Light Hybrid Beer Presentation • BJCP Light Hybrid Beer Styles • Sample Classic Commercial Examples • Homebrewing Light Hybrids
Feb 24, 2016
Light Hybrid Beer Presentation
• BJCP Light Hybrid Beer Styles
• Sample Classic Commercial Examples
• Homebrewing Light Hybrids
BJCP Light Hybrid Beer Styles
• Cream Ale (6a)• Blonde Ale (6b)• Kölsch (6c)• American Wheat or Rye Beer (6d)
Cream Ale Style• An ale version of the American
Lager Style – clean crisp flavorful light ale with low esters
• American ingredients with up to 20% flaked maize and up to 20% glucose
• OG: 1.042-1.055 FG: 1.006-1.012• ABV: 4.2-5.6% SRM: 2.5-5.0• IBU: 15-20
Pizza Port Carlsbad Cream Ale
• A soft drinking summer beer with a touch of pilsner malt
• Different versions at each brewpub
• 1.042 O.G 1.008 F.G.• 4.4% ABV
Blonde Ale Style• A clean light soft malty beer with
an un-agressive hop balance.• Designed as entry level craft beer.• American malt, hops and yeast
are typical.• OG: 1.038-1.054 FG: 1.008-1.013• ABV: 3.8-5.5% SRM: 3.0-6.0• IBU: 15-28
Hollywood Blonde• Great Beer Company Started by
homebrewers Steve Casselman and Maribeth-Raines-Casselman
• Contract Brewed By Skyscraper Brewing for Great Beer Company
• Uses Cologne Kolsch yeast• ABV: 4.5%
Eel River California Blonde Ale
• Founded 1995 in Fortuna, California
• World’s first certified organic brewery
• OG: 1.050• IBU: 10• ABV: 5.8%
Kölsch Style• A crisp delicately balanced beer
with subtle fruit flavors and aromas
• German pils malt and noble hops with select attenuative ale yeast
• OG: 1.044-1.050 FG: 1.007-1.011
• ABV: 4.4-5.2% SRM: 3.5-5.0• IBU: 20-30
Reissdorf Kölsch• Founded in 1894 in Cologne,
Germany• 90% Destroyed during WWII• Kolsch Convention “Protected
Geographical Indication” for Cologne in 1985
• 3 products: Kölsch, non-alcoholic Kölsch and Beer Shnapps
• ABV: 4.8%
Gaffel Kölsch• Brewery recorded at site in 1302• Gaffel brewery founded in 1903 in
Cologne• Over 70% of Kölsch served in kegs
at local pubs and restaurants• 3 products: Kölsch, Light and Non-
alcoholic• ABV: 4.8%
American Wheat or Rye Beer
• Refreshing wheat or rye beer with less phenolic and ester character than German wheat styles
• American malt with large proportion of wheat malt is typical
• OG: 1.040-1.055 FG: 1.010-1.016
• ABV: 4.0-5.5% SRM: 3-6• IBU: 15-30
• Brewery founded in 1984 in Washington• Hefeweizen created in 1993• 60% Malted Wheat• 39% 2-Row• 1% Caramel• OG: 1.050• ABV: 5.2%• IBU: 18
Pyramid Hefe-Weizen
Widmer Hefeweizen• Founded in 1984 in Oregon• Created first unfiltered American
Hefeweizen• OG: 1.047 FG: 1.010• ABV: 4.9% SRM: 8• IBU: 26• Malts: Pale, Munich, Wheat, Extra
Special• Hops: Alchemy, Willamette, Cascade
Brewing Light Hybrids – Malt
• German Pilsner Malt base for Kölsch• American Malts for other styles• Minimize crystal malts (undesirable
residual sweetness)• Use light mild un-hopped malt extracts
Brewing Light Hybrids – Adjuncts
• Use flaked maize and glucose to lighten body and create dry finish for Cream Ales
• Use American 2-row malt base for Blonde Ales
• Use Pilsner malt for Kölsch• Use a 40-60% malted wheat for American
Wheat Beer• Substitute rye for some or all of the wheat
for American Rye Beer
Brewing Light Hybrids – Hops
• Use low alpha acid noble hops or noble derivatives for Kölsch (Hallertau, Tettnang, Spalt, Hersbrucker, Mt. Hood)
• Any hop variety can be used sparingly for other Light Hybrids
• Finishing hops should be minimal if any
Brewing Light Hybrids– Water
• Soft water preferred for Cream Ales (RO Water + 1.5 tsp/5gal CaSO4)
• Water for other hybrids can vary• San Diego filtered water okay –
could be blended with RO water to soften the water
Brewing Light Hybrids– Yeast
• Use attenuative ale yeast– BJCP guidelines result in 76-84%
attenuation• Create a large yeast starter– Re-pitching from a previous
fermentation is recommended for larger yeast pitch
Brewing Light Hybrids
• Mashing–Mash at low
temperatures (149F) for dryer beer
• Boil–Minimize boil to avoid
carmelization
Fermenting Light Hybrids• Cool wort to fermentation
temperature• Aerate the wort vigorously – 100%
oxygen• Low fermenation temp for Kölsch
(59-65F)