Extra Strong Vintage Ale '16 Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Extra Strong Vintage Ale '16 (21 Litres)

Vintage is here. Make some space in the shed and clear your calendar because this beer is about time. Inspired by Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale 2016, this American style IPA has subtle passionfruit, tropical fruit, and citrus aromas. Heavy bodied, its amber colour betrays a resinous hop character and bitter finish. After bottling, time will see the character of this beer evolve as the young blend of esters and bitter hops soften over the months and years and develop into toffeed sherry flavours. But the most important time, will be that taken to savour every drop.

Ingredients

1 x 1.7kg Australian Pale Ale
1 x 1.7kg Real Ale
1 x 300g Crystal Malt Grains
1 x 500g Dextrose Corn Sugar
1 x 25g Topaz hop pellets
1 x 25g Melba hop pellets
1 x 25g Northern Brewer hop pellets
1 x 11.5g Safale US-05 Dry Yeast
1 x 250g Dextrose Corn Sugar or Carbonation Drops

Features:

Colour: Amber
Body: Heavy
Bitterness: High
Approx. Alcohol Level: 7.5% ABV
Naturally Carbonated: Natural

Instructions:

Step 1 : Mix

The day before: Line a pot (at least 4 litres) with a mesh cleaning cloth (pulled straight from the pack). Place the Crystal Malt Grain in a plastic zip-lock sandwich bag and crack it using a rolling pin. Add the cracked grain and 2 litres of cold water, fit the lid and sit in the fridge overnight. Brew day: Remove from the fridge then gather up the corners of the mesh cloth and lift, allowing the liquid to drain from the grains back into the pot. Place the strained liquid onto the stovetop, bring to the boil then remove from the heat. Remove from the heat, add 25g of Northern Brewer hops and let steep for 15mins. Cool the liquid by placing pot in a bath of cold water for about 15mins then strain into a Fermenting Vessel (FV). Add the contents of the two brew cans plus dextrose and stir to dissolve. Fill with cool water to the 18 litre mark, stir vigorously and check the brew temperature. Top up to the 21 litre mark with warm or cold water (refrigerated if necessary) to get as close to 18C as possible. Sprinkle on the dry yeast (sachet of US-05 + yeast sachets from the brew cans) and fit the lid.

Step 2 : Brew

Place the FV in a location out of direct sunlight and try to ferment between 18C. At around Day 7, add the Topaz and Melba hops to the brew by wrapping them in a mesh cleaning cloth (pulled straight from the pack) and place directly on top of the brew then re-fit the lid. Fermentation should take 10 to 14 days. On day 10 check the specific gravity (SG). Check the SG again the following day and so on.

Step 3 : Bottle

The brew is ready once the SG has stabilised over a couple of days, expect about 1008 to 1012. Gently fill clean PET bottles to about 3cm from the top. Sturdy reusable glass bottles, designed for storing beer, should be used if planning to keep some of the brew in bottle beyond 18 months. Add 2 carbonation drops per bottle and secure the caps (use only one carbonation drop for bottles intended to be stored for a longer period). Store the bottles upright in a location out of direct sunlight at or above 18C.

Step 4 : Enjoy

After at least two weeks, check for sufficient carbonation by squeezing the PET bottles. Bottles kept unrefrigerated should improve with age. When ready to drink, chill the bottles upright. The chilled beer may be poured into clean glassware, leaving the sediment behind. Expect the alcohol content to be approximately 7.5 %ABV.