Bock

Traditional bocks are made with all malt and are strong, malty, medium- to full-bodied, bottom-fermented beers with moderate hop bitterness that should increase proportionately with the starting gravity. Hop flavor should be low and hop aroma should be very low. Bocks can range in color from deep copper to dark brown. Fruity esters should be minimal. Traditionally, bocks were consumed by German monks as a good source of nutrition and sustenance during their Lenten fast.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound crystal malt

• 1/4 pound black patent malt

• 1/4 pound Munich malt

• 8 pounds amber malt extract

• 2 ounces Hallertauer hops

• 1-1/2 ounces ground coriander seeds

• 1 ounce dried orange peel

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast 2308 Munich lager yeast or Wyeast 2206 Bavarian lager 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 the rest of the hops and the Irish moss.

5. Boil for an additional 15 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.

6. 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.

7. 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 47º-52º F for the first 2 weeks then at 57º-62º F for the remainder of the fermentation - the longer you allow this beer to ferment, the better it will be.

8. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter and allow the beer to finish fermentation.

9. Once fermentation is complete, rack the beer to a bottling bucket, prime with the corn sugar and bottle and condition as usual again, the longer you allow this beer to condition, the better it will be.