Brewing Method: Partial Mash
Yeast: White Labs English Ale
Yeast Starter:
Batch Size: 5 gal. US
Original Gravity: 1.063
Final Gravity: 1.020
Alcohol Content: 5.6 %
Total Grains: 2 lbs + extract
Color: 33.35
Extract Efficiency: %
Hop IBU's: 27.8
Boiling Time: 60 min
Primary Fermentation: 1 week
Secondary Fermentation: 3 weeks
Additional Fermentation: 2 weeks in bottle

Grain Bill:

7.0 lbs John Bull Light Malt Extract
8 oz Light Dry Malt Extract
16 oz Belgian Chocolate malt
8 oz Belgian Special B malt
8 oz English Roasted Barley
8 oz Lactose
1/2 gallon cherry juice (unfiltered, unpasturized, unsweetened)
6 Tbsp pure Vanilla extract

Hop Bill:

1 oz Fuggle (60 min boil)
1 oz East Kent Golding (30 min boil)
0.5 oz Hallertau (5 min boil)

Mash Schedule:

We used a partial mash technique with the grains.

Bring 2 gallon of water to roughly 158 degrees F. and steep grains for 45 minutes.
Rinse grains with 170 degree F. water until they run fairly clear.
Proceed with extract brewing as per normal.

Brewers Notes:

Another in our long series of anime-themed beers.

This ale had a nice, deep reddish-black color with a medium-brown head. The cherry was somewhat more muted than ideal, but the vanilla shone through nicely. The lactose lent only the faintest sweetness to the brew. The bitterness seemed right on - although maybe a bit light for some tastes. Future versions of this ale will add the cherry juice during the second fermentation. The English Ale yeast flocculates out beautifully, but make sure that some of it makes its way into the bottling bucket, or you get flat beer.