Frying Pan Tailwater Pale Ale

Red rock, cold water, two trout turning

A hazy pale ale named for the Frying Pan River, soft and citrusy at 5.4%, made for an afternoon by the water.

Brewed to order

Frying Pan Tailwater Pale Ale is a hazy pale ale whose label shows two rainbow trout crossing a bend of river. Turquoise water, rust-red canyon walls and a gold sky fill the design.

ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 32
Colour: 14SRM
OG to FG: 1.0541.013

Hazy pale ale, 5.4% ABV
Citra and Mosaic whirlpool and dry hop
Orange peel, peach, soft oat body
Two rainbow trout on turquoise water
32 IBU, 14 SRM amber haze

In the glass

A glass of Hazy Pale Ale: opaque hazy pale yellow, fluffy white head.

14SRM

Orange peel and ripe peach over a light caramel middle, soft oat body, gentle bitter finish

Serve: 45°F in a tulip or a shaker glass
Alongside: Grilled trout, fish tacos, sharp cheddar

Two rainbow trout swim a turquoise bend on a gold label. Rust-red cliffs rise behind them, and a third trout rides the neck. The beer below glows amber, the same colour as the autumn brush along the canyon.

It pours hazy and amber with orange peel and ripe peach on the nose. A light caramel middle and a soft oat body lead to a clean, gentle bitter finish. Open one when the rods are drying and the canyon goes red in the evening light.

The whirlpool is the step to get right. Let the wort fall to 175°F before the Citra and Mosaic go in, so the fruit comes through and the bite stays low.

The numbers

5.4%Alcohol by volume

(1.054 − 1.013) × 131.25

32Bitterness, IBU

Bitterness only means anything against the style. This one is a Hazy pale ale.

14Colour, SRM

The swatch above is this number on the standard reference ramp, not an impression of it.

Gravity1.054 down to 1.013 — 76% apparent attenuation.

Named for the Frying Pan River

Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado · CO

The water it is named for

Water type: Tailwater

Details

River: Frying Pan River
Style: Hazy Pale Ale
ABV: 5.4%
Tasting notes: orange peel, ripe peach, light caramel, soft oats, gentle bitterness
Colors: gold, cream, turquoise, salmon pink, rust red

Make it yourself

A home brew day set up in a garage: kettle steaming on a burner, mash tun and chiller beside it.

At a glance

Style: Hazy pale ale
Gravity, OG → FG: 1.054 → 1.013
ABV: 5.4%Derived from OG and FG
Bitterness: 32 IBU
Colour: 14SRMdeep amber
Difficulty: Second batchthe dry hop and the oxygen care ask for a steady hand at packaging.
First pint: 35 daysFrom brew day, including conditioning
Brew day: 2 h 30 minKettle on to kitchen clean. The rest is the yeast.
You supply: brew kettle, mash tun, fermenter, airlock, thermometer, hydrometer, wort chiller, sanitiser, bottling bucket or kegging setup
Written for: 5 gal (18.9 L)
Efficiency assumed: 72%Brew-in-a-bag, full-volume. House guidance

Grain bill

6 malts · 10.5 lb for 5 gal

Piles of pale, amber and dark malted barley on a wooden bench beside a scale.

Milled grain, weighed for each batch size. The percentage is each malt's share of the grist and stays the same at every size.

Malt	% of grist	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Pale 2-row	52.4%	1.38 lb (0.62 kg)	5.5 lb (2.49 kg)	16.5 lb (7.48 kg)
Flaked oats	14.3%	6 oz (170 g)	1.5 lb (0.68 kg)	4.5 lb (2.04 kg)
White wheat malt	9.5%	4 oz (113 g)	1 lb (0.45 kg)	3 lb (1.36 kg)
Crystal 60	11.9%	5 oz (142 g)	1.25 lb (0.57 kg)	3.75 lb (1.7 kg)
Munich	9.5%	4 oz (113 g)	1 lb (0.45 kg)	3 lb (1.36 kg)
Crystal 120	2.4%	1 oz (28 g)	4 oz (113 g)	12 oz (340 g)
Total grain	100%	2.63 lb (1.19 kg)	10.5 lb (4.76 kg)	31.5 lb (14.29 kg)

Hop schedule

5 additions · 60 min boil

Whole green hop cones and hop pellets on slate, one cone split to show the yellow lupulin.

Pellet hops, weighed in grams. Boil times count down to the end of the boil, so 60 minutes means the first thing in the kettle.

Hop	Use	Time	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Magnum	Boil	60 min	3.5 g (0.13 oz)	14 g (0.5 oz)	43 g (1.5 oz)
Citra	Whirlpool	20 min	14 g (0.5 oz)	57 g (2 oz)	170 g (6 oz)
Mosaic	Whirlpool	20 min	7.1 g (0.25 oz)	28 g (1 oz)	85 g (3 oz)
Citra	Dry hop	4 days	14 g (0.5 oz)	57 g (2 oz)	170 g (6 oz)
Mosaic	Dry hop	4 days	7.1 g (0.25 oz)	28 g (1 oz)	85 g (3 oz)

Yeast and pitch

London Ale III · 1 liquid pack for 5 gal

London Ale III (Wyeast 1318). Pitch at 66°F.

