Late light on copper canyon walls
A copper pale ale named for the Owyhee, Cascade and Centennial over caramel malt, 5.2%, for an evening on the bank.
Brewed to order
Owyhee Canyon BWO Pale Ale carries a label of an angler wading a blue channel between canyon walls, a trout rising to his line. The scene is laid in copper, ink blue and parchment, with a spotted trout set in the copper band below.
- ABV
- 5.3%
- IBU
- 35
- Colour
- 14SRM
- OG to FG
- 1.0521.012
- 5.2% ABV pale ale, 35 IBU
- Copper in the glass, 14 SRM
- Cascade and Centennial, dry hopped four days
- Caramel malt, orange peel, pine finish
- Label in copper, ink blue and parchment
In the glass
Caramel and bready malt up front, orange peel and pine behind, a dry bitter finish
- Serve
- 45°F in a pint glass
- Alongside
- Smoked trout, sharp cheddar, a camp stove supper
An angler stands to his knees in ink blue water. Copper cliffs fold away behind him. A trout breaks under his line, and tents sit pale on the far bank. Autumn colours, parchment sky, a trout badge in the copper band.
It pours copper. Caramel and bread first, then orange peel and a little pine. The finish is dry and bitter enough to want another sip. Open one when the rod is down and the light goes gold.
Crystal 120 is the part to watch. Six ounces gives that copper glow. Any more and the beer goes brown and sweet. Weigh it, then weigh it again.
The numbers
5.3%Alcohol by volume
(1.052 − 1.012) × 131.25
35Bitterness, IBU
Bitterness only means anything against the style. This one is a American pale ale.
14Colour, SRM
The swatch above is this number on the standard reference ramp, not an impression of it.
Gravity1.052 down to 1.012 — 77% apparent attenuation.
Details
Details
- River
- Owyhee River, Oregon
- Style
- pale ale
- ABV
- 5.2%
- Tasting notes
- caramel malt, bready, orange peel, pine, dry bitter finish
- Colors
- copper, ink blue, parchment
Make it yourself
At a glance
- Style
- American pale ale
- Gravity, OG → FG
- 1.052 → 1.012
- ABV
- 5.3%Derived from OG and FG
- Bitterness
- 35 IBU
- Colour
- 14SRMdeep amber
- Difficulty
- Second batchthe timed hop additions and the dry hop ask for a steady hand on the clock.
- 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, wort chiller, hydrometer, thermometer, scale, siphon, sanitiser
- Written for
- 5 gal (18.9 L)
- Efficiency assumed
- 72%Brew-in-a-bag, full-volume. House guidance
Grain bill
4 malts · 9.88 lb for 5 gal
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 | 75.9% | 1.88 lb (0.85 kg) | 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) | 22.5 lb (10.21 kg) |
| Munich | 10.1% | 4 oz (113 g) | 1 lb (0.45 kg) | 3 lb (1.36 kg) |
| Crystal 60 | 10.1% | 4 oz (113 g) | 1 lb (0.45 kg) | 3 lb (1.36 kg) |
| Crystal 120 | 3.8% | 1.5 oz (43 g) | 6 oz (170 g) | 1.13 lb (0.51 kg) |
| Total grain | 100% | 2.47 lb (1.12 kg) | 9.88 lb (4.48 kg) | 29.63 lb (13.44 kg) |
Hop schedule
4 additions · 60 min boil
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial | Boil | 60 min | 5.3 g (0.19 oz) | 21 g (0.75 oz) | 64 g (2.25 oz) |
| Cascade | Boil | 10 min | 7.1 g (0.25 oz) | 28 g (1 oz) | 85 g (3 oz) |
| Cascade | Boil | Flameout | 7.1 g (0.25 oz) | 28 g (1 oz) | 85 g (3 oz) |
| Centennial | Dry hop | 4 days | 7.1 g (0.25 oz) | 28 g (1 oz) | 85 g (3 oz) |
Yeast and pitch
Clean American ale yeast · 1 dry pack for 5 gal
Clean American ale yeast (Chico strain). Pitch at 64°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
8.04 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 | 2.1 gal (7.9 L) | 8.04 gal (30.4 L) | 19.62 gal (74.3 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 | 0.2 gal (0.7 L) | 0.79 gal (3 L) | 2.37 gal (9 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 Moderate sulfate and low carbonate water keeps the hop bitterness crisp over the caramel malt.
Mash
152°F · 60 min
The mash turns starch into sugar. Hold the temperature steady and the beer finishes the way the recipe intends.
- Rest152°F for 60 minutes
- Strike waterHeat to 162°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 inhold it steady, because this rest decides how full the pint feels
- Mash outit stops the enzymes and loosens the sugars
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 minCentennial
- 10 minCascade
- FlameoutCascade
- 15 minA kettle fining (whirlfloc or Irish moss) clears the beer if you have one. House guidance
- Chillto 64°Fpitch cool and the yeast stays clean
Fermentation
3 steps · 1 dry hop · first pint in 35 days
The recipe's own schedule, in order. Temperature control matters more than almost anything else on this page.
