This beer was to celebrate my daughter Gwen's birth.

My first new brew since before the summer - when my Insane Pale Ale was a huge success - I wanted to do something similar but not go so mad this time.   After the homebrew shop in Fareham told me I'd never get Cascadeⁱ or Amarillo hops until next year & that a 25Kg sack of malt would be £45, I went onto the internet & got my ingredients elsewhere.   The hops came direct from the States & a sack of malt for £35 from the Stockport homebrew shop set me up for several brew days.

Mash - 55°C strike temperature, then upto 67°C over 15mins & held there for 1 hour.   23 litres.

4.2 Kg pale malt

200g crystal malt

Boil 1 hour 10mins

Cascade hops (7.6% alpha acid): 50g at start of boil, 30g after 30mins & 17g after 50mins.

Liberty hops (4.3% alpha acid): 50g at start of boil, 30g after 30mins & 17g after 50mins.

Hallertau hops (3.3% alpha acid): 10g at 55mins.

Fermented using Muntons Gold dried yeast.   Using the very handy recipe formulator, the alcohol level should be around 4.3% & bitterness at 110 IBUⁱⁱ.

Verdict on bottling: Very hoppy with the citrus-grapefruit taste I was looking for.

Verdict after 3 weeks: A very citrus-grapefruit refreshing clean hoppy flavour.   Just a shade more copper coloured than a blonde ale.   Dryish.

Verdict after 6 weeks: A clean-tasting, dry beer with lots of fresh citrus hoppiness.   A great drinking beer.