Amber malt in a Pale Ale?

[seymour]

Your beer might look darker than it is because it isnt backlit but take a look at Wadworth 6X
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=image ... B252%3B400
I have no idea how to upload photographs - but thats a link to 6x, once a classic pint that got me through my university years now just a soupy brown beer, but certainly best bitter. Chestnut brown, reddy brown is certainly a colour for bitters -

Thanks for the reply. Yes, that's exactly the same hue as mine, so I guess it's within the true English style guidelines, no matter what BJCP says...

[Dave S]

I reckon there a a number of bitters here that fall within that kind of hue. Probably mostly stronger ones.

[borischarlton]

Hi,

It may be that we are talking about different malts. What we in the UK would call Aromatic Malt is marketed as amber in the States. This is obviously a totally different product to what most of us know, particularly that from Thomas Fawcetts which is a beautifully rich, roasty malt. I did try an amber malt from Crisp, this again was different, more along the lines of Belgian Aromatic but somehow missing the point by some margin.

Rob

[gyleable]

A deep red brown bitter of which I'm particularly fond, Jennings Bitter:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/topdog ... 636580913/

I would love to brew a clone of this but can't find a recipe. See my other thread if you can help:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=61237

[6470zzy]

Sounds like a good plan to me - I've got a mild fermenting as I type with 10% amber in the grist by way of an experiment along the same lines.

I agree. Countless Pale Ale recipes call for a sizeable quantity of Munich Malt, why not follow a familiar one except substituting Amber for Munich?

Agreed, Amber and Munich both help to balance out the hops in an APA or American IPA, the addition makes for a much more rounded beer if you want to be heavy handed with the hops.

Cheers

[darkonnis]

Seymour, that doesn't look too far off a Black Sheep Best Bitter, which is pretty much the standard for best bitters.

Realistically, Amber I think has a place in a porter (I've tried it in the one I made) and I think it can add a little much in the roast department, so using it sparingly is a good idea.
In practice though, a pale ale should be pale. So longs its pale, the rest of the guidelines mean nothing as most brewers stray outside them anyway, especially the better beers.
And on top of all of that, its your beer

[Brotherton Lad]

I stand corrected. Sounds like a good experiment though, we'd just have to call it an Amber Ale as opposed to a Pale Ale, eh?

Coming from the land that gave us Black Pale Ale, I weould've thought you'd embrace its latest variant, Amber Pale Ale!

You're probably right, my perception is skewed. Over here, Blah-blah-blah Pale Ale is just a meaningless naming structure. I've drunk many breweries' "Pale Ales" lately which were deep reddish amber or copper coloured, for instance. They're hoppier than classic English IPAs too. My theory is that Bitter, Best Bitter, or ESB would be a better titles, but in the US, those historical meanings are lost too, and casual drinkers pass them over because the word "bitter" has harsh, unpleasant connotations.

While we're on this topic, here's a question I asked on another thread, but haven't received an answer:



Here's a photo of my recent Flyer Best. It's an attractive clear reddish copper. Is it too dark for a true-to-style English Best Bitter, though, or is that category more flexible? Would you call it something else?

I'd call that a pint of bitter without even knowing the ingredients. Possibly a trans-Atlantic language problem.

[DeGarre]

Historically, pale ale = bitter and only meant it wasn't porter/stout. This gives us the upper hand over the bjcp style nazis.