Sierra Trail Pale Ale | All-grain Recipe Kit | 5 Gallons
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The short version before the full profile, ingredients, and process notes below.
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Sierra Trail Pale Ale All-Grain Recipe Kit for a Clean, Citrusy American Pale Ale
Sierra Trail Pale Ale is a 5 gallon all-grain beer recipe kit built for brewers who want the classic American pale ale experience: clean malt, bright Cascade hop character, balanced bitterness, and an easy-drinking finish that lands between a blonde ale and a full IPA.
This is the kind of recipe many homebrewers come back to because it teaches the fundamentals well. The malt bill gives enough color and light caramel support to keep the beer from tasting thin, while Magnum, Perle, and Cascade hops build a clean bitterness and familiar citrus-floral aroma. Fermentis SafAle US-05 keeps fermentation neutral so the hops and malt stay in focus.
This is the all-grain version. If you prefer the other brew-day format, see the Sierra Trail Pale Ale extract recipe kit.
Why Brewers Choose Sierra Trail Pale Ale
Sierra Trail is a strong choice when you want a beer that is flavorful, approachable, and useful for building brewing skill. It is hop-forward enough to satisfy pale ale drinkers, but not as intense or expensive as many IPA recipes. For newer brewers, it is a great step up from beginner blonde ale kits because it introduces a more expressive hop schedule while staying forgiving and drinkable.
Experienced brewers will appreciate it as a dependable house pale ale: balanced, clear in purpose, easy to serve, and flexible enough for draft or bottle conditioning. It is also a practical recipe for learning how small choices in fermentation temperature, hop timing, and packaging affect aroma and final beer quality.
Beer Profile
- Style: American Pale Ale
- Batch Size: 5 gallons
- Original Gravity: 1.052
- Final Gravity: 1.011
- ABV: 5.4%
- IBU: 38
- SRM: 8
Grain Milling
We automatically mill the grains included with SoCal Brewing Supply beer recipe kits so they are ready for brew day. If you want the grains left unmilled, please add that request in the shopping cart notes before checkout. We’ll do our best to support unmilled requests when packing your order.
Fermentation Requirements
Recommended fermentation temperature: 64–70°F. Keep fermentation steady to reduce hot alcohol, solvent-like notes, and overly fruity off-flavors.
Detailed Kit Contents
The kit ships with:
- Briess Pale Ale Malt (2-Row Base Malt): 164 oz
- Briess Caramel 60L Malt (Crystal): 16 oz
- Magnum Hops - German Grown T-90 Pellets: 1 oz
- Perle Hops - German Grown T-90 Pellets: 1 oz
- Cascade Hops - U.S. Grown T-90 Pellets: 4 oz
- Fermentis SafAle US-05 American Ale Dry Yeast – 11.5g Sachet: 1
Flavor and Brewing Character
Expect a gold-to-amber pale ale with a clean malt base, light caramel color and body, moderate bitterness, and Cascade-driven notes of citrus peel, floral hops, and classic American craft pale ale aroma. The finish should be crisp enough to keep the beer refreshing without stripping away malt balance.
What Is Included
- Briess Pale Ale Malt
- Briess Caramel 60L Malt
- Magnum hop pellets
- Perle hop pellets
- Cascade hop pellets
- Fermentis SafAle US-05 dry yeast
Why Brewers Choose the All-Grain Version
The all-grain version is ideal if you want full mash control over body, fermentability, and malt expression while brewing a classic American pale ale from grain.
Default grain handling: All-grain recipe kits are milled by default, and the grains are packed together in a single bag unless a listing or order note says otherwise.
Brewing Notes
- Great next-step recipe: More hop character than a basic blonde ale, but easier to manage than many IPA recipes.
- Keep fermentation clean: US-05 performs best when temperature is controlled and steady.
- Protect hop aroma: Minimize splashing after fermentation to preserve fresh Cascade character.
- Plan carbonation separately if bottling: Priming sugar is sold separately.
If you are bottle conditioning, you will need to purchase Powdered Dextrose Priming Sugar, sold separately. Use our Priming Sugar Calculator to determine the right amount for your finished volume and desired carbonation level.
If you are kegging your beer, use our Keg Carbonation Calculator to dial in serving pressure and carbonation level.
Helpful Bottling & Kegging Add-Ons
- Bottling this batch? Add powdered dextrose priming sugar so you are ready on packaging day.
- Use our Priming Sugar Calculator to dial in the right amount of sugar for your beer volume, temperature, and carbonation target.
- Kegging instead? Use our Beer Carbonation Chart & Keg Serving Pressure Calculator to choose the right CO₂ pressure for your serving temperature and carbonation level.
All-Grain Brew Day Upgrade
If you brew with a kettle-based brew-in-a-bag setup, add our BIAB grain bag for easier mash handling, cleaner lautering, and faster cleanup.
Download the Sierra Trail Pale Ale all-grain brewing instructions PDF.