Helles

This beer should be perceived as having low bitterness. It is a medium-bodied, malt-emphasized beer; with malt character often balanced with low levels of yeast-produced sulfur compounds (character). Certain renditions of this beer style approach a perceivable level of hop flavor and character but it is essentially balanced with malt character to retain its style identity. Malt character is reminiscent of freshly and very lightly toasted malted barley. There should not be any caramel character. Color is light straw to golden. Fruity esters and diacetyl should not be perceived.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound German light crystal malt

• 6-2/3 pounds light extract syrup

• 3-1/2 ounces Hallertau hops

• 1/2 ounce Saaz hops

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast Munich lager liquid yeast

• 3/4 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. Dissolve the extract in at least 3 gallons of liquor before boiling the liquor to help bring a lighter color to the beer.

4. Once the extract is dissolved, bring the liquor to a boil then and 1 ounce of the Hallertau hops.

5. Boil for 30 minutes, then add 1 more ounce of the Hallertau hops.

6. Boil for an additional 15 minutes, then add another 1 ounce of the Hallertau hops and the Irish moss.

7. Boil for a final 15 minutes, then remove the brew kettle from the heat source, cover it and allow the remaining 1/2 ounce of Hallertau hops to steep for 30 minutes.

8. Drop the temperature of the wort as quickly as possible to 77º F.

9. 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.

10. 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 approximately 46-51º F for 2 weeks.

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

12. Once fermentation is complete, rack the beer to a bottling bucket, prime with the corn sugar and bottle and condition at 46º F for at least 2 weeks before drinking.