Legion of Boom (LOB) Pale Ale

This recipe is, sadly, the result of a lost Super Bowl bet.  My friend Joel and I bet a bottled & labeled batch of home brew on the game.  Joel and I have a long history of competitive spirit (sometimes good natured) and the Super Bowl back in February gave us the chance to talk trash for two solid weeks.  I'm still shocked at how badly my Broncos were crushed.  As named by my good friend Joel, I give you Legion of Boom Pale Ale.

This recipe turned out nicely, but if I were to brew it again I would probably up the hop additions at the 10 and 20 minute marks to get some more hop flavor.  Additionally, as a side note, I used gypsum, epsom salt, and table salt to increase the hardness of my water to better match traditional English pales.  I was please with the way it turned out, but you should consult your local water report before modifying your water composition.

BJCP Style Category: 8C Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)

Batch Size: 5 gallons

Grains:
9.50 lbs UK 2-Row 
0.75 lbs Crystal 60
0.75 lbs Crystal 80 

Hops:
1.25 oz Cascade - 60 minutes remaining in the boil
0.88 oz Cascade - 20 minutes remaining in the boil
0.50 oz Cascade - 10 minutes remaining in the boil
0.50 oz Cascade - 2 minutes remaining in the boil

Other Additions:
1 - Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 mins remaining in the boil
20 g Gypsum @ 15 min remaining in the mash
5 g Epsom Salt @ 15 min remaining in the mash
0.13 tsp Salt @ 15 min remaining in the mash

Yeast:
English Ale Yeast - While Labs 002


Mash the grains at 150 deg F (strike temp 170 deg F) for 75 minutes using 2.75 gallons of water.  This is a thicker mash than I usually work with.  I decided to use a thicker mash in for this recipe after reading about brewing pale ales in Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels.  This book recommended using a thicker mash for pale ales, about (0.9 to 1 quart per pound of great).  I typically mash at 1.33 qts per pound of grain.

Sparge at 170 deg F using 4.6 gallons of water.  Boil for 1 hour, cool, and ferment.  I kegged half of this batch and bottled the other half to pay my super bowl debt.