Goodnight America Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Goodnight America (23 Litres)

Dark Lagers are often a popular brew at this time of year and this Dark American style Lager is no exception; fermented with true lager yeast, this brew combines the quality attributes of a Vienna lager (rich, malty smoothness) with those of an American style Pale Ale (hop aromatics and clean bitter finish) to produce a rich copper brown brew that boasts roasted malt and vanilla flavours, with a citrus and pine finish; perfectly suited to the season.

Ingredients

2 x 1.5kg Amber Malt Extract
200g Caramunich (I) grains
3 x 25g Falconers Flight hop pellets
1 x 11.5g Fermentis W-34/70 Dry Lager Yeast
250g Dextrose Corn Sugar or Carbonation Drops

Features:

Colour: Copper/Brown
Body: Medium
Bitterness: Medium
Approx. Alcohol Level: 4.6% 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), then add the cracked grain and 2 litres of cold water. Fit the lid and sit in the fridge for 24hrs. Remove from the fridge then gather up the corners of the mesh cloth and lift, allowing the liquid to drain from the grain back into the pot. Transfer the liquid to a good sized pot (around 8 litres) and bring to the boil with a further 2 litres of water and 500g of Amber Malt Extract. Add 25g of Falconers Flight Hops and boil for 20min. Then add another 25g of Falconers Flight Hops and continue to boil for another 15min. Remove from the heat, add the last 25g of Falconers Flight Hops and let sit for 10mins. Set the pot in a cold/ice water bath to cool then strain into a fermenting vessel. Add the remaining Amber Malt Extract, stir to dissolve then top up with cool water to the 20 litre mark and stir thoroughly. Check the brew temperature and top up to the 23 litre mark with warm or cold water (refrigerated if necessary) to get as close as possible to 21C. Sprinkle the dry yeast or stir in liquid yeast and fit the lid.

STEP 2: Brew

Allow the brew to drop to 12C - 15C over the course of 12 to 24hrs then try to maintain this temperature range during fermentation. Fermentation has finished once the specific gravity is stable over 2 days. It should finish in the range of 1010 – 1006.

STEP 3: Bottle

Bottle the brew with a priming rate of 8g per litre (2 carbonation drops per 750ml bottle).

STEP 4: Enjoy!

Allow to condition for at least 4 weeks in the bottle. To take advantage of the fresh hop characters, drink this brew early. Expect the alcohol content to be around 4.6% ABV.