Yeast	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
London Ale III	1 liquid pack	1 liquid pack	3 liquid packs

One pack per 5 gal, and one more above 1.060 OG in a batch over 3 gal. Never fewer than one. House guidance

Water

8.09 gal into the mash for 5 gal

Full-volume brew-in-a-bag: all the water goes in at the start and there is no sparge. Volumes are the total to heat, so the kettle has to hold the mash and still leave room to boil: the 12-pack kit sells a 5 gal stockpot and the 12×12 kit a 30 gal kettle for that.

Water	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Into the mash	2.11 gal (8 L)	8.09 gal (30.6 L)	19.77 gal (74.8 L)
Boiled off	0.5 gal (1.9 L)	1.25 gal (4.7 L)	1.25 gal (4.7 L)
Held by the grain	0.21 gal (0.8 L)	0.84 gal (3.2 L)	2.52 gal (9.5 L)
Left as trub	0.15 gal (0.6 L)	1 gal (3.8 L)	1 gal (3.8 L)
Into the fermenter	1.25 gal (4.7 L)	5 gal (18.9 L)	15 gal (56.8 L)

Boil-off, grain absorption and trub are typical figures for a stovetop pot and a propane kettle, not measurements of your own gear. Brew once, note what you end up with, and adjust. House guidance

Water profile Soft water with chloride a little above sulfate suits this style and keeps the mouthfeel plush.

Mash

154°F · 60 min

The mash turns starch into sugar. Hold the temperature steady and the beer finishes the way the recipe intends.

Rest154°F for 60 minutes
Strike waterHeat to 164°F; the grain cools it to the rest temperature. House guidance
Mash-outRaise to 168°F and hold 10 minutes, then lift and drain the bag. House guidance

Mash inthe warmer rest keeps the body soft and round

Boil

60 min · 3 hop additions

Hops go in on a countdown from the end of the boil. Early additions give bitterness; late ones give aroma.

Length60 minutes
60 minMagnum
20 minCitra (whirlpool)
20 minMosaic (whirlpool)
15 minA kettle fining (whirlfloc or Irish moss) clears the beer if you have one. House guidance

Chillto 66°F before pitching

Also on the recipe's brew-day card:

Whirlpool20 min at 175°Fcooler water pulls fruit from the hops without much bite

Fermentation

4 steps · 2 dry hop · first pint in 35 days

A glass fermenter of amber beer with foam on top and an airlock.

The recipe's own schedule, in order. Temperature control matters more than almost anything else on this page.

5 days at 66°F
Raise to 68°F for 3 days
Dry hop on day 6
Cold crash to 38°F for 2 days

Dry hopCitra, 4 days
Dry hopMosaic, 4 days

First pint 35 days from brew day.

Packaging and carbonation

2.4 volumes CO₂ · bottle or keg

Plain aluminium cans and a small keg on a workbench beside a priming-sugar measure.

Target 2.4 volumes of CO₂.

Bottling	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Corn sugar to prime	1.03 oz (29 g)	4.12 oz (117 g)	12.37 oz (351 g)
12 oz bottles it fills	12	50	144

Dissolve the sugar in a little boiled water, stir it gently into the beer, then bottle. The amount is worked out for 68°F, the warmest the beer got while it fermented.

Kegging Set the regulator to 10.2 psi at 38°F.

Kegging instead Skip the bottles with 3 × 5 gal ball-lock kegs, 1 × 5 lb CO₂ tank, 1 × dual-gauge regulator, 1 × gas and beer lines with picnic taps: the kegging upgrade for the 15 gal home brewery, $594.

Brewer's notes

3 tips

Keep oxygen away after the dry hop, because haze and citrus fade fast once air gets in.From the recipe
Stir the flaked oats well at mash in so they do not clump.From the recipe
Drink it fresh; the hop aroma is brightest in the first month.From the recipe

A fermenter, airlock, siphon, hydrometer, thermometer and bench capper. — The kit

Every kit size

Ingredients only

Ingredient kit · 12-pack batch

$30.42

$2.54 a bottle

Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 12 caps, for 1.25 gal.

Includes Pale 2-row · Flaked oats · White wheat malt · Crystal 60 · and 12 more

Every item in this kit · 16 items

Ingredients

Pale 2-row$3.151.38 lb (0.62 kg) · Milled to order
Flaked oats$1.086 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
White wheat malt$0.574 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 60$0.905 oz (142 g) · Milled to order
Munich$0.654 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 120$0.181 oz (28 g) · Milled to order
Magnum (60 min)$1.503.5 g (0.13 oz)
Citra (whirlpool, 20 min)$214 g (0.5 oz)
Mosaic (whirlpool, 20 min)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
Citra (dry hop, 4 days)$214 g (0.5 oz)
Mosaic (dry hop, 4 days)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
London Ale III$11.991 pack · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$0.401 oz · Primes to 2.4 volumes of CO₂
Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Ingredient kit · 12×12 batch

$211.19

$1.47 a bottle

Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 144 caps, for 15 gal.

