“Our approach to a modern amber ale brings in elements that are found in modern IPAs,” says Thor Stoddard, innovation manager at Reuben’s Brews in Seattle.
“All of our IBU pickup is from a large whirlpool to maximize flavor and aroma but [keep] the IBUs in check. Our dry-hop focus is on citrus and pine, using newer hops like Citra and classic hops like Cascade. We also keep the caramel malt in check by using a dehusked roasted malt—Weyermann Chocolate Rye—to get the color we’re looking for without all the cloying caramel malt. Lastly, we ferment our amber with a lager strain at a warmer temp, to keep it tasting crisp.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.054
FG: 1.010
IBUs: 35
ABV: 6.5%
