Nessie's Horrid Breath Ale

Instructions for batch sparge:
Add as much sparge water at 170F as possible to mash tun, stir for 5 minutes! then cover, let settle for 5 and begin to vorlauf, pouring first quart or so back over grain bed. Trickle left over sparge water over grain bed. Take hydrometer reading of unboiled, mixed wort when you start to boil - take temp, not approx. volume. This is to determine brewhouse efficiency later.

Recipe Notes:
With these hops 1lb or more Rye can be added to complement citrus notes. Also can substitute biscuit/victory malt or more munich malt for more bready malt flavor without added sweetness. Wheat is added to bring light but unique flavor and add body and head. Crystal malt could be substituted or added with any of these if darker color and added sweetness is desired.

First wort hopping is done by adding boil hops directly to boil keg as mash is being sparged. They extract flavor and smooth boil bitterness during this process and as the wort is being brought to boil. All other hops should be added to large mesh bag.

Add irish moss at 45'.


Pitching instructions: prepare yeast when wort has been chilled to around 80F.

S-04 rehydration instructions @ http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SFA_S04.pdf

Draw off 1 pt wort at 86F-74F in sanitized container, sprinkle yeast from packet, stir for 30' while chilling rest of wort temp to 70-65F. Then rack to carboy, add rehydrated yeast and wort back to carboy.

I aerated the carboy as the wort was racking from the boil keg and thought this was very effective.

Fermentation instructions: I started fermentation in low 60's or high 50's. The fermentation began around 8-12 hrs later and ramped the temp naturally to around 65F for the first 24-30 hrs, then it rose gradually to 68F or higher. After the activity peaks around 68F, I let off the blow-off and used the heat stick to keep ambient temp high at 65-68F. This yeast is best started low, then ramped up gradually to 68F. It being English, needs the higher final temperature to clean up off-flavors for about a week+. After that continue to age in primary for another week-2 weeks.

Dry-hop:
After a few weeks in primary, rack to secondary and bring temperature up to around 70 in order to extract hop flavor. Determine dry-hopping rates after tasting racked beer. Dry hop once for 5 days, and add second dry hop if needed. Then remove hops and bring beer to coldest possible temp for several days - then bottle.