Basque Beer Recipe

1. Sanitize and prepare

Sanitize all equipment that will contact wort (fermenter, spoons, funnel, thermometer, hydrometer) using the no-rinse sanitizer per the manufacturer's directions. Rinse only if required by your sanitizer.

2. Heat 4 liters of clean water in a large pot to about 65–70°C (150–158°F). If using malt extract only, bring to 65°C to help dissolve extract; if steeping specialty grains, place the crystal/caramel malt in a mesh bag and steep in the water at 65°C for 20–30 minutes, then remove and rinse the grains with a little hot water.

3. If using liquid or dry malt extract, remove the pot from heat and stir in the pale ale malt extract until fully dissolved. Return to a gentle boil, keeping an eye to avoid boilovers.

4. Top up with additional water to reach roughly 5 liters total pre-boil volume (accounting for evaporation), leaving headspace in the pot.

5. Once the wort reaches a rolling boil, start a 60-minute timer. Add the bittering hops (10 g) at the start of the 60-minute boil for primary bitterness.

6. With 15 minutes left in the boil, add Irish moss or whirlfloc (0.5 tsp) if using to help clarity.

7. With 5–10 minutes left in the boil, add the aroma hops (8 g) to preserve volatile hop aromas.

8. After 60 minutes total boil, turn off the heat and cool the wort as quickly as possible (see next section).

9. Place the pot in an ice bath or use a wort chiller to cool the wort to around 18–22°C (64–72°F). Rapid cooling reduces the chance of off-flavors and infection.

10. Once cooled, pour or siphon the wort into the sanitized fermenter, leaving behind as much hop/ trub sediment as possible. Top up with sanitized water to reach approximately 4.5–5 liters total if needed, taking gravity into account.

11. Take an original gravity (OG) reading with a hydrometer or refractometer and record it. Typical target OG for a Basque-style (ifre) session ale interpretation: around 1.040–1.048.

12. Rehydrate dry yeast per the manufacturer's instructions (typically in 20–30 ml of sterile water at around 35–40°C for 15 minutes) or sprinkle directly on cooled wort if recommended by the strain. Pitch the yeast into the fermenter and gently aerate the wort by shaking or using a sanitized spoon/oxygenation tool.

13. Seal the fermenter with an airlock and place in a dark, temperature-stable location maintaining 18–22°C (64–72°F). Primary fermentation should begin within 12–48 hours.

14. Allow fermentation to proceed for 5–10 days until activity slows. Check gravity after day 5; target final gravity (FG) around 1.010–1.014 depending on yeast attenuation.

15. If you prefer a clearer beer, cold-crash the fermenter at 2–4°C for 24–48 hours after fermentation is complete to help yeast and particulate drop out.

16. Sanitize bottles, caps, and any bottling equipment thoroughly. Boil the priming sugar (3 tbs corn sugar) in about 250 ml of water for 2–3 minutes, cool and add to a sanitized bottling bucket or directly to the bottling line to evenly dissolve and distribute for carbonation.

17. Transfer the beer gently from the fermenter to the bottling bucket, avoiding drawing up sediment. Fill bottles, leaving about 2–3 cm (3/4 inch) of headspace, cap them, and store at 18–22°C for 1–2 weeks to carbonate.

18. After carbonation, chill bottles for 24 hours, then sample. Condition bottles for an additional 1–2 weeks for improved flavor if desired.

19. Kegging option: if kegging, transfer to sanitized keg, purge with CO2, and carbonate by force or set to serving pressure and allow to carbonate at refrigeration temperature for 1–3 days.