Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone (23 L / 6.1 gal)

Few beers define craft brewing like Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. Crisp, aromatic, and perfectly balanced, it’s the beer that inspired a generation of brewers! This clone nails that signature citrus-pine hop punch over a clean, and chewy caramel malt base. If you’re looking for a classic American Pale Ale to brew at home, this is the one that started it all!

Stats

• Style: American Pale Ale
• ABV: 5.6 %
• OG: 1.053
• FG: 1.010
• IBU: 37 (Tinseth)
• Colour: 24 EBC (SRM ~12)
• Carbonation: 2.4 vols CO₂
• Batch Size: 23 L (6.1 gal)
• Boil Time: 60 min
• Efficiency: 78.5 % brewhouse, 81.9 % mash
• System: BrewZilla / RoboBrew 35 L
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Brewfather Link

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Ingredients

Malt Bill (4.94 kg / 10.9 lb total)

• 4.594 kg (10.13 lb) Pale Ale Malt (5.9 EBC) — 93 %
• 346 g (0.76 lb) Medium Crystal 240 (265 EBC) — 7 %
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Hops (Cascade + Simcoe = 302 g / 10.6 oz total)

• 60 min: 14 g (0.5 oz) Cascade (7.2 %) – 11 IBU
• 10 min: 28 g (1 oz) Cascade – 9 IBU
• 0 min (Flameout): 28 g (1 oz) Simcoe (14.7 %) – 4 IBU
• Hopstand (76 °C / 169 °F, 20 min):
  • 58 g (2 oz) Cascade – 4 IBU
  • 58 g (2 oz) Simcoe – 9 IBU
• Dry Hop (Day 7, 2 days):
  • 102 g (3.6 oz) Cascade
  • 14 g (0.5 oz) Simcoe
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• Whirlfloc 0.8g (0.03 oz) a 15m left in boil

Yeast

• 23 g (0.8 oz) Fermentis AUS-05 / US-05
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Water Profile (Adjusted)

• Base: Sweet Pale Ale
• Ca 51 ppm • Mg 5 ppm • Na 15 ppm • Cl 50 ppm • SO₄ 75 ppm • HCO₃ 57 ppm
• SO₄/Cl ratio: 1.5 • Mash pH: 5.41 • Sparge pH: 5.5

Mash Schedule

• Mash in 17L (4.5 Gal) at 65 °C (149 °F) for 60 min – we did 15L on the brewday but added water to dilute later, so just adding extra water the recipe in mash and sparge
• Mash out: 77 °C (171 °F) for 10 min
• Sparge: 17 L (4.5 gal) @ 77 °C (171 °F)
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Fermentation Schedule

• Primary: 20 °C (68 °F) × 14 days
• Dry Hop: Day 7 for 48 hours
• Cold Crash (optional): 2–4 °C (36–39 °F) × 2 days
• Carbonation: 2.4 vols CO₂
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Step-by-Step Method

1. Mash In
Add 4.94 kg (10.9 lb) of grain to 17 L (4.5 gal) of water at 65 °C (149 °F). Hold for 60 minutes for a crisp, dry finish.

2. Mash Out & Sparge
Raise mash to 77 °C (171 °F) for 10 min, then sparge with 17 L (4.5 gal) water at the same temp. Collect about 28 L (7.4 gal) pre-boil wort.

3. Boil – 60 Minutes
Add hops as follows:

• 14 g Cascade @ 60 min
• 28 g Cascade @ 10 min
• 0.8 g Whirlfloc @ 15 min remaining

4. Flameout & Hopstand
At flameout, add 28 g Simcoe, then hopstand at 76 °C (169 °F) for 20 minutes with 58 g Cascade + 58 g Simcoe.

5. Chill & Transfer
Chill wort to 20 °C (68 °F), transfer to fermenter, and pitch 23 g AUS-05 yeast.

6. Fermentation
Ferment 14 days at 20 °C (68 °F). Add dry hops (102 g Cascade, 14 g Simcoe) on day 7 for 48 hours, then remove.

7. Packaging
Cold crash if desired. Carbonate to 2.4 vols CO₂. Enjoy fresh for maximum hop brightness.

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