I don't mind brewing all-grain, but I have to admit: All-grain can sometimes lose its cool when you have a group of non-brewing friends over.
With that in-mind, I'd like to share an extract lager recipe that I've been very successful with. I have tested this one and the final beer is indeed worthy of your next party or club meeting. It even ages gracefully in a keg. Millennium is an outstanding bittering hop, by the way.
This recipe is within the BJCP style guidelines for Classic American Pilsner.
Enjoy.
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EasyCAP
by Greg Krsak
http://kswbeer.com
6.25 gal
45 min boil
1.044 OG
4.5% ABV
32 Rager IBUs (BU:GU = 0.74)
Fermentation steps: 75, 65, 45 degF
Water:
7 gal, soft
Fermentables:
64% .. 4.0 lbs .... Briess Extra-Light DME
16% .. 1.0 lbs .... Dry Rice Extract
16% .. 1.0 lbs .... Corn Sugar
4% .... 0.25 lbs .. Crystal 40
Hops:
45 min .. 0.5 oz .. Millenium .. 15.8 AA pellets (28 IBU)
15 min .. 0.5 oz .. Mt. Hood ... 5.0 AA leaf (2.5 IBU)
5 min .... 0.5 oz .. Mt. Hood ... 5.0 AA leaf (1.5 IBU)
post-boil 0.5 oz .. Mt. Hood .. 5.0 AA leaf
Yeast:
White Labs WLP 830 German Lager
(3 fresh vials or an equivalent decanted starter)
Suggested process:
1. Heat water to 158 +/- 2 degF. Remove heat and cover.
2. Bag C40 and steep for 30 min.
3. Remove C40. Add sugar and rice extract. Increase to boil.
4. Uncover and add bittering hops.
5. Add 15 min hops and malt extract at the same time.
6. Add 5 min hops.
7. Remove heat at 0 min. Remove bittering hops. Add post-boil hops. Leave all other hops.
8. Whirlpool for 30 min. Use a spoon if you have to... It's not that hard.
9. Remove or transfer off of hops. Chill to 78 +/- 2 degF.
10. Rack 5.5 gal to glass fermenter. Oxygenate. Pitch yeast.
11. Allow fermentation to start at 75 +/- 1 degF for 24 hrs.
12. Transfer fermenter to refrigerated storage. Let cool to 65 +/- 1 degF.
13. Reduce temperature to 45 +/- 1 degF over the course of the next 2 days.
14. Ferment in the primary for 2 months.
15. Package and carbonate.
