Original Amber Recipe

Heat strike water

Heat about 3.5 gallons of brewing water to 165°F (74°C). This temperature accounts for the grain bed and will target a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C).

Mash in

Add crushed grains to a mash tun or insulated pot. Pour the strike water over the grains while stirring to avoid dough balls. Target mash temperature: 152°F (67°C). Hold for 60 minutes to convert starches to fermentable sugars.

Mash out

Raise temperature to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity (optional).

Sparge

Recirculate the first runnings until clear, then sparge with enough 170°F (77°C) water to collect approximately 6.5–7.0 gallons of wort in the kettle (for a 5 gallon batch).

Bring to boil

Bring the collected wort to a vigorous boil. Watch for boilovers and adjust heat as necessary.

Bittering hops

At the start of the 60-minute boil, add 1.0 oz Cascade hops (bittering).

Mid-boil additions

With 15 minutes remaining, add 1.0 oz Willamette hops and 1 tsp Irish moss (if using) to help clarification.

Finish hops

With 5 minutes remaining, add 0.5 oz Cascade hops (for flavor/aroma). If you want more hop aroma, consider a flameout or 0-minute addition of the finish hops and whirlpool for 5–10 minutes.

Optional water adjustment

If your source water is very soft, you may add 1/4 tsp table salt to the kettle during the last 5 minutes to round maltiness. Stir to dissolve.

Chill wort

After the 60-minute boil, cool the wort quickly to 65–68°F (18–20°C) using an immersion chiller or ice bath. Aim to get the chill done within 30–45 minutes to reduce infection risk and haze.

Transfer to fermenter

Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter. Top up with pre-boiled and cooled water if necessary to reach 5.0 gallons.

Pitch yeast

Aerate the wort by shaking or splashing, or use pure oxygen. Pitch the ale yeast (rehydrate dry yeast per manufacturer instructions if desired) when wort is at 65–68°F (18–20°C).

Primary fermentation

Ferment at 65–68°F (18–20°C) for 7–10 days, or until activity slows and specific gravity approaches the expected final gravity (typically ~1.010–1.012 for this style).

Optional diacetyl rest

After active fermentation slows (usually day 5–7), raise temperature to 68–70°F (20–21°C) for 24–48 hours to help clean up off-flavors like diacetyl.

Secondary (optional)

If you prefer clearer beer, transfer to a secondary fermenter after primary fermentation for 5–7 days for conditioning. This step is optional.

Prepare priming sugar

Dissolve 3 oz (weight) corn sugar in 1 cup of boiling water, cool, and add to a sanitized bottling bucket.

Bottle

Siphon beer from the fermenter into the bottling bucket and gently mix with the priming solution to distribute evenly. Bottle into sanitized bottles and cap.

Condition

Condition bottles at room temperature (68–72°F / 20–22°C) for 2 weeks, then store cooler for another week. Beer will carbonate over 2 weeks; optimal flavor often after 3–4 weeks total aging.

Clean and sanitize all equipment used (mash tun, kettle, fermenter, siphon, bottles, caps) promptly after use to avoid residues and contamination.