House Brewed Recipe

Prep

Sanitize all equipment that will contact wort after the boil (fermenter, airlock, siphon). Measure and crush grains if not purchased crushed. Heat 3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of brewing water to strike temperature (about 165°F / 74°C) to obtain a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C) when grains are added.

Mash

Add the crushed pale malt, caramel/crystal, carapils and Munich malt to the mash tun. Pour the heated strike water over the grain while stirring to eliminate dough balls. Hold the mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes, checking temperature every 10–15 minutes and adjusting with small amounts of hot water if necessary. This converts starches to fermentable sugars.

Mash Out & Lauter

Raise temperature to 168°F (76°C) for a 10-minute mash out by adding near-boiling water or gently heating the mash tun. After mash out, begin lautering (draining) the wort into your kettle. Recirculate the first quart or two until clear, then collect the wort. Sparge the grains with 2 gallons of 170°F (77°C) sparge water, collecting enough wort to end with approximately 6.5–7.0 gallons in the boil kettle (accounting for boil-off).

Boil & Hops Additions

Bring the collected wort to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add the bittering hops (1 oz Cascade or Magnum) and start a 60-minute timer. With 15 minutes left in the boil, add the Irish moss/whirlfloc and any late bittering hops if desired. With 5 minutes left, add the flavor/aroma hops (1 oz Cascade). Remove from heat at the end of the 60-minute boil.

Cool Wort

Cool the wort quickly to yeast-pitching temperature (65–70°F / 18–21°C) using an immersion wort chiller, counterflow chiller, or an ice bath in a sanitized sink. Aim to cool to 68°F (20°C) within 20–30 minutes to reduce infection risk and improve clarity.

Transfer & Aerate

Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving trub behind. Top up with clean, chilled water to reach 5 gallons if needed. Aerate the wort vigorously by shaking the sealed fermenter, using an aeration stone with oxygen, or by pouring between two sanitized vessels for 1–2 minutes to dissolve oxygen for healthy yeast fermentation.

Pitch Yeast

Rehydrate or prepare your ale yeast (US-05 or S-04) according to the packet instructions. Sprinkle or pitch the yeast into the aerated wort when temperature is around 65–68°F (18–20°C). Seal the fermenter and attach an airlock.

Primary Fermentation

Allow fermentation at 66–70°F (19–21°C) for 5–7 days or until vigorous activity subsides. Gravity should drop significantly. After the most active fermentation, leave the beer in primary for another 3–4 days to allow yeast to clean up byproducts.

Secondary (Optional) & Conditioning

If clearer beer is desired, transfer (rack) the beer to a secondary fermenter leaving sediment behind. Condition for 7–14 days at 60–65°F (15–18°C) to improve clarity and flavor. Alternatively, leave in primary up to 2–3 weeks before packaging.

Packaging

If bottling, dissolve 3.5 oz (100 g) priming sugar in 2 cups boiling water, cool to room temperature, and add to sanitized bottling bucket. Rack the beer onto the priming solution, gently mix, and bottle in sanitized bottles leaving appropriate headspace. Cap bottles. If kegging, transfer to a sanitized keg and carbonate to about 2.2–2.6 volumes CO2 by force-carbonation or priming as desired.

Carbonation & Aging

Allow bottles to carbonate at room temperature for 10–14 days. Chill, pour carefully off the sediment, and taste. For best flavor, age for an additional 1–2 weeks in the fridge. Kegged beer can be served once carbonated and conditioned (2–7 days depending on method).

Serving

Serve chilled (45–55°F / 7–13°C) in a clean glass. Pour gently to leave sediment in the bottle. This house-brewed ale typically yields a balanced malt backbone with moderate hop notes — adjust hops or specialty malts in future batches to dial in your house profile.