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Single-hop Amarillo brewing produces one of the most crowd-pleasing results in the single-hop series, Amarillo’s intensely orange-citrus-tangerine character is immediately likable in a way that Simcoe’s piney resin or Mosaic’s earthy complexity isn’t always. I’ve served Amarillo single-hop pale ales to groups of non-craft-beer drinkers and it converts more of them than any other single-hop variety, which tells you something about where Amarillo sits on the approachability spectrum.
Single-hop Amarillo pale ale recipe (5 gallon / 19L batch)
Target stats: OG 1.052, FG 1.010, ABV ~5.5%, IBU 38, SRM 4–5, golden with moderate haze. Grain bill: 8.5 lbs (3.86 kg) American two-row pale malt. 0.75 lb (340g) flaked oats, Amarillo’s orange-citrus character reads cleaner in a slightly soft, rounded mouthfeel; oats prevent the high-myrcene intensity from reading as harsh. 0.5 lb (227g) white wheat malt. 0.25 lb (113g) Crystal 20L, very light caramel that complements Amarillo’s orange-sweet direction without adding the toffee character that heavier crystal would. Hops, all Amarillo: Bittering (60 min): 0.5 oz Amarillo, 14 IBU. Amarillo’s low cohumulone (21–24%) means clean bittering even at relatively low alpha acid content. Flavor (15 min): 0.5 oz Amarillo. Aroma (5 min): 0.5 oz Amarillo. Whirlpool at 79°C (174°F), 20 min: 0.75 oz Amarillo. Dry hop (5–6 days, post-terminal gravity): 1.5 oz Amarillo. Total Amarillo: 3.75 oz. Amarillo’s extremely high myrcene (68–70%) means it contributes aroma very rapidly, 5 days of dry hop contact at 18°C is plenty; extending beyond 7 days risks tipping the high-myrcene content toward oxidized, harsh notes. Unlike Galaxy and Ekuanot, Amarillo has modest geraniol content, so the biotransformation period benefit is limited, a standard post-terminal dry hop produces excellent results. Yeast: Fermentis US-05 or White Labs WLP001, clean American ale fermentation. Alternatively, a moderately fruity English strain (WLP002 at 17°C/63°F) produces slight stone fruit esters that complement Amarillo’s orange character. Ferment at 18–19°C (64–66°F). Water: Moderate minerals, calcium 75 ppm, sulfate 100 ppm, chloride 100 ppm. Balanced sulfate-chloride prevents either harshness or excessive sweetness in an approachable pale ale context. Process: Single infusion mash at 67°C (153°F) for 60 minutes. 60-minute boil. Single dry hop at terminal for 5–6 days. Cold crash 36–48 hours. Do not fine aggressively, some haze from the wheat and oats complements Amarillo’s soft citrus character. Package at 2.5 volumes CO2. Consume within 5 weeks.
Common Questions
Why is Amarillo sometimes unavailable and what substitutes work best?
Amarillo is a proprietary variety grown exclusively by Virgil Gamache Farms in the Yakima Valley, a single-source hop that is subject to availability constraints when commercial brewery demand exceeds the farm’s production capacity. In years with strong commercial demand (which has been most years since the NEIPA boom of the mid-2010s), homebrew-allocation Amarillo can sell out by mid-winter, leaving homebrewers without access for 6–8 months until the next harvest. Practical substitution hierarchy for a single-hop Amarillo pale ale: (1) Azacca, most similar orange-tangerine direction with slightly less intensity and more mango character; adjust to the same weight. (2) Mandarina Bavaria, tangerine-orange citrus in the same direction but softer, with German terroir softness; same weight substitution. (3) Citra at 60–70% of the Amarillo weight, Citra’s citrus intensity is higher, so reduce weight to prevent the beer from reading as aggressively tropical rather than smoothly citrus. None of these perfectly replicate Amarillo’s specific combination of orange-citrus intensity and the slightly floral character from its high geraniol-to-myrcene ratio. If you brew the recipe specifically to study Amarillo, buy fresh-crop Amarillo when available in September-October and freeze in sealed bags for year-round brewing.
