The Next Batch!

The third batch is brewed and a'bubblin! Yesterday, soon to be married Tyler came over to help brew his Bachelor Party Ale. Brewing an ale to his tastes are a bit difficult. He likes pilsners, but since those are lagers, we didn't really have the time it takes to produce a good lager. I have the cold required, just not the time.

So to start out the pilsner wannabe, we have our ingredients:

• 6.6 pounds of Light Malt Extract
• 1 oz. Glacier Hops
• 1 oz. Saaz Hops (The same hops used in Pilsner Urquell)
• 1/2 pound Crystal Malt 10 Lovibond Grains
• 1 pack Windsor Ale Yeast (My LHBS was out of Nottingham, which would have been better for a more lager flavored ale.)

We steeped the grains at 150 degrees for 30 minutes and then brought the wort to a boil. We added our malt and the Glacier Hops and then boiled for 45 minutes. With 10 minutes left in the boil we added our Saaz Hops for some "Noble" flavor and aroma.

Cooling the wort however took forever. Almost an hour with tons of ice and water. It makes me really want a wort chiller for future brews.

With a starting gravity of about 1.045, we're looking at roughly a maximum yield of 6.25% abv. However, since the yeast we used is not as attenuitive as Nottingham, the final gravity may be a bit higher, so less alcohol. It'll just be a bit sweeter.

With 7 weeks left until Tyler's Bachelor Party, his brew will be ready just in time.