This one will be a revisit of my original Blonde Ale, but done with all grain. The specialty grains will be a little different as well. Here’s the recipe:
- 5 lbs pale malt 2-row
- 3 lbs pilsner malt
- 1 lb Vienna malt
- 6 oz caraamber
- 6 oz carafoam
- 6 oz flaked corn
- 0.5 oz northern brewer hops at 60
- 1 oz willamette hops at 10
- 1 oz willamette hops at 0
Mash at 152F
Targets
- OG 1.052
- FG 1.011
- IBU 19.6
- SRM 4.8
- ABV 5.3%
- prepare checklist
- lay out ingredients and equipment
- reconstitute dry yeast using 95F boiled spring water and allow to cool to room temperature
- Add grains to mash tun
- bring 4 gallon spring water to 167 F
- Add 3 1/3 gallons of 167F spring water to mash tun on top of grains, then stir well
- add more water to boil pot, bring to near 172F and hold for sparging
- measure temperature after temperature equalizes in mash.
- adjust mash temperature using either heated mash water or cool spring water as needed to reach 152F
- mash for 75 minutes at 152F
- during mash, stir about every 15 minutes or so, checking temperature and adjusting if needed
- at end of mash, begin draining wort into pitcher
- allow first runnings to drain into a pitcher until clear
- pour first runnings back on top of mash
- slowly drain remaining wort into boil pot until mash tun is near empty
- add 2.4 gallons 172F water (adjusted as needed)
- stir well, let sit at least 5 minutes
- drain first runnings of first batch sparge into pitcher until clear (or close to it)
- pour first runnings of first batch sparge back on top of mash
- drain wort into main boil pot until near empty
- add another 2.4 gallons 172F water to mash tun (adjusted as needed)
- stir well, let sit at least 5 minutes
- drain first runnings of second batch sparge to pitcher until clear (or close to it)
- add first runnings back into mash tun
- drain wort into main boil pot
- add wort chiller to boil pot, filled with hot water
- bring main boil pot to a boil
- when boil is reached, boil 60 minutes total
- at 15 minutes, add 1/4 tsp yeast nutrient
- at 12 minutes, add 1/4 tsp Irish moss
- during boiling, skim off hot break as needed
- add 1 oz willamette hops in nylon paint bag at 10 minutes
- add 1 oz willamette leaf hops in nylon paint bag at 0 minutes
- at flameout, turn on water for wort chiller and chill to 170 F
- let stand about 15 minutes hop rest, then turn wort chiller back on
- begin sanitation procedures on spoon, thermometer, bucket, wine thief
- stir occasionally with sanitized stainless spoon during cooling
- ensure bucket, wine thief, thermometer, strainer, spoon are sanitized
- when wort gets to about 68F, add to fermentation bucket, pouring through sanitized strainer to catch any extra solids and to help aerate. If necessary, clean strainer during process and re-sanitize to remove most of the trub before fermentation
- take OG reading with sanitized wine thief
- thoroughly aerate wort with sanitized stainless steel spoon
- ensure wort is 68F or a little less before pitching yeast
- ensure yeast is a little cooler than wort before pitching
- pitch yeast
- gently stir using sanitized stainless steel spoon
- install sanitized bucket lid and airlock
- ferment in temperature controlled freezer chest for 14+ days at 66F
- ferment a total of 14 or more days
- take FG sample and bottle
- use 5 oz corn sugar at bottling
Actual OG: 1.050
Actual FG:
Notes: Well there were some issues, but I doubt they will be anything major. First off, I misread the strike water volume on beersmith and added too much strike water. So we mashed at about 1.5 quarts/pound instead of 1.2. I really don’t think it will make a major difference. However, the mash tun was pretty darn full! Also, the yeast probably wasn’t added to the rehydration water at 95F, it was probably more like 80F. I doubt this will have a major impact either. Finally, the mash started out a little warm, and basically held about 154 for about 45 minutes till it finished out at 152. So a little higher than I planned. A less than perfect day, but I am guessing that from the appearance, taste, and FG of the wort, it will all work out just fine.
Comments
Well we broke out a test bottle of this one yesterday… AMAZING!! I can’t believe how good it came out! This may wind up being the house beer…
I think I am going to brew this one again, exactly as was done here, even with the slightly thinner mash. I’m actually thinking it needs more corn tho…