Did a simple single infusion mash on this one at about 150*. My efficiency was incredibly low as this was one of my first AG recipes ever and I was still using the god awful zap-pap lautering system--I don’t recommend it. If you brew this, I wouldn’t adjust the recipe if you have higher efficiency and just go with a higher gravity brew. There’s plenty of hops to keep things balanced.
OK, now here’s where you have to get a bit crazy. Collect about eight gallons of wort to start with for a five gallon batch. Now, boil this for about six hours to get it down to around three gallons of wort. It helps if you have a couple of homebrews in this time period in pass-out because it’s one in the morning and you’ve been up since six-thirty. I’m not saying that’s what happened to me but I can tell you it might help...
Reconstitute that wort to six gallons and proceed to brew as per usual, skimming all the weird chunks of scum that form. Add hops at specified times. Chill and pitch your yeast starter.
I’m really pleased with how this turned out. It has the most wonderful mouthfeel I’ve ever gotten on a beer, a lovely noble hop character and a beautiful rich color. It might not get a perfect 5 on RB but it’s a rock solid session brew that’s sure to satisfy geeks and non-geeks alike.
I’m not sure I’m ever going to go with the big, long boil again but I’m very curious to see how this would turn out if everything had gone as planned. The only thing I might change is to add some dry hopping in secondary--1/4 to 1/2 oz each of tettnanger and hallertau. I will suggest a decoction mash to get a similar effect ot the long boil though I haven’t tried it with this beer myself.
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