Cream Ale

A mild, pale, light-bodied ale made using a warm fermentation (top or bottom) and cold lagering or by blending top- and bottom-fermented beers. Hop bitterness and flavor range from very low to low. Hop aroma is often absent. Sometimes referred to as cream ales, these beers are crisp and refreshing. A fruity or estery aroma may be perceived. Diacetyl and chill haze should not be perceived.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound light crystal malt

• 1/2 pound CaraPils malt

• 1/2 pound dextrine malt

• 8 pounds light malt extract

• 1 ounce Hallertau hops

• 1/2 ounce Willamette hops

• 1/2 ounce Cascade hops

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast 1056 American ale 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, the Willamette hops, the Cascade hops and half of the Hallertau 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, cover it, add the rest of the Hallertau hops 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 68º-72º F for a week.

8. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter and lager until fermentation has stopped.

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