In the Fermentor: Super-Easy Cream Ale

Sometimes you just want to throw together a quick and easy beer. Malt extracts are a great way to accomplish this. The mess will be minimal compared to all-grain, plus you'll be done in a couple of hours. That's a pretty good deal when you want to brew, but don't have a lot of time to devote.

For this beer, I'm making a nice and easy drinking Cream Ale. According to the BJCP style guideline for Cream Ale, a combination of two-row and six-row malt is common. To get my two-row/six-row malt blend, I'm combining Briess' two-row based Pilsen Light extract with their six-row based Golden Light extract. Together, they should hopefully give me the malt profile I'm looking for. A small dose of Cluster and Willamette hops provides just enough bitterness, while a clean American Ale yeast handles the fermentation. A couple of weeks of cold bottle conditioning will provide a little extra smoothness.

Where I'm veering off script is in the use of sugars and adjuncts. Many of the articles I've read about Cream Ale recommend adding corn sugar or rice syrup solids to extract recipes. I'm not in the mood to use them. Plus, it's my beer and I can brew it how I want to. Perhaps I should really call it a Blonde Ale. But Cream Ale sounds much cooler, so I'm sticking to it.

Here's the five gallon recipe for a quick and easy lawnmower beer:

Fermentables:
3 lbs Briess Pilsen Light LME
3 lbs Briess Golden Light LME

Hops:
0.5 oz Cluster (6.8% a.a.): 45 min
1 oz Willamette (4.7% a.a.): 10 min

Total Boil Time:
45 min

Yeast:
White Labs WLP008 - East Coast Ale Yeast

Original Gravity:
1.045
Estimated Final Gravity:
1.008

IBU: 17
SRM Color: 4

Fermentation Schedule:
1 Weeks Primary
2 Weeks Secondary
2 Weeks Cold Bottle Conditioning

Cost: $16 per case
Commercial Equivalent: Genesee Cream Ale: $26
Savings: $10

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