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Hazy Pale Ale: Juicy, Soft and Hop-Forward Homebrew Recipe

A soft, juicy hazy pale ale packed with citrus and stone-fruit hop aroma. Oats and wheat give a pillowy body, while whirlpool and double dry hopping deliver big flavour at a modest 5.4% ABV and 28 IBU.

Hazy Pale Ale · 5.4% ABV · 28 IBU · 20 Litres · 10-12 days including dry hopping, then 1-2 weeks to carbonate · intermediate

Hazy Pale Ale: Juicy, Soft and Hop-Forward Homebrew Recipe
Giorgio Trovato

Brewing figures

Original gravity
1.054
Final gravity
1.013

Hazy pale ale is the soft, juicy cousin of the classic pale ale: low in bitterness, high in hop aroma, and with a pillowy, almost creamy body from a generous helping of oats and wheat. Brewing one well is all about late hops, a chloride-rich water profile and keeping oxygen away from the finished beer. This 20-litre recipe lands at 5.4% ABV with bright citrus, peach and pine notes.

Recipe at a Glance

  • Batch size: 20 litres into the fermenter (about 19 litres packaged after dry hopping)

  • Original gravity (OG): 1.054

  • Final gravity (FG): 1.013

  • ABV: approx. 5.4%

  • Bitterness: approx. 28 IBU (Tinseth, including whirlpool)

  • Colour: pale straw, opaque

  • Brewhouse efficiency assumed: 70%

Equipment Needed

  • Brew kettle of at least 30 litres (or an all-in-one electric brewing system)

  • Mash tun, or a large grain bag for BIAB

  • Fermenting vessel of 25 litres or more, ideally one you can dry hop into without opening fully

  • Hydrometer, trial jar and digital thermometer

  • Wort chiller

  • Mesh hop bags (optional, but they make dry hopping tidier)

  • No-rinse sanitiser

  • A keg with CO2 is ideal; bottles work if you drink them fresh

Ingredients (20 Litres)

Grains

  • 4.0 kg pale ale malt

  • 600 g flaked oats

  • 500 g wheat malt

Hops

  • 10 g Centennial (about 10% alpha acid) – 60 minute boil

  • 50 g Cascade (about 6.5% alpha acid) – whirlpool, 20 minutes at 80°C

  • 50 g Centennial – whirlpool, 20 minutes at 80°C

  • 60 g Cascade/Centennial blend – first dry hop, day 2 of fermentation

  • 60 g Cascade/Centennial blend – second dry hop, day 6–7

Yeast, Water and Extras

  • 1–2 sachets of a low-flocculating ale yeast suited to hazy beers (an English or London-style strain works well)

  • Calcium chloride and a little calcium sulphate, to aim for roughly twice as much chloride as sulphate

  • About 110 g dextrose for priming, if bottling

Want a different fruit profile? Swap the whirlpool and dry hops for any aromatic, tropical-leaning variety you like, keeping the weights the same.

Mashing

  1. Strike water: Heat about 14 litres of water to roughly 74°C.

  2. Mash in: Stir in the crushed malt and the flaked oats, breaking up any lumps.

  3. Rest: Hold at 67°C for 60 minutes for a fuller, softer body.

  4. Sparge: Rinse with about 16 litres of water at 76–77°C to collect roughly 25 litres of wort. Oats can make the run-off slow, so take your time (a handful of rice hulls helps).

Boil and Whirlpool

  1. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the 10 g of Centennial at the start.

  2. At the end of the boil, cool the wort to about 80°C, then add the 100 g of whirlpool hops. Stir gently and let them steep for 20 minutes. Keeping the temperature below boiling preserves aroma without adding much bitterness.

  3. Chill to 19°C and transfer to the fermenter. Hops soak up wort, so expect to lose a litre or two in the kettle.

Fermentation and Dry Hopping

  1. Aerate the wort and pitch the yeast at 19°C. Hold at 19–20°C.

  2. Day 2: While fermentation is vigorous, add the first 60 g of dry hops. Active yeast interacts with the hop compounds and scavenges any oxygen introduced.

  3. Day 6–7: When the gravity is close to 1.014, add the second 60 g of dry hops.

  4. Leave the hops in contact for 3 days, then cold crash to 2–4°C for a day or two if you can. Do not leave the hops in for much longer than 4 days, as grassy flavours can creep in.

Packaging

  1. Kegging (best): Transfer into a keg purged with CO2 and carbonate to about 2.4 volumes.

  2. Bottling: Prime with about 110 g of dextrose for roughly 19 litres, transfer gently with minimal splashing, and leave only a small headspace in each bottle.

  3. Oxygen is the enemy of hazy beers: it turns them dull, brownish and cardboard-like. Avoid splashing at every stage.

Serving

Serve cold, at 6–8°C, in a tulip or tumbler glass. Expect a soft mouthfeel, a gentle bitterness and big aromas of orange, grapefruit, stone fruit and a touch of pine. Drink it fresh: hazy pale ales are at their peak within four to six weeks of packaging.

Tips for Success

  • Store it cold once it is carbonated, and keep the hop aroma bright.

  • Don't chase clarity. The haze comes from proteins, oats and hop compounds and is part of the style, so skip the finings.

  • Use fresh hops. Vacuum-packed hops stored in the freezer give the best aroma.

  • Keep notes of gravities and hop timings so you can tweak the next batch.

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