Homebrew Summer: Paddle Boat

Few, if any, American beers have been as inspirational or played such a significant role in escorting drinkers to the craft-beer subculture as Sierra Nevada Brewing‘s namesake pale ale. Introduced to the market in 1980, it remains a staple nationwide as well as a benchmark for both commercial and recreational brewers. So, it’s no surprise that one of this year’s Homebrew Summer pro-am collaborations is based on that time-honored, hoppy yet highly quaffable offering. Enter Paddle Boat, a recipe from homebrewer and Homebrew Summer vet John Bell (pictured above, at right) that’s been produced on a larger-than-five-gallon scale by Night Parade Brewing. You can get the homebrew-scaled recipe for this poignant pale ale below and also taste it for yourself when it hits the Scripps Ranch brewery’s taps as part of an official release event starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 26.

John Bell
Homebrewer

Like so many others, my gateway into craft beer and homebrewing was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It was also the first beer I tried to clone many years ago. At its core, this recipe is very similar to that beer, but with some updated techniques and hops. I felt this recipe would do well on a commercial level and maybe provide something a little different on Night Parade’s tap list. It is an easy-drinking summer beer and not as heavy as a West Coast IPA; perfect for watching the sun set at the beach. I have been fortunate to brew a few Homebrew Summer beers over the years. It’s exciting with a professional brewery and seeing your beer and name on the menu board. It’s even better when people ask where they can buy your beer, providing an opportunity to tell them about the Homebrew Summer experience and where your beer is on tap.

James McCanna
Cofounder, Night Parade Brewing

We love having homebrewers come by our brewery and talk shop with us. John brought what I believe was the first version of this pale ale to us about two years ago during one of our Mug Club nights, and everyone who was here enjoyed it. It really stood out against similar beers and as a fantastic twist on a classic Sierra Nevada-style hoppy pale ale: very crisp and balanced with an equal blend of citrus, pine and tropical hop flavors. We reached out to John about brewing this beer for Homebrew Summer. He is an absolute pro and brewing him was a fantastic experience. In his words, “It was a very, very smooth day and we hit our numbers perfectly.”

Any tips for homebrewers using this recipe?
The two biggest lessons that I learned when homebrewing were to monitor water quality and that temperature control is king. Invest in a good filter, treat your water to remove bad compounds (especially chlorine) and keep temperatures tight throughout the mash, hop whirlpool and fermentation. If those are all controlled, you’ll have a good product in the end. The rest is personal taste.

New homebrew recipes and pro-am beer release information will be posted to our site throughout the summer, so check back with San Diego Beer News on a regular basis (or subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter and we’ll send all the recipes and release information straight to your inbox). Cheers and happy homebrewing!

Night Parade Brewing is located at 9879 Hibert Street in Scripps Ranch