I just finished creating my next two batches of beer and I have to say I am exhausted. These are probably the two batches I invested the most time, effort and money into so I am really hoping they turn out well. For my notes and yours as well I will detail the ingredients and procedures creating these batches:
Does Ecky’s (Dos Equis Clone) —
Ingredients:
- 3.3lbs of Coppers Mexican Lager Liquid Malt Extract
- 2.2lbs of Light Dry Malt Extract
- 1 oz Saaz Hops
- 250g Dextrose Sugar
- 1 tsp Irish Moss (For head retention and additional clearness)
- 8 oz Crushed Crystal Malt
- 4 oz #60 Steeping Grains
- 1 Packet of Coopers Dry Ale Yeast
Procedure:
1) Clean and sanitize absolutely everything using Star San, which is freaking awesome and a huge effort saver as it requires no rinse.
2) Bring 4L of water to a boil in brewing cauldron. At the same time steep the Grains and the Crystal Malt in 2L of 160F water for 15 minutes.
3) One 4L of water is boiling, turn of heat, remove the grains and add the steeped grain/malt water to the 4L. Add your DME, LME and sugar to the cauldron and mix thoroughly.
4) Turn on heat and return water to boil. Once boiling add Irish Moss and Saaz Hops. Stir and maintain a slow boil for the next 60 minutes.
5) At 45 minutes prepare the ice bath for the cauldron.I just filled a sink with ice I had prepared the day before in empty milk jugs.
6) At 60 minutes remove the cauldron from the heat and place in the ice bath. Change the water with fresh cold water and new ice as needed. Monitor temperature until it reaches 25-30C which should take under 30 minutes.
7) While bringing the wort down to cold break, fill one large primary fermenter with 3 Gallons of cool (not cold) water. Once the wort has reached cold break (I took mine out at 28c) remove from the bath and pour into the fermentor with the water. Take a gravity reading (I got an SG of 1.045) and verify your temperature is 23-27c (I got 24c after adding the wort).
Pitch yeast, do not stir, put on your lid and air bung and your done!
Bradinator’s Pale Ale —
Ingredients:
- 3.3lbs of Coopers Indian Pale Ale Liquid Malt Extract
- 2.2lbs of Light Dry Malt Extract
- 8oz Crushed Crystal Malt Extract
- 1oz Kent Goldings Hops
- 1oz Irish Moss
- 1 Packet Coopers Ale Yeast
Procedure:
1) Sanitize everything!
2) Bring 6L of water to a boil
3) At the same time, steep the Crystal Malt at 160C for 20 minutes in 2L of water. I added the steepings before my 6L hit boil and it sat around at medium heat for about 45 minutes before I reached boil.
4) At boil remove the heat, add your LME and DME. Mix well. Turn heat back on.
5) At boil again add the hops and Irish Moss. Maintain a medium boil for 60 minutes. Prepare your ice bath.
6) Remove from heat after an hour and add to ice bath. Bring to cold break (I took it out 33c, but you should wait until below 25c).
7) Add 3 Gallons of cool (I used cold because I has my wort a little hotter then it should have been) water to a primary fermenter. Stir, take your gravity (smart me, I forgot to take it… It is probably around 1.035-1.040) and pitch yeast if the temperature is around 23-27c (I pitched at 24c, right after adding the wort). Do not stir.
Place in a room temperature, dark place, say like a basement maybe and wait.
Now for both I am not bothering with a secondary. Instead I will give each 3 to 4 weeks in the primary, probably taking a couple gravity readings every few days and move them to a “bottling bucket” to help clear them up when bottling day arrives (I can’t wait to clean over 100 one-pint swing tops…). I will add 3/4 cup of dissolved dextrose then straight into bottles. With 2-3 weeks I should (hopefully) have some very tasty, home made beers.
My hopes are to have a malty, crisp drinking Mexican lager and a thicker, more bitter Pale Ale. Updates to follow as bottling begins to near.