Heat 3.5 gallons of water to about 165°F (74°C) to achieve a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C) once grains are added. If using pour-over or infusion mash, adjust accordingly.

Combine grains

Add the gluten-free pale malt, light crystal gluten-free malt, flaked buckwheat (or quinoa), and rice hulls into your mash tun or insulated cooler.

Mash

Pour the hot strike water over the grain bed, stirring thoroughly to avoid clumps. Hold mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Perform an iodine test at 45–60 minutes to confirm conversion.

Mash out

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

Lauter / Sparge

Recirculate first runnings until clear, then collect wort. Sparge with 170°F (77°C) water until you have approximately 6.5–7 gallons of pre-boil wort in the kettle. Rice hulls will help prevent a stuck mash.

Boil & Hops

Bring to a boil

Bring collected wort to a vigorous boil. Total boil time: 60 minutes.

Bittering addition

At 60 minutes remaining (start of boil), add 0.75 oz Northern Brewer hops.

Flavor/aroma addition

With 10 minutes remaining in the boil, add 0.75 oz Cascade hops and 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc if using.

End of boil

After 60 minutes, turn off heat and chill wort quickly to yeast pitching temperature (65–70°F / 18–21°C).

Cool & Fermentation

Chill and transfer

Chill the wort to 65–68°F (18–20°C) using an immersion chiller or ice bath. Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving behind as much trub as possible.

Adjust water chemistry (optional)

If using, add the measured calcium chloride and gypsum to the cooled wort and mix gently.

Pitch yeast

Aerate the wort by shaking or pure oxygen, then pitch the gluten-free ale yeast. Seal fermenter and attach an airlock.

Primary fermentation

Ferment at 66–68°F (19–20°C) for 7–10 days or until activity subsides and specific gravity approaches expected final gravity.

Dry Hop (optional)

At or after secondary transfer (day 5–7) or toward end of primary, add 1.0 oz Cascade hops directly to the fermenter for 3–5 days to enhance aroma. Keep temperature stable and avoid excessive oxidation.

Packaging

Prepare priming sugar

If bottling, dissolve 3.5 oz corn sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool, and add to sanitized bottling bucket.

Bottle or keg

Rack beer into bottling bucket on top of priming solution, gently mix to evenly distribute. Fill and cap bottles, or transfer to keg and carbonate to ~2.4 volumes CO2. If kegging and force-carbonating, do not add priming sugar.

Condition

If bottled, condition at room temperature for 2 weeks, then chill and sample. If kegged, carbonate and let settle for 2–3 days before serving.