Owyhee PMD Hatch Pale Ale

by @sunny

The afternoon the whole river hatches

An American pale ale for the Owyhee, 5.4% and 36 IBU, wearing a pale yellow PMD hatch, for long days on the water.

Brewed to order

Owyhee PMD Hatch Pale Ale carries a label where a cloud of Pale Morning Duns lifts off dark river water. The duns are pale yellow against deep navy and teal, framed by cream lettering.

ABV
5.4%
IBU
36
Colour
14SRM
OG to FG
1.0541.013
  • American pale ale, 5.4% ABV
  • 36 IBU, copper at 14 SRM
  • Orange peel, pine and light caramel
  • Cascade and Amarillo, dry hopped four days
  • Label swarm of pale yellow PMD duns

In the glass

14SRM

orange peel, light caramel, pine resin, crackery malt, a dry finish

Serve
45°F in a tulip glass
Alongside
grilled trout, sharp cheddar, fish tacos

Hundreds of pale yellow duns rise off the water in a thick swarm. The bottom of the label stays deep blue and teal, with a few stragglers drifting up from the surface. Cream letters hold the top like a ridgeline.

It pours a clear copper. Orange peel and pine come first, then soft caramel and a cracker-dry finish that leaves room for another sip. Open one when the riffles go quiet and the risers start.

Crystal 60L carries this beer's copper colour and its caramel middle. Weigh it exactly, along with the small charge of Crystal 120L, and the hops will sit on top instead of getting buried.

The numbers

5.4%Alcohol by volume

(1.054 − 1.013) × 131.25

36Bitterness, 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.

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

Details

Details

River
Owyhee River
Style
American pale ale
ABV
5.4%
Tasting notes
orange peel, light caramel, pine resin, crackery malt, dry finish
Colors
navy, teal, pale yellow, cream, sky blue

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
American pale ale
Gravity, OG → FG
1.054 → 1.013
ABV
5.4%Derived from OG and FG
Bitterness
36 IBU
Colour
14SRMdeep amber
Difficulty
Second batcha dry hop and a steady fermentation temperature ask for a little 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, airlock, thermometer, hydrometer, wort chiller, sanitiser, bottling bucket
Written for
5 gal (18.9 L)
Efficiency assumed
72%Brew-in-a-bag, full-volume. House guidance

Grain bill

4 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 grist12-pack batch · 1.25 galClassic · 5 gal12×12 batch · 15 gal
Pale 2-row76.2%2 lb (0.91 kg)8 lb (3.63 kg)24 lb (10.89 kg)
Munich 10L9.5%4 oz (113 g)1 lb (0.45 kg)3 lb (1.36 kg)
Crystal 60L11.9%5 oz (142 g)1.25 lb (0.57 kg)3.75 lb (1.7 kg)
Crystal 120L2.4%1 oz (28 g)4 oz (113 g)12 oz (340 g)
Total grain100%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.

HopUseTime12-pack batch · 1.25 galClassic · 5 gal12×12 batch · 15 gal
CentennialBoil60 min5.3 g (0.19 oz)21 g (0.75 oz)64 g (2.25 oz)
CascadeBoil15 min7.1 g (0.25 oz)28 g (1 oz)85 g (3 oz)
CascadeBoilFlameout7.1 g (0.25 oz)28 g (1 oz)85 g (3 oz)
AmarilloWhirlpool20 min7.1 g (0.25 oz)28 g (1 oz)85 g (3 oz)
CascadeDry hop4 days11 g (0.38 oz)43 g (1.5 oz)128 g (4.5 oz)

Yeast and pitch

American ale yeast · 1 dry pack for 5 gal

American ale yeast (Chico strain, such as US-05). Pitch at 64°F.

Yeast12-pack batch · 1.25 galClassic · 5 gal12×12 batch · 15 gal
American ale yeast1 dry pack1 dry pack3 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

8.09 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.

Water12-pack batch · 1.25 galClassic · 5 gal12×12 batch · 15 gal
Into the mash2.11 gal (8 L)8.09 gal (30.6 L)19.77 gal (74.8 L)
Boiled off0.5 gal (1.9 L)1.25 gal (4.7 L)1.25 gal (4.7 L)
Held by the grain0.21 gal (0.8 L)0.84 gal (3.2 L)2.52 gal (9.5 L)
Left as trub0.15 gal (0.6 L)1 gal (3.8 L)1 gal (3.8 L)
Into the fermenter1.25 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 sulphate with a modest chloride level keeps the hops crisp and the malt soft.

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 sets the body
  • Mash outit stops conversion and loosens the sugars

Boil

60 min · 4 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
  • 20 minAmarillo (whirlpool)
  • 15 minCascade
  • FlameoutCascade
  • 15 minA kettle fining (whirlfloc or Irish moss) clears the beer if you have one. House guidance
  • Chillto 64°Fa cool pitch keeps the yeast clean

Fermentation

3 steps · 1 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.

