# 🍺 Top-down Brew: Cream Ale

Original Gravity

Enter the desired original gravity as specific gravity (1.0XX) or degrees plato (°P).

American cream ale specification: 1.042 to 1.055 or 10.5 to 13.6 °P

Target volume

Enter the desired volume at the end of the boil. The volume units can be either liters, gallons, or US barrels.

Measurement Units
Metric US US Barrels

Select the preferred unit of measurement for the inputs and outputs. Metric uses liters, grams, and kilograms. US uses gallons, ounces, and pounds. US Barrels (31 gallons = 1 barrel) is in barrels, pounds, and ounces.

Mash Efficiency

Enter the anticipated mash efficiency percentage. If this is not known, try the following values based on the sparge method: Steeping (50%), No-sparge or brew-in-a-bag (65 to 75%), Batch sparge (80%), or Continuous (fly) sparge (85 to 90%).

Grains

Enter the name, fermentable %, Lovibond, and yield (SG or percent) with comma separations.

The grain bill should be primarily American two-row, six-row, or pilsner base malts. Between 10 to 20% of the grain can be corn or rice. Small amounts of highly kilned malt like Vienna or Munich can be used. Keep the emphasis on base grains.

- Beer-analytics.com cream ale analysis
- Brew United's grain database
- BYO magazine grain and adjunct resource

Sugars

Enter the name, fermentable %, Lovibond, and yield (SG or percent) with comma separations. The grain and sugar percentages must add to 100%.

Sugars are not typical. Malt extract brewers could use a pale malt extract and about 10% corn sugar or cane sugar can help to achieve a lower final gravity.

- Beer-analytics.com cream ale analysis
- BYO magazine sugar resource

Bitterness

Enter the desired bitterness in international bittering units (IBUs).

Style specification: 8 to 20 IBUs. The BU/GU ratio of average values from beer-analytics.com is .44.

Hops

Enter the hop name, IBU %, AA %, and boil minutes with comma separations.

The hops are usually American varieties bred from European hops, such as Mount Hood and Liberty (bred from Hallertau). European continental hops are also appropriate choices. Cluster was used in historical examples.

- Beer-analytics.com cream ale analysis
- Brew United hop database
- BYO magazine's hop resources

Late Boil Additions

Enter late boil additions like spices with the name and dosage (grams/liter), with a comma separation.

Spices are not typical for this style.

Dry Hops

Enter dry hops with name and dosage (grams/liter), with a comma separation.

Dry hopping is not commonly done for this style.

Yeast
Ale Lager

Select the yeast type, ale or lager.

Yeast possibilities include American ale, Koelsch, and California lager. Historical examples sometimes used lager yeasts or even mixtures of ale and lager yeasts.

← Click here when the data entry is done.

## Results

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## Notes

2021 BJCP 1C - Cream Ale style characteristic ingredients: "American six-row malt, or a combination of six-row and North American two-row. Up to 20% maize in the mash, and up to 20% sugar in the boil. Any variety of hops, often rustic American or Continental. Clean ale yeast, or a mix of ale and lager beer."

Vital statistics: IBU: 8 to 20; SRM: 2 to 5; OG: 1.042 to 1.055

Historical examples of this style used six-row malt, corn, and Cluster hops. Using unprocessed corn or rice might require a cereal mash.

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