Bierce’s Bitter IPA (2 Step Recipe)

5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains; OG = 1.072; FG = 1.018; IBU = 68; SRM = 13; ABV = 7.0%

Ingredients:

        Step One:

• 3.0 lbs (1.4 kg) dried malt extract
• 0.75 lbs. (0.34 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
• 0.75 lbs. (0.34 kg) crystal malt (40 °L)
• 0.50 lbs. (0.23 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
• 7.2 AAU Magnum hops (60 mins) (0.45 oz./13 g of 16% alpha acids)
• 5 AAU Centennial hops (15 mins) (0.42 oz./12 g of 12% alpha acids)
• 0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (0 mins)
• 1 tsp. Irish moss (15 mins)
• Wyeast 1272 (American II) or White Labs WLP051 (American V) yeast (0.5 qt./~0.5 L yeast starter)

       Step Two:

• 4.0 lbs (1.8 kg) dried malt extract
• 8 AAU Simcoe hops (60 mins) (0.62 oz./17 g of 13% alpha acids)
• 4 AAU Ahtanum hops (15 mins) (0.66 oz./19 g of 6% alpha acids)
• 0.25 oz. (7.1 g) Amarillo hops (0 mins)
• 1 tsp Irish moss (15 mins)
• 0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (dry hops)
• 0.25 oz. (7.1 g) Amarillo hops (dry hops)
• 7/8 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step:

Step One:

Place crushed grains in a nylon steeping bag. In a large kitchen pot, heat 3.0 qts. (2.8 L) of water to 167 °F (75 °C). Submerge grain bag in water and steep at 156 °F (69 °C)for 45 minutes. (If temperature drops below 152 °F (67 °C), heat to 156 °F (69 °C) again.) While grains are steeping, heat 1.5 qts. (~1.5 L) of water to 170 °F (77 °C) in a sauce pan. Also, begin heating 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water to a boil in your brewpot. When steeping is done, place a colander over your brewpot and lift the grain bag into it. Pour the "grain tea" through the bag (which will strain out most of the grain bits), then rinse the bag with the 1.5 qts. (~1.5 L) of 170 °F (77 °C) water.

Heat the (roughly) 3 gallons (11 L) of wort in your brewpot to a boil, then stir in dried malt extract. (It will foam a bit, so don’t pour all the extract in at once.) Bring the wort back to a boil, adding hops and Irish moss at times indicated in ingredient list. Total boil time is 60 minutes.

After the boil, put a lid on your brewpot and cool the wort (either in a cold-water bath in your sink or with a wort chiller). Cool the wort to 68 °F (20 °C). Transfer the post-boil wort — which should be around 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) — to your fermenter, aerate the wort and pitch your yeast.

Step Two:

(16–24 hours after Step One): Bring 3 gallons (11 L) of water to a boil, add dried malt extract and return to a boil. Add hops and Irish moss at times indicated. Cool wort to 68 °F (20 °F) and rack cooled wort into fermenting beer from Step One. (If beer is not fermenting aerate combined wort.) Add water to make 5 gallons (19 L), if needed. Ferment IPA at 68 °F (20 °F). When fermentation slows to halt, rack to secondary, add dry hops and let beer condition for 5 days. Bottle with corn sugar or keg.