Simple Recipe

Classification: pale ale, extract

Source: John Carey (careyj@clan.TartanNET.ns.ca), HBD Issue #1969, 2/26/96

I've been reading all the high tech info on brewing for the past week or so but don't see much to help the average person who just wants to make a batch of suds as simply as possible. Hence, for the help of any such person on the HBD list I submit the following recipe which I have been using for some twenty years or so with considerable success.

This makes 14 doz. bottles of brew. About 7% alcohol by vol. [I think that's probably 1, 4, 1-4 or 1.4 doz bottles. --Ed.]

Ingredients:

4 kg white sugar,(corn if preferred)
2 cans (1.13kg) Brewmix malt
1 can doric malt
various types of hop pellets to taste.

Procedure:

I start with half a preserving kettle of water and when that is boiling I dissolve the sugar therein. If I don't forget, I usually add the hops first. Next I pour in the three cans of malt stirring as I do so. When this mix is about to return to a boil I shut off the heat. I then put the mix in a clean hard finish, plastic garbage pail (I thought that might get to some of you.), and add sufficient water to make the 14 doz. bottles.

The whole thing is then set on a wooden case about a foot high with a light bulb under it. (40watts) I then cover the lot with a heavy quilt and leave it alone for 7 or 8 days. After that I check with the Hydrometer to see if the SP is up to about 1.0. If it is I bottle it using a plastic syphon.

I prefer not to drink any of this for at least a month, preferably longer, but then I have about 45 doz. bottles at my disposal. There is a certain amount of sediment in the bottles but if you pour carefully it comes out crystal clear. There is no taste to the sediment anyway and I have drank it straight out of the bottle on occasion. Cheers.