Kópavogur Session Pale
A juicy, low-bitterness pale at 3.5%. A high mash, oats and carapils give it body; big whirlpool and dry-hop additions of Citra and Mosaic give it the aroma.
Ingredients Batch
Grain
- 2.7 kgPale ale malt Maris Otter or similar
- 400 gFlaked oats
- 300 gCarapils / dextrin malt
- 150 gLight crystal malt ~20 EBC
Hops
- 10 gMagnum ~12% AA · 60 min
- 60 gCitra whirlpool
- 40 gMosaic whirlpool
- 50 gCitra dry hop
- 50 gMosaic dry hop
Yeast & extras
- 1 packetLalBrew Verdant IPA or London Ale III / WLP066
- 1 tabletWhirlfloc
- 100 gRice hulls optional, keeps recirculation flowing
Order from brew.is9 items · 20 L
- 2.7Dingemans Pale Alecheck
- 0.4Haframjöl - Flaked Oats 1kg
- 0.3Dingemans Dextrin (CaraPils)check
- 0.15CaraRedcheck
- 1Magnum 50gr
- 3Citra 50gr
- 2Mosaic 50gr
- 1Lallemand Verdant IPA 11grcheck
- 0.1Hrísgrjónahýði 1kg
Not in the list: Whirlfloc. Add them on brew.is if you need them.
Water
- 18 LMash water + 4.5 g gypsum, 3.5 g calcium chloride
- 11.5 LSparge water at 76°C + 3 g gypsum, 2 g calcium chloride
Pre-boil volume 26 L · Into the fermenter 20.5 L
| Ion, mg/L | Kópavogur tap | After salts | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 4.5 | 115 | 115 |
| Sulfate | ~4* | 146 | 150 |
| Chloride | ~10* | 100 | 100 |
| Magnesium | 1.7 | 1.7 | — |
| Sodium | 10 | 10 | — |
Predicted mash pH 5.56 at room temperature · see the calculation
Kópavogur water is close to distilled, so the salts do most of the work. Calcium chloride amounts are for dihydrate flakes; use about 25% less if yours is anhydrous.
The BrewZilla mash is fairly thin, so pH may sit around 5.4–5.5. Aim for 5.2–5.4 and add lactic acid 1 ml at a time if needed. Capital-area water generally isn't chlorinated, so Campden tablets shouldn't be needed.
Volumes assume about 70% brewhouse efficiency, 1 L/kg grain absorption, roughly 3 L/h boil-off on the 1900 W element and 2–3 L left in the kettle with the hops and trub. After the first brew, put your real numbers into Brewfather's BrewZilla 35L profile.
Method
- Heat the mash water
Fill the BrewZilla with (18 L), stir in the gypsum (4.5 g) and calcium chloride (3.5 g), and heat on both elements to 70–71°C, 2–3°C above mash temperature. Heat the sparge water (11.5 L) to 76°C in a separate pot with its gypsum (3 g) and calcium chloride (2 g).
- Mash in
Fit the grain basket with its bottom screen and overflow pipe. Stir in the pale malt (2.7 kg), oats (400 g), carapils (300 g), crystal (150 g) and rice hulls (100 g) slowly to avoid dough balls, then fit the top screen.
- Mash high, recirculating
Rest 10 minutes, then open the pump to a slow, steady trickle that keeps wort 1–2 cm above the top screen. Hold 68°C for 60 minutes on the 1900 W element and check the grain bed with a thermometer, since the controller reads near the elements. Check pH at 10 minutes if you can.
- Mash out
Optional: raise to 76°C for 10 minutes using the step-mash program. It loosens the bed and makes the sparge run easier.
- Lift and sparge
Lift the grain basket, twist it onto its resting lugs and sparge slowly with the 76°C water, keeping water above the top screen. Collect the pre-boil volume (26 L), and don't press the grain.
- Boil
Bring to the boil on both elements, then drop to 1900 W only. Boil 60 minutes. Add the Magnum (10 g) at the start, then the Whirlfloc (1 tablet) and the immersion chiller with 10 minutes left. In the last 5 minutes, run boiling wort through the pump and recirculation arm to sanitise them.
- Whirlpool
Switch off the heat and run the chiller until the wort reaches 75–80°C. Add the Citra (60 g) and Mosaic (40 g) in a hop spider or large mesh bag so they can't clog the pump, then recirculate gently through the arm and let it stand 20 minutes. Cooler whirlpool means more aroma and less bitterness.
- Chill, settle and transfer
Chill to 18°C; Icelandic cold water makes this quick. Let the kettle settle for 10–15 minutes so the trub drops, then run (20.5 L) from the tap into the fermenter, leaving the sludge behind. Aerate well and pitch the yeast (1 packet).
- Ferment
Hold at 18–19°C, letting it rise to 20°C near the end. Primary usually takes 5–7 days.
- Dry hop
When gravity is within a couple of points of 1.010, add the Citra (50 g) and Mosaic (50 g) for about 3 days.
- Cold crash and package
Crash to 2–4°C for a day or two, then keg or bottle with as little oxygen pickup as possible. Carbonate to about 2.4 volumes.
Notes
Drink it young: hop aroma fades fast, so finish it within 3–5 weeks of packaging and keep it cold. If FG lands below 1.010, mash at 69°C next time or add 0.1 kg more oats.
* Typical Icelandic values; the 2023 analysis didn't list sulfate or chloride.
Sources: ÍSOR 2023, Háskóli Íslands
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