Nelson’s Light Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Nelson’s Light (21 Litres)

The journey of making beer can lead to experimentation with greater quantities of additives, producing more aromatic and flavoursome results. Once accustomed to beer of such high quality, bland beer is not easily tolerated, regardless of how hot conditions may be and how strong the thirst! Nelson’s Light is intended to produce generous amounts of aroma and flavour while maintaining drinkability. One could argue that this recipe fits closest to BJCP Style 8A (English Pale Ale, Standard /Ordinary Bitter), only with slightly less alcohol.

Ingredients

1.5kg Light Dry Malt (3 x 500g)
300g Crystal Malt
25g Centennial hops
20g Nelson Sauvin hops
25g Nelson Sauvin hops
Danstar Nottingham Yeast
Dextrose Corn Sugar

Features:

Colour: Gold
Body: Medium
Bitterness: Medium
Approx. Alcohol Level: 2.9%
Naturally Carbonated: Natural

Instructions:

STEP 1: Mix

In a large pot bring 500g of Light Dry Malt to the boil with 5 litres of water. Add Centennial Hops and boil for 30mins. Stir in cracked Crystal Malt grains (put the grains in a plastic zip-lock sandwich bag and crack them with a rolling pin) and 20g of Nelson Sauvin Hops, cover and remove from heat to let sit for 30mins. Cool by sitting the pot in cold water for 10mins - 20mins. Strain the liquid into the fermenting vessel and mix with the remaining 1kg of Light Dry Malt. Stir to dissolve (but don't be concerned if some lumps of malt remain). Top up to the 21 litre mark, stir vigorously, add yeast and fit the lid. Look in our DIY FAQS for a guide on growing our commercial yeast.

STEP 2: Brew

Try to ferment as close to 21C as possible. After a few days of fermentation add the remaining 25g of Nelson Sauvin hops (we recommend wrapping the hops in a mesh cleaning cloth, pulled straight from the wrapper). Fermentation has finished once the specific gravity is stable over 2 days.

STEP 3: Bottle

We recommend the use of PET bottles or reusable glass bottles designed for storing beer.

Priming

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

STEP 4: Enjoy!

Store the bottles at or above 18C for at least two weeks to allow the secondary fermentation to take place. Be mindful that bitterness softens in the bottle over time. Expect the alcohol content to be around 2.9% ABV.