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“We played with how cold we could ferment that beer, to get the cleanest, crispest version of an ale, but with a German-ish pilsner hop profile and a prominent malt character that finished dry and refreshing.“ That's how cofounder and head brewer Mike Morrison describes the process of developing this award-winning, easygoing blonde ale.
Here is a homebrew-scale recipe for MadeWest Standard. For more perspective from Morrison on brewing a great light golden ale, see Excellence in the Sublime: Brewing Blonde Ale with MadeWest.
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ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.049
FG: 1.006
IBUs: 16
ABV: 5.6%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
5.8 lb (2.6 kg) Rahr Two-Row
2.9 lb (1.3 kg) Rahr Premium Pilsner
4.7 oz (133 g) Weyermann Carafoam
4.7 oz (133 g) Weyermann Acidulated
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
0.22 oz (6 g) Magnum at 60 minutes [11 IBUs]
1 Whirlfloc tablet at 15 minutes
1 tsp Yeastex 61 at 15 minutes
0.6 oz (17 g) Saaz at whirlpool [2 IBUs]
0.3 oz (9 g) Hersbrucker at whirlpool [1 IBU]
0.2 oz (6 g) Mandarina Bavaria at whirlpool [2 IBUs]
0.6 oz (17 g) Saaz at dry hop
0.7 oz (20 g) Mandarina Bavaria at dry hop
YEAST
Chico strain
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 149°F (65°C) for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until the runnings are clear, then sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6.5 gallons (25 liters) of wort—or more, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops, Whirlfloc, and yeast nutrient according to the schedule. At flameout, stir for 5 minutes to conduct a whirlpool, add the whirlpool hops, and allow 20 minutes for it to settle. Chill to 61°F (16°C), aerate well, and pitch plenty of healthy yeast. Ferment at 63°F (17°C) for 2 days, then allow the temperature to free rise to 72°F (22°C) and ferment until terminal gravity is reached. Chill to 65°F (18°C) to allow yeast and trub to settle, then dry hop at 66°F (19°C) for 4 days. Crash to 32°F (0°C), package, and carbonate.
BREWER’S NOTES
We add small amounts of gypsum and calcium chloride to reverse-osmosis (RO) water, plus the acidulated malt in the grist, targeting a mash pH of 5.4.