American Pale

Introducing the Brewery’s new seasonal cask

It’s coming to the end of the month which can only mean one thing...a brand new beer is on it’s way from Leeds Brewery. At the beginning of each month we introduce a speciality seasonal ale, uniquely crafted by our team of brewers that is served on the bar for the next 4 weeks. This March we will be introducing an American Pale.

The history of American Pale dates back to the 1980s when it was first developed in the United States. Fritz Maytag, the owner of American brewing company Anchor, visited breweries in Britain in London and Yorkshire, also in Burton upon Trent as ales produced in this region were considered to be of a higher quality at the time. On his travels he learnt about robust pale ales and used this information to produce his American version where he used just malt on its own, rather than both malt and sugar which was a common combination at the time. He made great use of the American hop known as Cascade and the beer became popular and a regular choice in 1983.

The ales are brewed using American hops to produce a floral, fruity flavour with a medium to medium high hop bitterness aroma. They are typically light in colour, medium bodied, generally around 5% ABV and you can expect a good balance of both malt and hops. The malt emits flavours of biscuit, bread and caramel combined with the citrus-like American-variety hop aroma.

Our Leeds Brewery American Pale is no exception to these rules and is an American hop bomb. At 4.8% and produced using a blend of 100% American hops it delivers a crisp, clean and hugely refreshing citrus flavour.

The recommended food pairings for our American Pale are sharp cheeses like cheddar or speciality cheese, as the fruity esters of an APA can compliment and draw out the fruity flavours found in these types of cheeses. The American Pale also pairs well with fish dishes so we recommend our Leeds Best battered haddock with pea purée and Leeds Brewery chips, also both pork and some Indian dishes compliment the flavours in the ale.

Our head brewer Venkatesh says deciding on their seasonal ales is heavily influenced by the time of year. Winter brings much darker ales that are red and brown in colour such as a stout ale or a Black IPA to reflect the colder winter weather.

"In the run up to the summer months our ales are often lighter in colour such as pale and blonde ales with light and refreshing qualities"

Venkatesh

When our Brewers are in agreement on the next seasonal ale, we rely on their expert knowledge and instinct to combine the right amount of malt and hops to produce the perfect brew. With the new brewery opening this year it brings more opportunity, brand new equipment for brewing and allows more of your favourite beers and ales to be produced.

American Pale will be in all of our Leeds Brewery pubs throughout March so keep your eyes peeled. We hope you like it as much as we do. LB

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