Pale Ales - U.S. Open Beer Championship Categories

Pale Ales – U.S. Open Beer Championship Categories

Category 1: English Pale Ale*
Color: Gold to copper
Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low to medium malt aroma and ﬂavor is present. Low caramel character is allowable.
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Medium-low to medium-high, expressed as floral, herbal, earthy, stone fruit or other attributes.
Perceived Bitterness: Medium-low to medium-high
Fermentation Characteristics: Fruity esters are medium to medium-high. Diacetyl is usually absent in these beers but may be present at very low levels
Body: Medium
Alcohol by Volume: 4.40% – 5.30%
IBU: 20-40
Color SRM: 5-12

Category 2: American Pale Ale *
Color: Straw to light amber
Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures. Hop haze is allowable at any temperature.
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low caramel malt aroma is allowable. Low to medium maltiness may include low caramel malt character.
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: High, exhibiting a wide range of attributes including floral, citrus, fruity (berry, tropical, stone fruit and other), sulfur, diesel-like, onion-garlic, catty, piney, resinous, and many others.
Perceived Bitterness: Medium to medium-high
Fermentation Characteristics: Fruity esters may be low to high. Diacetyl should not be perceived.
Body: Medium
Alcohol by Volume: 4.40% – 5.40%
IBU: 30-50
Color SRM: 4-7

Category 3: American Strong Pale Ale*
Color: Pale to copper
Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures. Hop haze is allowable at any temperature.
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low caramel malt aroma is allowable. Low level maltiness may include low caramel malt character.
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: High to very high, exhibiting ﬂoral, fruity (berry, tropical, stone fruit and other), sulfur/diesel-like, onion-garlic-catty, citrusy, piney or resinous.
Perceived Bitterness: High
Fermentation Characteristics: Fruity esters may be low to high. Diacetyl should not be perceived.
Body: Medium
Alcohol by Volume: 5.60% – 6.40%
IBU: 40 – 50
Color SRM: 3 – 8

Category 4: International Style Pale Ale*
Color: Gold to copper
Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Very low to medium malt flavor and aroma should be present. Low caramel malt aroma and flavor may be present.
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Hop aroma is low to high. Hop ﬂavor is very low to high. Hop character can vary widely, exhibiting diverse hop aroma and flavor attributes.
Perceived Bitterness: Medium to high
Fermentation Characteristics: Fruit esters are low to high. Diacetyl should be absent or present at very low levels. DMS should not be present.
Body: Low to medium

Additional Notes: Pale Ales from around the world may vary considerably from the other pale ale styles defined elsewhere within this document. Overall impression is a well-integrated, easy drinking, refreshing ale with distinctive hop aroma and flavor attributes including any of floral, herbal, fruity, tropical, pine, or many others. Diacetyl is usually absent in these beers but may be present at very low levels. DMS should not be present
ABV: 4.40% – 6.60%
IBU: 20 – 42
Color SRM: 5 – 12

Category 5: Australian-Style Pale Ale*
Color: Straw to copper
Clarity: Chill or yeast haze is acceptable at low levels
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low malt sweetness and other malt attributes are present
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Low to medium
Perceived Bitterness: Low to medium
Fermentation Characteristics: Perceivable fruity esters should be present, and are a defining character of this beer style, balanced by low to medium hop aroma. Overall flavor impression is mild. Clean yeasty, bready character may be present. Yeast in suspension if present may impact overall perception of bitterness. Diacetyl is usually absent in these beers ut may be present at very low levels. DMS should not be present.
Body: Low to medium with a dry finish
Alcohol by Volume: 4.00%-6.00%
IBU: 15-35
Color SRM: 3-10

