Festbier

5 gallons, extract with grains; OG = 1.060;  FG = 1.013;  IBU = 30

Ingredients:

• 0.5 lb. medium crystal malt (120° Lovibond)
• 0.5 lb. dark Munich malt
• 0.5 lb. biscuit malt
• 0.5 lb. Vienna malt
• 1 lb. pilsner malt
• 5 lbs. Briess unhopped amber DME
• 6 AAU Tettnang hops (1.5 oz. of 4% alpha acid)
• 3 AAU Spalt hops (1 oz. of 3% alpha acid)
• Bavarian or Munich lager yeast(Wyeast 2308 or WLP-820)
• 1 cup Briess amber DME (for priming)

Step by Step

Steep the malts (in a grain bag) in 2.5 gallons water at 128° F for 30 minutes. Raise kettle temperature to 150° F, steep another 30 minutes. Remove grains, rinse back into kettle (through a colander) with another quart of hot tap water.

Add DME to kettle, bring to a boil. Add Tettnang hops, boil 60 min. Add Spalt, boil 30 min., remove from heat. Top up in fermenter to 5.25 gal., cool to 65°F and pitch yeast. Ferment one week at 50° to 55° F, rack to secondary, condition four weeks at 45°F. Prime with DME and then bottle and age for six weeks at 40°F.

All-grain option:

Heat 9 qts. water to 146° F.  Crush together 6.25 lbs. pilsner malt, 2 lbs. dark Munich malt (12 to 15° L), 1 lb. Vienna malt, 0.5 lb. medium crystal malt and 0.5 lb. biscuit malt. Hold at 135° F for 30 minutes. Add 5 qts. water at 180° F, raising mash temperature to about 150° F. Hold for 60 minutes. Runoff, sparge with 16 qts. at 168° F. Bring to a boil, follow hop schedule as above. Reduce kettle volume to 5.25 gallons.