Altbier

Copper to brown in color, this German ale may be highly hopped and intensely bitter (although the 25 to 35 IBU range is more normal for the majority of Altbiers from Düsseldorf) and has a medium body and malty flavor. A variety of malts, including wheat, may be used. Hop character may be medium to high in the flavor and aroma. The overall impression is clean, crisp and flavorful, often with a dry finish. Fruity esters can be low to medium-low. No diacetyl or chill haze should be perceived.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces Munich malt

• 4 ounces Vienna malt

• 4 ounces light crystal malt

• 4 ounces wheat malt

• 6-2/3 pounds light malt extract

• 2 ounces Spalt hops

• 1 ounce Tettnang hops

• 1-1/2 pounds Belgian clear candi sugar

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast 1007 German ale yeast

• 6 ounces corn sugar

Instrcutions:

1. Place the crushed specialty grains in a nylon hop bag and steep them in 1 gallon of preheated 150º water for 30 minutes.

2. Drain and discard the spent grains.

3. Bring at least 3 gallons of liquor to a boil, remove the brew kettle from the heat source then stir in the extract and the Spalt hops.

4. Boil for 20 minutes, then add half of the Tettnang hops.

5. Boil for an additional 20 minutes, then add the rest of the Tettnang hops and the Irish moss.

6. Boil for an additional 20 minutes, then remove the brew kettle from the heat source, cover it and drop the temperature of the wort as quickly as possible to 77º F.

7. Once the wort has cooled to below 77º F, take an original gravity reading, pour the wort into a primary fermenter through a funnel with a strainer and add enough cool water to create 5 gallons.

8. Once the wort has been transferred to the primary fermenter, pitch the yeast, stir the wort vigorously and seal the fermenter with an airlock and ferment at 65º-70º F for a week.

9. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter and allow the beer to finish fermentation at 40º-45º F.

10. Once fermentation is complete, rack the beer to a bottling bucket, prime with the corm sugar, bottle as usual and condition at 65º-70ºF for at least 1 month before serving.