Brewing Method: All Grain
Yeast: White Labs San Francisco Lager
Yeast Starter: Use Lot's O' Yeast
Batch Size: 6 Gallons
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.013
Alcohol Content: 5.3 %
Total Grains: 10.75 pounds
Color: 3.5
Extract Efficiency: 83 %
Hop IBU's: 25.5
Boiling Time: 70 minutes
Primary Fermentation: 10 days @ 62-64°
Secondary Fermentation: 2-4 weeks @ 45°
Additional Fermentation:
Grain Bill:
8.50 lbs 6-Row
2.00 lbs Flaked Maze
0.25 lbs Honey Malt
Hop Bill:
2.60 oz. Liberty 3.1% (whole) for 60 minutes
0.50 oz. Liberty 3.1% (whole) for 5 minutes
Mash Schedule:
122° - 20 minutes
134° - 20 minutes
154° - 60 minutes
168° - 15 minutes
I use 1.25 qts/lb and usually use 1 gallon of RO water and the rest tap. I add 1/2 tsp of CaCl and 1/2tsp of Gypsum to get in the proper pH range. DO NOT ADD THE FLAKED MAZE UNTIL THE 154° REST. There is a reason why you don't take flaked maze thru all of the steps but i'll be damned if I can find it now. In Wahl and Henius' book it states to add the flakes after the temp of the mash has reached 154° and hold for 15-30 minutes until conversion is complete. Check out my Little Kings Cream ale page for more info once I find it: http://www.ingermann.com/Little_Kings.html
Brewers Notes:
This is my house beer and I have brewed it several times. The first batch I made I used a single infusion mash and it took 2+ months of cold conditioning for it to clear. I then tried a 2 step infusion at 140° and 154° and it still took a long time to clear. Once I moved to the 4 step mash it is clear in a month from brewing with no detriment to the body or head.
I use flaked maze instead of corn grits/meal because I like the corn flavor A LOT better with the flaked maze. I have made a creamale with grits/polenta before and just didn't get the corniness that I wanted from them. Not to mention that flaked maze is easier to use. :^)
This beer has also been very good to me in competitions. The only thing it usually get's knocked for is that it's a little too bitter for style and the bitterness lingers a bit. I have 3 - 1st place and 2 - 2nd place ribbons with this beer including a first (39.5) in the 1st round 2001 NHC. My goal is to have this place somewhere in the second round NHC sometime.