White River Trout Cream Ale

Mist lifting off cold green water

A cream ale named for the White River, honeyed and easy at 5.2%, for a slow afternoon on the bank.

Brewed to order

White River Trout Cream Ale shows two spotted brown trout gliding through pale green current under a wooded bank and a grey bluff. The label is cream and soft gold, with olive water lines and tall white lettering edged in brown.

ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 26
Colour: 14SRM
OG to FG: 1.0501.010

Cream ale, 5.2% ABV, 26 IBU
Toffee, honeyed biscuit and sweet corn
Flaked corn for a smooth, light body
Brown trout in pale green current
Cream, gold and olive label

In the glass

A glass of Cream Ale: brilliant very pale straw, white head.

14SRM

Toffee, honeyed biscuit, sweet corn, a light floral hop

Serve: 40°F in a nonic pint
Alongside: Fried catfish, pimento cheese, grilled corn

Two brown trout hang in the current, gold flanks freckled with dark spots. Above them the river runs pale green and cream past leafy trees and a grey limestone bluff. White letters sit right on the water like sun on a riffle.

It pours deep gold with a hint of amber. Toffee and honeyed biscuit up front, a little sweet corn, then a soft floral hop and a clean, dry finish. Open one when the fog burns off and the fish start rising.

Flaked corn is the quiet heart of this beer. Stir it into the mash well and keep the rest at 150°F, and it gives a light, smooth body that lets the crystal malt colour shine without weighing it down.

The numbers

5.3%Alcohol by volume

(1.050 − 1.010) × 131.25

26Bitterness, IBU

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

14Colour, SRM

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

Gravity1.050 down to 1.010 — 80% apparent attenuation.

Named for the White River

Ozarks, North Arkansas · AR

The water it is named for

Water type: Tailwater

Details

River: White River
Style: Cream ale
ABV: 5.2%
Tasting notes: toffee, honeyed biscuit, sweet corn, floral hop, clean finish
Colors: cream, pale gold, olive green, sage, white, brown

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: Cream ale
Gravity, OG → FG: 1.050 → 1.010
ABV: 5.3%Derived from OG and FG
Bitterness: 26 IBU
Colour: 14SRMdeep amber
Difficulty: Second batchthe steady fermentation temperature and cold conditioning call for a fridge you can control.
First pint: 35 daysFrom brew day, including conditioning
Brew day: 2 h 10 minKettle on to kitchen clean. The rest is the yeast.
You supply: brew kettle, mash tun, fermenter with airlock, thermometer, hydrometer, wort chiller, temperature-controlled fridge, siphon, sanitiser
Written for: 5 gal (18.9 L)
Efficiency assumed: 72%Brew-in-a-bag, full-volume. House guidance

Grain bill

5 malts · 9.63 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	59.7%	1.44 lb (0.65 kg)	5.75 lb (2.61 kg)	17.25 lb (7.82 kg)
Flaked corn	15.6%	6 oz (170 g)	1.5 lb (0.68 kg)	4.5 lb (2.04 kg)
Munich	10.4%	4 oz (113 g)	1 lb (0.45 kg)	3 lb (1.36 kg)
Crystal 60L	10.4%	4 oz (113 g)	1 lb (0.45 kg)	3 lb (1.36 kg)
Crystal 120L	3.9%	1.5 oz (43 g)	6 oz (170 g)	1.13 lb (0.51 kg)
Total grain	100%	2.41 lb (1.09 kg)	9.63 lb (4.37 kg)	28.88 lb (13.1 kg)

Hop schedule

3 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
Cluster	Boil	60 min	6.4 g (0.23 oz)	26 g (0.9 oz)	77 g (2.7 oz)
Liberty	Boil	10 min	3.5 g (0.13 oz)	14 g (0.5 oz)	43 g (1.5 oz)
Liberty	Boil	Flameout	3.5 g (0.13 oz)	14 g (0.5 oz)	43 g (1.5 oz)

Yeast and pitch

Clean American ale yeast · 1 dry pack for 5 gal

Clean American ale yeast (US-05), 1 packet. Pitch at 62°F.

Yeast	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Clean American ale yeast	1 dry pack	1 dry pack	3 dry 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

8.02 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	2.09 gal (7.9 L)	8.02 gal (30.4 L)	19.56 gal (74 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	0.19 gal (0.7 L)	0.77 gal (2.9 L)	2.31 gal (8.7 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 to moderate water with chloride and sulfate in balance lets the malt sweetness and the gentle hop sit side by side.

