Alt

Classification: alt, German ale, all-grain

Source: Jerry Cunningham (gcunning@Census.GOV), HBD Issue #1979, 3/8/96

This recipe was originally from Bruce DeBolt (I changed it a bit), and my attempts to thank him via email have been bouncing all over the place. I have brewed some of my best beers from recipes I've received from you kind folks on the HBD, while I can't believe some of the stuff I see in other places on the net! The digest has an incredibly high signal to noise ratio (please pause and pat yourselves on the back), and it's great for some of us who aren't master brewers to grab a recipe or two from someone we can trust.

Ingredients:

8 lbs. Belgian 2-row Pilsen (1.5L)
2 lbs. Belgian 2-row Munich (~4L)
1/2 lb. Belgian 2-row Aromatic (~21L)
1/2 lb. Belgian 2-row Carapils (?L)
1/2 lb. Belgian 2-row Caramunich (~64L)
1/2 lb. German wheat (?L)
3.25 oz. Crystal (pellets, 3.3%) 60 min.
0.75 oz. Crystal " 30 min.
1007 German Ale yeast

Procedure:

I mashed (single infusion) at 152F for 1.5 hours. Primary fermented at around 55-60F for 6 days. I split the batch after the primary - put 1 gallon in my fridge at around 38F for two weeks, while the other 4 gallons sat in a carboy in my basement at around 70F. The beer was very spicy (from the 1007?) at first, but mellowed out nicely after about 4 weeks. The cold-conditioned gallon was smoother, and more drinkable at an earlier age (~2 weeks after bottling) than the warm-conditioned portion. The cold-conditioned beers were also *brilliantly clear*! It was perfectly balanced (to me), with a complex maltiness that I haven't had in any of my past beers. The IBU's were around 36, using Tinseth's calculator. The color was perfect (dark copper?), though the alcohol was probably a bit on the high side for the style.

Specifics:

OG 1053
FG 1011