Brü It Yourself | Steppin’ Out British Golden Ale

Author: Jordan Folks

I don’t find myself drinking or brewing British beers very often, which I chalk up to the fact most tend to rely on a good amount of Crystal malt and earthy hops, while also having lower carbonation. It’s just not my jam. However, there is one exception, a more modern style that originated across-the-pond and is a bit more aligned with the types of beers I find myself gravitating to. Developed in the 1980s as a way for English brewers to compete with the growing market for pale lagers, the BJCP describes British Golden Ale as:

A hop-forward, average-strength to moderately-strong pale bitter. Drinkability and a refreshing quality are critical components of the style, as it was initially a summer seasonal beer.

A notably unique quality of British Golden Ale is its reliance on citrus-forward American hop varieties, which is much more in my wheelhouse compared to the hop-derived earthy notes that typically define other traditional British beers. Similarly, this style is paler, clearer, and more carbonated, which again, was an intentional effort to appeal to consumers of the day.

I don’t tend to use much Maris Otter in my brewing, but following a recent Barlewine project, I had some extra and wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. Given its region of origin, I figured I might use these leftovers in a British style and did some research, which is how I was reminded of the somewhat esoteric British Golden Ale. After some consideration, I decided to have some fun by designing a recipe for an ultra-modern British Golden Ale that combines classic UK malt and yeast with some advanced hop products I had on hand.

| Making Steppin’ Out British Golden Ale |

I went with a very simple SMaSH recipe for this batch using only Maris Otter malt and yeast along with Citra advanced hop products. Thanks to F.H. Steinbart for hooking me up with the malt for this batch!

Steppin’ Out British Golden Ale

After collecting the full volume of water, adjusting it to my desired profile, and getting it heating up on brew day, I weighed out and milled the grains.

With the water appropriately heated, I incorporated the grains then checked to make sure it was at my target 147°F/64°C mash temperature.

While waiting on the mash, I prepared the kettle hop additions.

When the 30 minute mash rest was complete, I removed the grains and proceeded to boil the wort for 60 minute before chilling it with my JaDeD Brewing SS Coil Hydra.

A refractometer reading showed the wort was at a respectable 1.053 OG.

After transferring the chilled wort to a fermentation keg, I pitched a pouch of Imperial Yeast A01 House, a classic British strain.

The beer was left to ferment at 66°F/19°C for 10 days, at which point I added the dry hops, which consisted entirely of advanced hop products.

I let the beer mingle with the dry hops for 24 hours before taking a hydrometer measurement showing it finished a bit higher than I’m used to.

At this point, I cold crashed the beer overnight then transferred it to a sanitized and CO2 purged keg along with some gelatin fining. The filled keg was placed on gas in my keezer where it remained for 10 days before it was carbonated, clear, and ready to drink.

| IMPRESSIONS |

Despite my massive appreciation for the influence the UK has had on brewing, I’ve never really gone through a British beer phase, unlike many other brewers I’ve talked to. I personally prefer beers that are crisp and dry, not to mention nicely carbonated, which most British styles tend not to be, that is unless we’re talking about the more modern British Golden Ale.

Intentionally designed to offer consumers different than classic Mild, Bitter, and Porter, British Golden Ale does just that while not completely ignoring its roots, and I fell my Steppin’ Out British Golden Ale was a smashing success, mate! While far from malt-forward, this beer had a clean albeit nuanced Maris Otter flavor that was quite lovely and melded well with the Citra hop character, which was surprisingly complex for a single hop beer, likely as a function of the advanced hop products. Moreover, the body of this beer was astonishingly light, which was interesting considering the higher than usual FG.

Going into this batch, my goal was to put a modern spin on what is arguably still a fairly modern style, and the outcome exceeded my expectations. With its beautifully balanced malt, hop, and even yeast character, Steppin’ Out British Golden Ale is a one of those beers I feel would satisfy craft beer nerds and the less experienced, as there’s nothing too overbearing about it. This is a recipe I’ll certainly be brewing again, perhaps even using it as a base for experimenting with the various new hop products available.

If you have thoughts about this recipe or experience making something similar, please feel free to share in the comments section below!

Support Brülosophy In Style!

Follow Brülosophy on:

FACEBOOK   |   TWITTER   |   INSTAGRAM

If you enjoy this stuff and feel compelled to support Brulosophy.com, please check out the Support page for details on how you can very easily do so. Thanks!