Jolly Rancher Apple Lambic

5 gallons/19 L, all-grain with hard candy; OG = 1.065 FG = 1.006; IBU = 11 SRM = 4 (green) ABV = 6.3%

Ingredients:

• 5.0 lbs. (2.3 kg) 2-row pale malt
• 3.0 lbs. (1.4 kg) wheat malt
• 4.0 lbs. (1.8 kg) Jolly Rancher Apple hard candies
• 3 AAU Saaz hops (aged) (60 mins) (3.0 oz./85 g of 1% alpha acids)
• 1/4 tsp yeast nutrients
• Wyeast 3278 (Lambic Blend) yeast and bacteria
• 1.25 cups corn sugar (for priming)

Step by step:

Mash grains at 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes. Collect 4 gallons (15 L) of wort, add 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of water and boil for 90 minutes. Boil hops for 60 minutes. (If you don’t have aged hops, just add 3 AAU of any noble German hop.) At the end of the boil, you should have 4 gallons (15 L) of wort at SG 1.049.

Cool wort, transfer to fermenter, aerate and pitch yeast/bacteria blend. Ferment at 70 °F (21 °C). After one week, boil yeast nutrients in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water and dissolve candies into this liquid. (It takes at least 20 minutes for the candies to fully dissolve.) Cool “candy water” to 70 °F (21 °C) and rack to secondary fermenter. Rack beer from primary into candy water, making 5 gallons (19 L). (Don’t splash or otherwise aerate wort at this stage.) Condition beer in secondary, at 70–75 °F (21–24 °C), for at least 3 months before bottling. You may want to add a small amount

(~1 tsp) of dried ale yeast to the bottling bucket when bottling.

Extract option:

Replace 2-row and wheat malt with 2.0 lbs. (0.91 kg) Briess dried wheat malt extract and 3.0 lbs. (1.4 kg) Coopers liquid wheat malt extract. Bring 2.5 gallons (9.4 L) of water to a boil. Dissolve dried malt extract and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at beginning of boil. With 15 minutes remaining in boil, stir in liquid malt extract. Cool wort, transfer to fermenter and add water to make 4 gallons (15 L). Aerate and pitch yeast/bacteria blend. Follow all-grain instructions for details of fermentation and how to add candies.

(Adapted from Reader Recipe by Chris Colby, found in Homebrew Nation, May-June 2003, p. 7.)