it is also fairly wide open - one would expect to find many divergent examples of beers that could correctly be labeled an American pale built around primarily pale malt grist with a little crystal of some sort and assertive but balanced hop additions, and secondly that these days the line between and American pale and an American IPA is about as hazy as, well, a New England IPA. With your hops additions at about 37 IBU it could read as an IPA on the low end of bitterness (more like the early craft IPAs from the days of my youth - yeah, I’m kinda old). But that’s just terminology - recipe here is good to go.
When I’ve been judging IPA in South America, it always seemed a bit off. One oof the local judges told me it was because their beers were based on the examples they got, which were generally not in good condition.
Yea, I mean it makes sense, nearly all German beer recipes I see are based on the oxidized examples we get here. I just wanted to hear it from the horses mouth as it were.
Denny, when you say “When I’ve been judging IPA in South America, it always seemed a bit off. One oof the local judges told me it was because their beers were based on the examples they got, which were generally in good condition”, for clarification please are you saying examples that were brewed in SA as IPA style which were fresh but not particularly good representations of the IPA we’d brew/find here in the states, versus examples from the US they chad access to? Thanks!
Yeah, I think so. Based on what I’ve been told, part of it is access to quality ingredients, especially hops. I think that’s changing somewhat. I’ve met a hop grower from Argentina (IIRC…I’d have to dig up the catalog he gave me to be sure) and Patagonia malts are great. And then the commercial exqmples they get aren’t so great, so that’s what they be their beers on. And I don’t want to imply that it’s by any means universal. Ive had some great IPA in MX/S.A. also. But by and large many have some sort of off flavor compared to what we’re used to.
Okay, thanks Denny. I have an acquaintance who’s associated with a brewery in Costa Rica who says they have a hard time sourcing ingredients and/or the cost of obtaining them can be kind of prohibitive. That’s not SA, but south of our border where it sound like a similar conundrum.
I’ve had beers of italy brewery and some american pale ale beers that i found in beershop
I was thinking that I’d like to brew an american pale ale so I think that the best experience in this beer can be found in american homebrewers!!!
No, I do not think that your IBUs are too high at all. Your recipe looks good - very much in line with an American pale ale. Plus, I say brew what you want to drink or think others will enjoy and let style guidelines be secondary - make the beer fit your taste buds and create recipes that conform to your “taste imagination.” I was merely making the point that there is overlap in the styles between American pale and American IPA. You’re perfectly on target if you’re wanting to do a version of one of our pale ales. Cheers & happy brewing!