Kurzbrau

5 Gallon, Grain with Extract

Ingredients:

• 7 lbs. light malt extract
• 1 lb. Munich malt
• 4 oz. dark crystal malt
• 2 oz. chocolate malt
• 4 oz. Hallertauer hops, 2 oz. for 60 min., 1 oz. for 20 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
• Wyeast Bavarian Lager

Step by Step:

Add 3.5 gals. water to a 6-gal. pot (your brew kettle) and start the burner. Draw about 1.5 qts. of hottest possible tap water into a 2-qt. saucepan, and add the grains. Add just enough water to allow enough stirring to maintain temperature near 145° to 155° F.

As the water in the kettle begins to boil, slowly add malt extract, watching out for sticking and boilover. After all the malt is added, continue to stir for 10 to 15 minutes to ensure no extract gets burned at the bottom of the kettle. When the kettle seems to be under control, carefully strain the mini-mash into the kettle using a large (six-inch) kitchen strainer. Try not to get any grain in the kettle, but don't worry about a few grains that spill in. Discard the drained mash.

Add 2 oz. hops to the kettle in three or four additions, putting each additional amount in only after the kettle seems to be under control. Begin the kettle timer when a full rolling boil begins. Boil 40 minutes. Add 1 oz. hops and boil an additional 20 minutes, adding the last 1 oz. of hops just prior to the end of the boil, or even after the burner is shut off. Chill the wort as you normally do, and rack to the fermenter with chilled water to yield 5 gals. in the fermenter.

Cover the mouth of the glass carboy with a plastic sandwich bag and rubber band, or if you're using a plastic bucket as a fermenter, lightly place the cover on top (don't seal it!). Put the fermenter in your freezer chest or refrigerator and allow the temperature to stabilize to your starter temperature (which should be around 45° F). Pitch the starter.

Monitor fermentation activity, and notice when the kraeusen forms, how quickly it forms, and when it appears to reach peak activity. With daily checks you'll notice when there is a slight reduction in surface foam.

If you use a carboy, rack the beer to a clean Cornelius keg if you have one, taking care to leave all trub, both floating and settled, behind. Attach the pressure relief valve to the keg, set for 5 to 10 psi if it's adjustable. Rack to a clean fermenter and place an airlock if you don't have a Cornelius keg. Avoid aerating the beer, which can lead to diacetyl production and staling.

Maintain the secondary at the same temperature used for the primary ferment for about two weeks. You may want to pull occasional samples for gravity readings if you ferment in a keg, or just CO2 production if you ferment in a carboy. In one to three weeks there should be virtually no airlock activity at all. To remove diacetyl raise the fermenter temperature to about 55° F over a 24-hour period, and maintain at that temperature for 24 hours. Then lower the temperature two to five degrees per day to 30° to 32° F. Maintain at this temperature undisturbed for four to eight weeks.