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Green Tea Pale Ale
(Extract)*
Ingredients
Fermentables:
6 lb LME
1 lb DME
8 oz Carafoam
2 oz Special B
Hops:
1 oz Magnum (60 min)
1 oz Centennial (15
min)
2 oz Goldings
Other additions:
1 oz Green Tea* (15
min)
2 oz Green Tea*
(after flameout)
*Quality bulk green
teas are better than the bags. I recommend visiting an Asian market or quality
foods store if you are able.
Yeast:
Wyeast 1450
I’ve
been making wine, mead and beer for over two decades. In that time, my
methodology has ranged in complexity from apple juice and baking yeasts to
growing and malting my own Maris Otter, but I still enjoy a good extract
brew. Too often all grain brewers
can look down on extracts. They contend that the process lacks complexity. In
my experience, this complexity is lost only in the process of brewing – not in
the end result.
The ingredients for
extract brewing are only marginally more expensive than all grain (although the
equipment required for all grain is considerably more expensive) and the final
product tends to be more consistent from batch to batch with extract. Extract brewing is also a huge
timesaver. It’s a great way to test out new ideas on a small scale without
spending huge amounts of money and time on a larger grain bill for a brew that
you might not like. Furthermore, if you’ve only done extract brewing, this is a
great recipe to take another (albeit simple) step.
First, you’ll need
to steep the specialty grains. These grains are different than base malts
(which need to be mashed to release the fermentable sugars). The Carafoam and
Special B will contribute to this beer’s body and mouth feel, but won’t
significantly contribute to end ABV. Specialty grain malting is an easy way to
add complexity and customize an extract brew.
Start by steeping
the crushed grains (i.e. add grains to a steeping bag or a pair of panty hoes
and put into the water) in ~160 degree water for around 30 minutes. Steeping
(unlike mashing) is less scientific. Don’t fret your temps too much - anything
between 145 and 165 is close enough for jazz. I steeped the grains in a few
gallons of hot water, opting to add more water afterwards to reach my preboil
volume. Smaller amounts of water make the temperature easier to control.
After about a half
hour, I top off the kettle to just under six gallons. Even with extract I
prefer to do full boils. However, if you lack the room in your kettle, you can
always use distilled or sterilized water added directly to your fermenter to
reach the five-gallon mark. Always use the best water you can find –for this I
used mineral spring water that comes from a warm spring a short drive from my
house.
Add your extracts
and bring the wort to a boil. When it starts to boil, add in your 60 minute
hops. Stir constantly and make sure the extract isn’t scorching and the kettle
isn’t boiling over. I use a spray bottle with room temperature water to cool
down hot foam overs. After 45
minutes, add the 15-minute hop and green tea additions and boil for another
fifteen minutes.
When the 60-minute
boil is over, cool down your wort. I used an immersion chiller (and used the
hot water runoff to do a load of laundry), but feel free to use a sink filled
with ice or whatever you can find – always be resourceful! When your wort is
still hot (but not boiling) add the other two ounces of green tea. You want to
make sure that the green tea isn’t heated to the point where bitter and
astringent tannins are released.
When the wort is
cooled, add to the sanitized fermenter. I just added the yeast without a
starter (as I usually do,) but use a yeast starter if you feel you must. Add
your dry hopping additions and ferment for a week at ~65 degrees. I also
allowed two weeks for clearing and settling at ~50 degrees (in my basement). I
kegged and force carbonated this beer, but obviously you can use corn sugar and
bottle, too.
This beer is one of
my favorites. Despite the fact that all the ingredients are inexpensive and
readily available, the end result is something quite unique. The base beer is
essentially pale ale – my favorite beer style. I feel the amount of green tea
in this recipe gives a subtle under taste that you are able to find if you’re
looking for it. It blends nicely with the floral attributes of the hops, and
allows for a somewhat more refreshing finish. Still, some may find this brew
somewhat bitter. If you dislike a high IBU pale ale, try adding only .75 ounces
of Magnum when the boils starts.
Notwithstanding,
feel free add or subtract the amounts of green tea – or even try this technique
with other beer styles. The choice is yours and the possibilities are
limitless. Happy brewing!
*NOTE: If you simply
must brew this all grain, try the following rather than the DME and LME;
10 lbs of pale 2-row
8 oz Carafoam
2 oz Special B
Matt Jones
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