Mash

150°F · 60 min

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

Rest150°F for 60 minutes
Strike waterHeat to 160°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 ina cooler rest keeps the corn and crystal from turning the body heavy

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 minCluster
10 minLiberty
FlameoutLiberty
15 minA kettle fining (whirlfloc or Irish moss) clears the beer if you have one. House guidance

Chillto 62°Fpitching cool keeps the fruity esters quiet

Fermentation

3 steps · 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.

10 days at 62°F
Raise to 66°F for 3 days
Cold crash at 34°F for 7 days

First pint 35 days from brew day.

Packaging and carbonation

2.6 volumes CO₂ · bottle or keg

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

Target 2.6 volumes of CO₂.

Bottling	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Corn sugar to prime	1.15 oz (32 g)	4.58 oz (130 g)	13.74 oz (390 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 66°F, the warmest the beer got while it fermented.

Kegging Set the regulator to 12.3 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

Stir the flaked corn well into the mash so it does not clump.From the recipe
Hold fermentation at 62°F for the first week; warmer and the clean finish slips away.From the recipe
The cold weeks at the end are what make it bright and smooth, so do not rush them.From the recipe

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

Every kit size

Ingredients only

Ingredient kit · 12-pack batch

$20.44

$1.70 a bottle

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

Includes Pale 2-row · Flaked corn · Munich · Crystal 60L · and 9 more

Every item in this kit · 13 items

Ingredients

Pale 2-row$3.291.44 lb (0.65 kg) · Milled to order
Flaked corn$1.086 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
Munich$0.654 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 60L$0.724 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 120L$0.271.5 oz (43 g) · Milled to order
Cluster (60 min)$1.506.4 g (0.23 oz)
Liberty (10 min)$1.503.5 g (0.13 oz)
Liberty (flameout)$1.503.5 g (0.13 oz)
Clean American ale yeast$6.491 pack · Dry yeast
Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$0.441.1 oz · Primes to 2.6 volumes of CO₂
Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Ingredient kit · 12×12 batch

$133.90

$0.93 a bottle

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

Includes Pale 2-row · Flaked corn · Munich · Crystal 60L · and 9 more

Every item in this kit · 13 items

Ingredients

Pale 2-row$39.5017.25 lb (7.82 kg) · Milled to order
Flaked corn$13.014.5 lb (2.04 kg) · Milled to order
Munich$7.773 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 60L$8.673 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 120L$3.251.13 lb (0.51 kg) · Milled to order
Cluster (60 min)$10.7777 g (2.7 oz)
Liberty (10 min)$5.9943 g (1.5 oz)
Liberty (flameout)$5.9943 g (1.5 oz)
Clean American ale yeast$19.473 packs · Dry yeast
Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$5.4813.7 oz · Primes to 2.6 volumes of CO₂
Crown caps$6144

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery

Complete home brewery · 12-pack batch

$214.26

$17.86 a bottle

Bought separately $235.80 · 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 23 more

Every item in this kit · 27 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$3.291.44 lb (0.65 kg) · Milled to order
Flaked corn$1.086 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
Munich$0.654 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 60L$0.724 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 120L$0.271.5 oz (43 g) · Milled to order
Cluster (60 min)$1.506.4 g (0.23 oz)
Liberty (10 min)$1.503.5 g (0.13 oz)
Liberty (flameout)$1.503.5 g (0.13 oz)
Clean American ale yeast$6.491 pack · Dry yeast
Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$0.441.1 oz · Primes to 2.6 volumes of CO₂
Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery · 12×12 batch

$1,229.90

$8.54 a bottle

Bought separately $1,351.68 · 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 26 more

Every item in this kit · 30 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$39.5017.25 lb (7.82 kg) · Milled to order
Flaked corn$13.014.5 lb (2.04 kg) · Milled to order
Munich$7.773 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 60L$8.673 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 120L$3.251.13 lb (0.51 kg) · Milled to order
Cluster (60 min)$10.7777 g (2.7 oz)
Liberty (10 min)$5.9943 g (1.5 oz)
Liberty (flameout)$5.9943 g (1.5 oz)
Clean American ale yeast$19.473 packs · Dry yeast
Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$5.4813.7 oz · Primes to 2.6 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

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Where this came from

river beer · made September 16, 2026

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8 — from 1 save, at the Derby's published weights, since September 16, 2026. Views are not counted.

cream ale
white river
brown trout
trout
fly fishing
homebrew recipe
flaked corn
liberty hops
river beer
limestone bluff