American Wheat Ale

This beer can be brewed with 30 to 75% wheat and hop rates may be low to medium. Fruity-estery aroma and flavor are typical but at low levels, however, phenolic, clove like characteristics should not be perceived. Color is usually straw to light amber and the body should be light to medium in character. Diacetyl should not be perceived. Because this style is served with yeast, the character should portray a full yeasty mouthfeel and appear hazy to very cloudy. Yeast flavor and aroma should be low to medium but not overpowering the balance and character of malt and hops. Fruit, such as raspberries or blueberries, can be added to create a fruit beer.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound light crystal malt

• 1/2 pound wheat malt

• 3 pounds wheat extract

• 3 pounds light extract

• 2 ounces Hallertau hops

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• 4 pounds frozen raspberries (optional)

• Wyeast 1010 American wheat yeast

• 1 cup corn sugar

Instructions:

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 1-1/2 ounces of the hops.

4. Return the brew kettle to the heat source and boil for 45 minutes, then add the Irish moss.

5. Boil for an additional 15 minutes, then remove the brew kettle from the heat source and cover it, add the rest of the hops and drop the temperature of the wort as quickly as possible to 77º F.

6. If raspberries are used, they should be steeped in 1 gallon of 150º water before adding to the cooled wort. Do not boil the fruit!

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, 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.

10. Once fermentation is complete, rack the beer to a bottling bucket, prime with the corn sugar and bottle and condition as usual.