- 66°F for 7 days
- Raise to 68°F for 3 days
- Cold crash at 34°F for 2 days
- Dry hopCentennial, 4 days
First pint 35 days from brew day.
Packaging and carbonation
2.4 volumes CO₂ · bottle or keg
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
- Weigh the Crystal 120 twice; a little extra turns copper to brown.From the recipe
- Add the dry hop once the gravity stops moving, not before.From the recipe
- Keep the 10 minute Cascade addition on time; it carries the orange peel.From the recipe
Every kit size
Ingredients only
Ingredient kit · 12-pack batch
$21.82
$1.82 a bottle
Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 12 caps, for 1.25 gal.
Includes Pale 2-row · Munich · Crystal 60 · Crystal 120 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 13 items
Ingredients
- Pale 2-row$4.29
- Munich$0.65
- Crystal 60$0.72
- Crystal 120$0.27
- Centennial (60 min)$1.50
- Cascade (10 min)$1.50
- Cascade (flameout)$1.50
- Centennial (dry hop, 4 days)$1.50
- Clean American ale yeast$6.49
- Milling and kitting$3
Packaging
- Corn sugar for priming$0.40
- Crown capsIncluded
Guide
- Printed brew guideIncluded
Ingredient kit · 12×12 batch
$154.54
$1.07 a bottle
Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 144 caps, for 15 gal.
Includes Pale 2-row · Munich · Crystal 60 · Crystal 120 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 13 items
Ingredients
- Pale 2-row$51.53
- Munich$7.77
- Crystal 60$8.67
- Crystal 120$3.25
- Centennial (60 min)$8.98
- Cascade (10 min)$11.97
- Cascade (flameout)$11.97
- Centennial (dry hop, 4 days)$11.97
- Clean American ale yeast$19.47
- Milling and kitting$8
Packaging
- Corn sugar for priming$4.96
- Crown caps$6
Guide
- Printed brew guideIncluded
Complete home brewery
Complete home brewery · 12-pack batch
$215.64
$17.97 a bottle
Bought separately $237.18 · 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$49.99
- Fine-mesh brew bag$9.99
- 1.5 gal glass fermenter with drilled bung$17.99
- 3-piece airlock$2.49
- No-rinse sanitizer, 4 oz$12.99
- Hydrometer and test jar$15.99
- Digital probe thermometer$14.99
- Mini auto-siphon with tubing$13.99
- Spring-tip bottle filler$5.99
- 12 oz amber bottles$16.99
- Wing capper$19.99
- Brewery wash, 1 lb$9.99
- 0.1 g kitchen scale$14.99
- Long stainless spoon$8.99
Ingredients
- Pale 2-row$4.29
- Munich$0.65
- Crystal 60$0.72
- Crystal 120$0.27
- Centennial (60 min)$1.50
- Cascade (10 min)$1.50
- Cascade (flameout)$1.50
- Centennial (dry hop, 4 days)$1.50
- Clean American ale yeast$6.49
- Milling and kitting$3
Packaging
- Corn sugar for priming$0.40
- Crown capsIncluded
Guide
- Printed brew guideIncluded
Complete home brewery · 12×12 batch
$1,250.54
$8.68 a bottle
Bought separately $1,372.32 · 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$399
- 72,000 BTU propane burner and stand$99
- 30 gal brew bag$44.99
- 50 ft copper immersion chiller$129
- 7.9 gal fermenting buckets with lids and airlocks$89.97
- No-rinse sanitizer, 32 oz$32.99
- Brewery wash, 4 lb$34.99
- Hydrometer and test jar$15.99
- Refractometer$29.99
- Digital thermometer$24.99
- ½" auto-siphon with tubing$24.99
- Bottling buckets with spigots$55.98
- Bottle filler$5.99
- 12 oz amber bottles (6 cases)$119.94
- Bench capper$59.99
- Mash paddle$24.99
- Digital scale$24.99
Ingredients
- Pale 2-row$51.53
- Munich$7.77
- Crystal 60$8.67
- Crystal 120$3.25
- Centennial (60 min)$8.98
- Cascade (10 min)$11.97
- Cascade (flameout)$11.97
- Centennial (dry hop, 4 days)$11.97
- Clean American ale yeast$19.47
- Milling and kitting$8
Packaging
- Corn sugar for priming$4.96
- Crown caps$6
Guide
- Printed brew guideIncluded
The creator
How it was made
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Remixes
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Where this came from
“a beer brewed for Owyhee River, Oregon”
river beer · made
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- pale ale
- owyhee river
- oregon
- bwo
- blue-winged olive
- split back
- trout
- fly fishing
- canyon
- copper
- cascade
- centennial