Includes Pale 2-row · Flaked oats · White wheat malt · Crystal 60 · and 12 more

Every item in this kit · 16 items

Ingredients

Pale 2-row$37.7916.5 lb (7.48 kg) · Milled to order
Flaked oats$13.014.5 lb (2.04 kg) · Milled to order
White wheat malt$6.873 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 60$10.843.75 lb (1.7 kg) · Milled to order
Munich$7.773 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 120$2.1712 oz (340 g) · Milled to order
Magnum (60 min)$5.9943 g (1.5 oz)
Citra (whirlpool, 20 min)$23.94170 g (6 oz)
Mosaic (whirlpool, 20 min)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
Citra (dry hop, 4 days)$23.94170 g (6 oz)
Mosaic (dry hop, 4 days)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
London Ale III$35.973 packs · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$4.9612.4 oz · Primes to 2.4 volumes of CO₂
Crown caps$6144

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery

Complete home brewery · 12-pack batch

$224.24

$18.69 a bottle

Bought separately $245.78 · you save $21.54

All the equipment, then the ingredient kit, for 1.25 gal. Works on a kitchen stove.

Includes 5 gal stainless stockpot · Fine-mesh brew bag · 1.5 gal glass fermenter with drilled bung · 3-piece airlock · and 26 more

Every item in this kit · 30 items

Equipment

5 gal stainless stockpot$49.991
Fine-mesh brew bag$9.991
1.5 gal glass fermenter with drilled bung$17.991
3-piece airlock$2.491
No-rinse sanitizer, 4 oz$12.991
Hydrometer and test jar$15.991
Digital probe thermometer$14.991
Mini auto-siphon with tubing$13.991
Spring-tip bottle filler$5.991
12 oz amber bottles$16.9912
Wing capper$19.991
Brewery wash, 1 lb$9.991
0.1 g kitchen scale$14.991
Long stainless spoon$8.991

Ingredients

Pale 2-row$3.151.38 lb (0.62 kg) · Milled to order
Flaked oats$1.086 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
White wheat malt$0.574 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 60$0.905 oz (142 g) · Milled to order
Munich$0.654 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 120$0.181 oz (28 g) · Milled to order
Magnum (60 min)$1.503.5 g (0.13 oz)
Citra (whirlpool, 20 min)$214 g (0.5 oz)
Mosaic (whirlpool, 20 min)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
Citra (dry hop, 4 days)$214 g (0.5 oz)
Mosaic (dry hop, 4 days)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
London Ale III$11.991 pack · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$0.401 oz · Primes to 2.4 volumes of CO₂
Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery · 12×12 batch

$1,307.19

$9.08 a bottle

Bought separately $1,428.97 · you save $121.78

All the equipment, then the ingredient kit, for 15 gal. You supply a propane tank and water.

Includes 30 gal stainless kettle with ball valve and thermometer · 72 · 30 gal brew bag · 50 ft copper immersion chiller · and 29 more

Every item in this kit · 33 items

Equipment

30 gal stainless kettle with ball valve and thermometer$3991
72,000 BTU propane burner and stand$991
30 gal brew bag$44.991
50 ft copper immersion chiller$1291
7.9 gal fermenting buckets with lids and airlocks$89.973
No-rinse sanitizer, 32 oz$32.991
Brewery wash, 4 lb$34.991
Hydrometer and test jar$15.991
Refractometer$29.991
Digital thermometer$24.991
½" auto-siphon with tubing$24.991
Bottling buckets with spigots$55.982
Bottle filler$5.991
12 oz amber bottles (6 cases)$119.94144
Bench capper$59.991
Mash paddle$24.991
Digital scale$24.991

Ingredients

Pale 2-row$37.7916.5 lb (7.48 kg) · Milled to order
Flaked oats$13.014.5 lb (2.04 kg) · Milled to order
White wheat malt$6.873 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 60$10.843.75 lb (1.7 kg) · Milled to order
Munich$7.773 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 120$2.1712 oz (340 g) · Milled to order
Magnum (60 min)$5.9943 g (1.5 oz)
Citra (whirlpool, 20 min)$23.94170 g (6 oz)
Mosaic (whirlpool, 20 min)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
Citra (dry hop, 4 days)$23.94170 g (6 oz)
Mosaic (dry hop, 4 days)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
London Ale III$35.973 packs · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$4.9612.4 oz · Primes to 2.4 volumes of CO₂
Crown caps$6144

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

The creator

Sunny

@sunny

Strips it fast and stays for the grab.

See everything by @sunny

Remixes

No remixes yet — make your own version.

Where this came from

river beer · made September 16, 2026

0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since September 16, 2026. Views are not counted.

hazy pale ale
frying pan river
rainbow trout
tailwater
citra
mosaic
fly fishing
homebrew recipe
red canyon
turquoise