Our last three or four brews were a bit… out there. Successful, mind you, but generally inspired by muses who like their jobs too much.

And so, we dialed it back a notch for our January brew session, creating a recipe for a low alcohol dry Irish stout.

4 January 2009
Dry Irish Stout
5 gallons, 30 minute steep, 60 minute boil

4.0 lbs Ultralight Liquid Malt Extract (60 min)

Specialty Grains:
1.0 lbs Black Roasted Barley
0.5 lbs Black Patent Malt
1.0 lbs English Brown Malt
0.5 lbs Crystal Malt 75L

2.0 oz British Kent Goldings Hops [5.7% AA] (60 min)

1 tablet Whirlfloc (20 min — clarifier)

White Labs Irish Ale Yeast WLP004

4 oz corn sugar (bottling)

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Create a yeast starter two days in advance.

Add 3 gallons of water to kettle. Heat to 155°F.

Steep grains at 155°F for 30 minutes.

Remove grains, turn off heat, add malt extract while stirring.

Bring to a boil. Add hops.

At 20 minutes, add Whirlfloc tablet.

Chill wort to below 80°F. Rack to fermenter and dilute to 5 gallons. Pitch yeast starter and aerate thoroughly. Allow to ferment to completion at 65 – 70°F.

Rack fermented beer to secondary fermenter. Age for 1 – 2 weeks.

Rack to bottling bucket. Boil corn sugar with 1 c filtered water and add to beer. Mix well.

Bottle. Age for two weeks.

Easy, hands-off boils like this one are so refreshing.

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