Bill'S Raspberry Tart Ale
- 3 - 3 1/2 gallons pure mineral water
- 3 lbs plain dry malt extract (55% wheat/ 45% barley blend)
- 1/2 lb tupelo honey
- 2 ounces crystal malt (64 degrees Lovibond color rating; crushed)
- 2 ounces Belgian biscuit malt, crushed
- 1 ounce cascade whole leaf hop (5% alpha acid; for bittering)
- 1/4 ounce cascade whole leaf hop (5% alpha acid; for aroma and flavor)
- 1/2 teaspoon Irish moss
- 1 wyeast # 1272 american ale ii liquid yeast culture (or one pkg. dry ale yeast)
- 2 lbs fresh red raspberries (or frozen berries, thawed)
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup corn sugar (to prime)
- If using liquid yeast,"smack-pack", pop inner seal and let yeast activate per package directions.
- Sanitize a 5 gallon fermenter and airlock.
- Steep the specialty grains (crystal and biscuit malts) in a fine-mesh grain bag in one gallon of water at 155F for 20 minutes.
- Raise temperature to 175F, removing grains after 10 additional minutes (30 minutes total steep time).
- Add malt extract and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add 1 ounce bittering hops in a cheesecloth hop bag.
- Continue to boil, adjusting heat as necessary, for 25 minutes (no further stirring).
- Add approximately 1/8 ounce of hops to boiling wort in another hop bag.
- Continue boiling for 10 more minutes.
- Add Irish moss and stir in gently.
- Add remaining hops in a hop bag.
- Boil for a final 10 minutes (total boil time 45 minutes).
- Add honey and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Remove brew pot from stove and chill wort using your preferred method (you may opt to set the pot in an ice water bath).
- If using dry yeast, proof it per package directions.
- When wort temperature reaches 100F, top up with cool water to just over 2 1/2 gallons.
- Stir to swirl, cover, and let sit on stove or counter for 30 minutes.
- Pour yeast slurry into fermenter.
- Transfer wort to fermenter, using a racking cane and hose (one method to start to siphon is to fill hose with water, keeping cane and free tube end both elevated; cover tube end, place cane into brewpot, and release tube in fermenter).
- Try to avoid the material settled in the bottom of the brewpot (this stuff is called trub).
- Allow the wort to splash and aerate.
- Put on cover or install drilled stopper and affix airlock, filling airlock halfway with distiller water or grain alcohol.
- Set fermenter in a safe area.
- Room temperature should be in the range of 60-70F.
- Avoid sunlight on your fermenter.
- Fermentation should be evident within a day or so; monitor activity.
- When activity is slowing, sanitize a 3 or 5 gallon fermenter (preferably glass) and racking cane and hose.
- Place raspberries in secondary fermenter (do not boil fruit- it will set the pectin and create a bad haze in the finished beer; if you're concerned about wild yeast on fresh berries, steep them at 165F for 10 minutes, then drain and cool).
- Rack beer onto fruit.
- Affix airlock.
- Allow to sit again.
- Secondary fermantation will be slower and less vigorous.
- Be careful and watch the fermentation- if the fermentation is vigorous,a piece of fruit could possibly block the airlock (if this happens, remove the airlock and use a blow-off tube).
- Leave on berries for 2-4 weeks, until they appear pale pink.
- Fruit may sink when beer is ready to bottle.
- Sanitize bottles (and bottling equipment) or kegging equipment.
- Boil corn sugar in a cup of water for 10 minutes, then cool to room temperature.
- Pour corn sugar solution into bottling bucket.
- Rack beer into bucket, avoiding yeast sediment in fermenter.
- Stir gently to mix well.
- Fill bottles and cap.
- Allow to condition and age for at least one month.
- For any further information on homebrewing, a good reference is"The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by Charlie papazian; it has a good intro to basic techniques and processes.
water, malt, honey, crystal, biscuit malt, aroma, irish moss, american, red raspberries, corn sugar
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/bills-raspberry-tart-ale-79795 (may not work)