  1. 10 days at 66°F
  2. 3 days at 68°F
  3. 2 days cold crash at 36°F
  • Dry hopCascade, 4 days

First pint 35 days from brew day.

Packaging and carbonation

2.5 volumes CO₂ · bottle or keg
Plain aluminium cans and a small keg on a workbench beside a priming-sugar measure.

Target 2.5 volumes of CO₂.

Bottling12-pack batch · 1.25 galClassic · 5 gal12×12 batch · 15 gal
Corn sugar to prime1.1 oz (31 g)4.39 oz (124 g)13.17 oz (373 g)
12 oz bottles it fills1250144

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 11.2 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
  • Add the dry hop once the gravity has stopped moving, so the aroma stays put.From the recipe
  • Weigh the Crystal 120L carefully; a little extra turns the beer brown fast.From the recipe
  • Keep the fermenter out of light and drafts to hold the temperature even.From the recipe
A fermenter, airlock, siphon, hydrometer, thermometer and bench capper.
The kit

Every kit size

Ingredients only

Ingredient kit · 12-pack batch

$23.74

$1.98 a bottle

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

Includes Pale 2-row · Munich 10L · Crystal 60L · Crystal 120L · and 10 more

Every item in this kit · 14 items

Ingredients

  • Pale 2-row$4.582 lb (0.91 kg) · Milled to order
  • Munich 10L$0.654 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
  • Crystal 60L$0.905 oz (142 g) · Milled to order
  • Crystal 120L$0.181 oz (28 g) · Milled to order
  • Centennial (60 min)$1.505.3 g (0.19 oz)
  • Cascade (15 min)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
  • Cascade (flameout)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
  • Amarillo (whirlpool, 20 min)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
  • Cascade (dry hop, 4 days)$1.5011 g (0.38 oz)
  • American ale yeast$6.491 pack · Dry yeast
  • Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

  • Corn sugar for priming$0.441.1 oz · Primes to 2.5 volumes of CO₂
  • Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

  • Printed brew guideIncluded1

Ingredient kit · 12×12 batch

$177.34

$1.23 a bottle

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

Includes Pale 2-row · Munich 10L · Crystal 60L · Crystal 120L · and 10 more

Every item in this kit · 14 items

Ingredients

  • Pale 2-row$54.9624 lb (10.89 kg) · Milled to order
  • Munich 10L$7.773 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
  • Crystal 60L$10.843.75 lb (1.7 kg) · Milled to order
  • Crystal 120L$2.1712 oz (340 g) · Milled to order
  • Centennial (60 min)$8.9864 g (2.25 oz)
  • Cascade (15 min)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
  • Cascade (flameout)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
  • Amarillo (whirlpool, 20 min)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
  • Cascade (dry hop, 4 days)$17.96128 g (4.5 oz)
  • American ale yeast$19.473 packs · Dry yeast
  • Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

  • Corn sugar for priming$5.2813.2 oz · Primes to 2.5 volumes of CO₂
  • Crown caps$6144

Guide

  • Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery

Complete home brewery · 12-pack batch

$217.56

$18.13 a bottle

Bought separately $239.10 · 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 24 more

Every item in this kit · 28 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$4.582 lb (0.91 kg) · Milled to order
  • Munich 10L$0.654 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
  • Crystal 60L$0.905 oz (142 g) · Milled to order
  • Crystal 120L$0.181 oz (28 g) · Milled to order
  • Centennial (60 min)$1.505.3 g (0.19 oz)
  • Cascade (15 min)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
  • Cascade (flameout)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
  • Amarillo (whirlpool, 20 min)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
  • Cascade (dry hop, 4 days)$1.5011 g (0.38 oz)
  • American ale yeast$6.491 pack · Dry yeast
  • Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

  • Corn sugar for priming$0.441.1 oz · Primes to 2.5 volumes of CO₂
  • Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

  • Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery · 12×12 batch

$1,273.34

$8.84 a bottle

Bought separately $1,395.12 · 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 27 more

Every item in this kit · 31 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$54.9624 lb (10.89 kg) · Milled to order
  • Munich 10L$7.773 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
  • Crystal 60L$10.843.75 lb (1.7 kg) · Milled to order
  • Crystal 120L$2.1712 oz (340 g) · Milled to order
  • Centennial (60 min)$8.9864 g (2.25 oz)
  • Cascade (15 min)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
  • Cascade (flameout)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
  • Amarillo (whirlpool, 20 min)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
  • Cascade (dry hop, 4 days)$17.96128 g (4.5 oz)
  • American ale yeast$19.473 packs · Dry yeast
  • Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

  • Corn sugar for priming$5.2813.2 oz · Primes to 2.5 volumes of CO₂
  • Crown caps$6144

Guide

  • Printed brew guideIncluded1

The creator

An illustrated portrait for Sunny (an illustration, not a photograph)

Sunny

@sunny

Strips it fast and stays for the grab.

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See everything by @sunny