Batch #5, November 7, 2004, a new ale recipe.
Malt extract:
6 3/4 pounds amber gold extract (bulk)
Malted grain:
1 pound crystal malt 20L
Hops:
2 oz Perle, fresh
1 oz Nugget, fresh
2 oz Cascade, fresh
Yeast:
Wyeast 1056, American ale yeast
Cooking instructions:
The minute timer starts when the water comes to a boil.
Bring water to 155 degrees F
Soak the grains, maintaining heat at 155 for 30 minutes
Remove the grains, rinse them into the pot
Bring to a boil
0:00 Add malt extract and Perle hops
0:30 Add half the Nugget hops
0:50 Add the other half of the Nugget hops and 1 tsp Irish moss
1:00 Remove from heat
7 days, add Cascade hops to fermenter
OG: 1.060
FG: 1.010
The original gravity seems high to me, if this finishes at even 1.010, it'll have about 7% alcohol! I also tried another trick that I read about on the internet, it said to use a hand mixer to get more air in the wort to help out the yeast. I used a regular hand-held electric mixer and ran it for a couple of minutes, could be interesting. It did seem to get a lot more air in that just mixing with the big spatula that I usually use.
Added the Cascade hops on Saturday, Nov 13. I just stirred them in, I'm wondering now if I should have put them in the grain bag so they'd come out easier.
Bottled November 20, 2004, with 3/4 cup corn sugar for priming.
This batch did finish at 1.010, so it should run right at 7% alcohol. The hops were no trouble, I siphoned into the bottling bucket, then cleaned out the fermenter, then strained from the bottling bucket back to the fermenter, using my big strainer, then back again to the bottling bucket. That got out all the big pieces, anyway.
Turns out to be a really good beer! Kind of strong on the hops, though, think I'll use a bit less next time.
