December Brew of the Month: Mark's Ginger Cream Ale

By Mark Iacopelli

The holidays can be a very expensive time of year, but for a homebrewer the beer must flow on. My goal with this recipe was to create something that had a subtle twist on a crowd pleaser style. So I felt like an American Cream Ale would be a simple clean beer for your family members that are not yet initiated to craft beer. I then add a little bit of ginger root to add a zesty and savory element that would pair with most any holiday dish. This is also a budget friendly brew.

The resulting beer is straw in color with almost perfect clarity. The head is snow white with medium retention. On the nose the ginger shines through initially with an almost citrus quality. The corn balances the citrus aroma to round things out. Up front the flavor is bright and savory with a touch of spice both derived from the ginger and from target hops. In the finish it is predominantly a sweet earthiness from maize, however, it still manages to finish dry. The dry finish is a key part to making this beer crisp and sessionable despite being at the peak ABV for the style.

Overall, I am very pleased with this beer, and it is likely going to be a recipe that will stay on rotation in my brewhouse. The base beer recipe will work well with whatever extra flavoring you wish or on its own if ginger is not your thing. Ginger is found so frequently in preparing a huge range of dishes and it is because of that and this beer's crispness that I think it would pair well with almost any food dish.

Vital Statistics

• OG: 1.048
• FG: 1.005
• IBUs: 20.1
• ABV: 5.6%
• SRM: 2.8
• Efficiency: 72% (all grain only)

All Grain ($12.35/5-Gallon)

• 5 lbs Avangard Pils
• 1 lb Corn Sugar
• 1.25 lbs Flaked Maize
• 1 lb Pilot 6 Row
• .5 lbs Rice Hulls
• .25 oz Nugget (60 mins)
• 1 oz Ginger Root (12 mins)
• .5 oz UK Target (10 mins)
• .5 oz UK Target (4 day dry hop)
• 1 pkg Safale American US-05

Extract w/ Steeping Grains ($22.80/5-Gallon)

• 6 lbs Light Liquid Extract
• 1 lb Corn Sugar
• 1 lb Flaked Maize
• .25 oz Nugget (60 mins)
• 1 oz Ginger Root (12 mins)
• .5 oz UK Target (10 mins)
• .5 oz UK Target (4 day dry hop)
• 1 pkg Safale American US-05

Water additions base on Grand Rapids city water (optional): 4 ml 88% lactic acid (mash pH),15 g gypsum (mash pH, hop flavor)