ale

Midnight Mosaic Amber Ale Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Midnight Mosaic Amber Ale (23 Litres)

Like any good mosaic, an odd mix can make a great blend. This recipe combines an eclectic selection of ingredients to make a delightfully "hop driven" amber ale. The extra smooth roasted characters are derived from the Midnight Wheat Malt, whilst the hero hop is a relatively new American hop known as Mosaic, with a couple of old favourites (Centennial and Amarillo) in support. The final result is a full strength American Amber Ale (10.B. of the BJCP style guidelines) with a blend of floral, tropical, stone fruit and citrus hop characters. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1.7kg Original Series Lager
1.5kg Amber Malt Extract
500g Light Dry Malt
100g Midnight Wheat grain
25g Mosaic hop pellets
25g Amarillo hop pellets
25g Centennial hop pellets
3 x 7g Coopers Dry Ale yeast (or American Ale yeast of your choice)
1 x 250g Dextrose Corn Sugar or Carbonation Drops

Features:

Colour: Copper
Body: Heavy
Bitterness: Med/High
Approx. Alcohol Level: 5.7% 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 fromt he pack), then add the cracked grain and 2 litres of cold water. Fit the lid and sit in the fridge for 24 hours. 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 the 500g of Light Dry Malt. Once at the boil, add the Amarillo Hop pellets and boil for 10 mins. Then add 25g of Mosaic Hops and remove from the heat to let steep for a further 10 mins. Set the pot in a cold/ice water bath to cool then strain into a fermenting vessel (FV) Add the Lager Brew can and Amber Malt Extract to the FV, 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 (refridgerated if necessary) to get as close as possible to 21C. Sprinkle all three sachets of dry yeast, and fit the lid and try to ferment at 18C. On day 4 or after the foam has subsided, add the Centennial Hops (they may be added direct to the brew or wrapped in a mesh cleaning cloth, pulled straight from the wrapper).

Step 2: Brew

Fermentation has finished once the specific gravity is stable over 2 days. It should finish in the range of 1012-1016.

Step 3: Bottle

This style of brew benefits from less fizz so you might like to bottle the brew with a priming rate of 4g per litre (1 carbonation drop per 750ml bottle).

Step 4: Enjoy

Allow to condition for at least 2 weeks in the bottle. To take advantage of the fresh hop characters, drink this brew early. Expect the alcohol content to be around 5.7% ABV.