Category 6: Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale*
Color: Straw to light amber
Clarity: Can vary widely from very low haze to very high degree of cloudiness. Starch, yeast, hop, protein or other compounds contribute to a wide range of hazy appearance within this category.
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low to low-medium malt aroma and flavor may be present
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Medium-high to very high hop aroma and flavor are present, with a wide range of attributes, especially fruity, tropical, juicy, and others.
Perceived Bitterness: Low to medium. Perceived impression of bitterness is soft and well-integrated into overall balance and may differ significantly from measured or calculated IBU levels.
Fermentation Characteristics: Medium-low to medium-high fruity esters are present and can contribute to the perception of sweetness and be complimentary to the hop profile. Diacetyl should not be present.
Body: Medium-low to medium-high. Perceived silky or full mouthfeel may contribute to overall flavor profile.
Additional notes: Grist may include a small amount of oat, wheat or other adjuncts to promote haziness. The term ‘juicy’ is frequently used to describe taste and aroma attributes often present in these beers which result from late, often very large, additions of hops. A juicy character is not required, however. Other hop-derived attributes such as citrus, pine, spice, floral or others may be present with or without the presence of juicy attributes. Likewise the term ‘hazy’ is frequently used to describe the appearance of many examples of these beers. However, some versions may exhibit very low cloudiness.
Alcohol by Volume: 4.40%-5.40%
IBU: 5-30
Color SRM: 3-7

Category 7: Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale*
Color: Straw to light amber
Clarity: Very low haze to very high degree of cloudiness. Starch, yeast, hop, protein, and/or other compounds contribute to a wide range of hazy appearances within this category.
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low to medium-low malt aroma and flavor may be present
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Medium-high to very high hop aroma and flavor are present, with a wide range of attributes, especially fruity, tropical, juicy, and others.
Perceived Bitterness: Low to medium. The impression of bitterness is soft and well-integrated into overall balance and may differ significantly from measured or calculated IBU levels.
Fermentation Characteristics: Medium-low to medium-high fruity esters may be present and can contribute to the perception of sweetness and be complementary to the hop profile. Diacetyl should not be present.
Body: Medium-low to medium-high. A silky or full mouthfeel may contribute to the overall flavor profile.
Additional notes: : Grist may include oats, wheat, or other adjuncts to promote haziness. Lactose may be used to enhance body and balance. Lactose should not lend to, or overwhelm, the flavor character of these beers. The term ‘juicy’ is frequently used to describe taste and aroma attributes often present in these beers which result from late, often very large, additions of hops. A juicy character is not required, however. Other hop-derived attributes such as citrus, pine, spice, floral or others may be present with or without the presence of juicy attributes. Likewise, the term ‘hazy’ is frequently used to describe the appearance of many examples of these beers. However, some versions may exhibit very low cloudiness. These beers can exhibit astringency and heat (sometimes referred to as ‘hop burn’) as a result 48 | Page of very high hop usage rates and excessive contact time in beer, which can detract from balance and drinkability when present above low levels.
Alcohol by Volume: 5.60%-6.40%
IBU: 15-40
Color SRM: 3-8

Category 8: Specialty Pale Ale
So many brewers like to put their own touches on traditional pale ales. Thus, these ales do not fit into the traditional pale ale style according to the definition from the Association of Brewers. The “Out of Bounds Pale Ale” category will let the judges use just their taste buds to determine which ale gets the gold.

Color: N/A
Clarity: N/A
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: N/A
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: N/A
Perceived Bitterness: N/A
Fermentation Characteristics: N/A
Body: N/A
Alcohol by Volume: 4.4% – 6.4%
IBU: 5 – 50
Color SRM: 3 – 12

Category 9: Single Hop Pale Ale
This can be any style of Pale Ale but you can only use one type of hop. The type of hop needs to be identified in the comment sections

Subcategory a ) American Single Hop Pale Ale
Hops are grown in the United States

Color: Straw to light amber
Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures. Hop haze is allowable at any temperature.
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low caramel malt aroma is allowable. Low to medium maltiness may include low caramel malt character.
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Should reflect the hop characteristics of the single hop used
Perceived Bitterness: Medium to medium-high
Fermentation Characteristics: Fruity esters may be low to high. Diacetyl should not be perceived.
Body: Medium
Alcohol by Volume: 4.40% – 5.40%
IBU: 30-50
Color SRM: 4-7

Subcategory b ) International Single Hop Pale Ale
Hops are grown outside the United States

Color: Gold to copper
Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Very low to medium malt flavor and aroma should be present. Low caramel malt aroma and flavor may be present.
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Should reflect the hop characteristics of the single hop used.
Perceived Bitterness: Medium to high
Fermentation Characteristics: Fruit esters are low to high. Diacetyl should be absent or present at very low levels. DMS should not be present.
Body: Low to medium

* Brewers Association 2023 Beer Style Guidelines (https://www.brewersassociation.org/edu/brewers-association-beer-style-guidelines/) published by the Brewers Association.