Panhead's Supercharger is one of the best beers to come out of Wellington — and New Zealand — in a long time. It won New Zealand Best Beer at the 2015 awards, and for good reason: it is a hugely drinkable American Pale Ale with no pretensions, a wall of citrus and pine hops, and a clean, bitter finish. It is popular enough that home brewers everywhere are trying to clone it. Here is how to brew your own.
Panhead describes their own beer as "an all-American show with Centennial, Citra and Simcoe overwhelming your nose, kicking you in the taste buds and departing with more bitterness than a Palm Springs divorce." That is the target. The recipe below is scaled for a standard 23-litre batch and gives you both an all-grain and an extract-with-partial-mash path.
Style snapshot (approximate targets)
Style: American Pale Ale · ABV: ~5.7% · Target OG: ~1.052–1.056 · Target FG: ~1.010–1.012 · Bitterness: firm, ~45–55 IBU · Character: big citrus and pine aroma, clean bitter finish.
Dial these in for your own system with the all-grain OG/FG/ABV calculator and estimate bitterness with the IBU calculator.
The malt bill
The grist is deliberately simple — a clean pale base with a touch of crystal and toffee malt for colour and a whisper of caramel to balance the hops. Do not overdo the specialty malts; this beer is a hop delivery vehicle, not a malt bomb.
All-grain option
| Amount | Malt |
|---|---|
| 4.6 kg | Gladfield Ale Malt (base) |
| 200 g | Gladfield Light Crystal Malt |
| 250 g | Gladfield Toffee Malt |
Extract with partial mash option
| Amount | Fermentable |
|---|---|
| 1.7 kg | Black Rock Amber Extract (1 can) |
| 1.7 kg | Black Rock Light Extract (1 can) |
| 200 g | Gladfield Light Crystal Malt (steep) |
| 200 g | Gladfield Toffee Malt (steep) |
The hop schedule
This is where the Supercharger earns its name. The bittering charge is small; the character comes from a heavy late-boil load and a big three-hop dry charge. The Centennial, Citra and Simcoe trio is the beer's signature — do not substitute unless you have to.
| Amount | Hop | Alpha | Addition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 g | Simcoe (pellet) | 13% | 60 min boil |
| 10 g | Centennial (pellet) | 8.5% | 30 min boil |
| 20 g | Simcoe (pellet) | 13% | 10 min boil |
| 10 g | Centennial (pellet) | 8.5% | 10 min boil |
| 30 g | Centennial (pellet) | 8.5% | 1 min boil |
| 30 g | Citra (pellet) | 13.9% | 1 min boil |
| 20 g | Simcoe (pellet) | 13% | 1 min boil |
| 70 g | Citra (pellet) | 13.9% | Dry hop, 7 days |
| 50 g | Simcoe (pellet) | 13% | Dry hop, 7 days |
| 50 g | Centennial (pellet) | 8.5% | Dry hop, 7 days |
That is 170 g of dry hops on top of a loaded late boil — a serious amount of hops for a 23-litre batch, and exactly why this beer sings. If you are buying in bulk, learn how to store spare hops so the leftovers keep their punch, and brush up on the basics on the hops guide.
The yeast
Keep it clean and let the hops shine: use the reliable Safale US-05. It ferments neutral, attenuates well, and stays out of the hops' way — ideal for a hop-forward APA. Pitch a healthy amount; if you want to be precise, run the numbers through the yeast pitch calculator.
Brewing method and advice
The recipe is only half the job — how you brew it decides whether you land on Panhead's benchmark. A few things matter more than the rest:
Mash for a crisp, dry finish
For all-grain, mash around 65–66°C (149–151°F). A cooler mash favours a drier, more attenuated beer so the bitterness pops without residual sweetness getting in the way — exactly what an APA wants. See why mash temperature dictates your beer's destiny, and nail your strike temp with the strike water calculator.
Protect the late hops
Most of this beer's aroma rides on the 1-minute and 10-minute additions, so cool the wort promptly after the boil and cover the kettle — every minute of hot exposure boils off the volatile oils you are paying for. A short whirlpool stand before chilling helps lock in flavour.
Ferment cool, then let it finish
Pitch and hold US-05 around 18–19°C to keep it clean, then let it free-rise a couple of degrees late in fermentation to make sure it fully attenuates. Steady temperature control is the difference between a clean APA and a fruity, muddy one — see proactive fermentation management.
Dry hop at the right moment
Add the 170 g dry-hop charge when fermentation is winding down (roughly day 7, near final gravity). Dry hopping while there is still a little activity helps scrub oxygen and lift aroma, but going too early can strip character. It also nudges the yeast — see the notes on how dry hopping affects yeast metabolism. Keep the contact to about 3–5 days to avoid grassy flavours.
💡 Tips for nailing the clone
Push the sulfate. A hoppy water profile leaning toward sulfate over chloride sharpens the bitterness and makes the hops feel crisper — classic for West Coast-style pales.
Use fresh hops. With this much late and dry hopping, tired hops show instantly. Buy fresh, vacuum-sealed pellets and keep them cold.
Check your bitterness. Hop alpha acids vary batch to batch, so recalculate your 60-minute bittering with the IBU calculator using the actual AA% printed on your packet.
Drink it fresh. This is a hop-driven beer — its aroma fades over weeks. Get it into the glass while the Citra and Simcoe are still loud.
So there is the challenge: can you brew to match Panhead's lofty claim? Get the mash dry, the fermentation clean, and the hops fresh and late, and you will be surprised how close you can get at home. Keen for another Kiwi classic? Try our Steinlager clone recipe next.
