NorCal Lagunitas IPA Clone DME

NorCal Brewing Solutions Lagunitas India Pale Ale (DME Version)

Ingredients List:
○ 6 Pounds Golden Light DME
○ 1 Pound Pale Ale Malt
○ .4 Pound Carapils Malt
○ .3 Pound Crystal 60 Malt
○ .2 Pound Munich Malt
○ .75 Oz. Magnum Hops 11% alpha acids - 60 minute boil
○ .90 Oz. Cascade Hops 5% alpha acids - 30 minute boil
○ .25 Oz. Willamette Hops 5% alpha acids - 30 minute boil
○ 3.15 Oz. Cascade Hops 5% alpha acids - flame out
○ 5 Teaspoons Fermax
○ 1/4 Oz. Polyclar 10
○ White Labs WLP001 California Ale Yeast -OR- Safale US-05 Dry Yeast

Equipment List:
○ Brew Pot: Pot or Kettle (with lid) that can hold 7+ gallons (28+ quarts) of water.
○ Hot Liquor Pot: Pot or Kettle that can hold 1.5+ gallons (6+ quarts) of water
○ Nylon mesh bag
○ Colander (plastic, metal, etc. is fine)
○ Usual array of fermenting equipment (hydrometer, bucket or carboy, etc.)

Procedure:
○ In the brew pot, heat 76 ounces of water to 160 degrees

○ Place crushed grains into nylon mesh bag. Tie top of bag onto itself to keep it from coming open.

○ Place nylon bag with grains into your brew pot. Temperature should drop to around 154 degrees due to the room temperature grains being introduced to the hot water. If it is a couple degrees too high or too low don't worry.

○ Steep nylon bag at around 154 degrees for 45 minutes. You can bob the bag up and down, but do not squeeze it. You can heat the brew pot on low heat if the temperature drops below 150, but be careful not to scorch the nylon bag or its contents. If you apply heat, try not to let the temperature get above 156 degrees.

○ While grains are steeping, heat 1 gallon of water in the hot liquor pot to 170 degrees.

○ Get the straining colander ready. If it fits nicely over your brew pot and lets you be "hands free" that is great - otherwise you will need a helper. Colander needs to be clean but does not need to be sanitized.

○ When steeping is done, remove the nylon bag from brew pot. Place colander over brew pot, place grain bag into colander above brew pot - again, do not squeeze the bag!

○ Evenly pour the 170 degree water over the top and sides of the nylon bag while it is in the colander. This will extract and rinse any remaining sugars in the crushed grain. DO NOT SQUEEZE the bag trying to get extra "juice" into your brew pot!

○ Remove grain bag from colander, set aside. Remove colander from brew pot.

○ Add approximately 4-1/2 gallons of water to your brew pot – making it a total of 6 gallons in the pot.

○ Bring the 6 gallons of wort to a full boil in the brew pot.

○ While water is heating:
○ Discard spent grains from nylon mesh bag. The spent grains are great for your garden!
○ Thoroughly rinse the nylon mesh bag. You will need it again in a short while.

○ Once boiling, remove brew pot from flame. Slowly stir in contents of dried malt extract. Try to make sure there are no clumps. You don't need to worry about sanitization.

○ Return to flame, and bring to boil again.

NOTE: AS YOU APPROACH 200 degrees watch for boil-over! If foam starts rising, quickly turn down the heat or spray the foam with clean water from a spray bottle. You may have to do this several times.

○ Once you are at full boil and the threat of a boil-over is gone, start your 60 minute timer.

○ Add Magnum hops.

○ Boil vigorously for 30 minutes. This will put you at the "30 minute" mark.

○ At the 30 minute mark add the .90 ounces of Cascade hops and .25 ounces of Willamette hops

○ At the 10 minute mark add 5 teaspoons of Fermax (ratio is 1 teaspoon per gallon of beer).

○ If you are using an immersion chiller, submerge it in the brew kettle at the 10 minute mark. Be careful of any hot water that may come bubbling out of the inlet and outlet of the wort chiller!

○ At the 0 mark, turn off the flame, then add the 3.15 ounces Cascade hops.

○ COVER THE BREW KETTLE AND LET THE WORT SIT 15 MINUTES BEFORE COOLING. This is an unusual step in "normal" brewing, but this is how Tony Magee of Lagunitas Brewing Company says to do it, so we don't question it, right?

AT THIS POINT SANITIZATION IS IMPORTANT THROUGH THE REST OF THE PROCESS!!!

○ If you are using a wort chiller go ahead and start the chilling process. If you are NOT using a wort chiller then leave lid on brew kettle while cooling. Move kettle to ice bath and/or swirling running water in sink to cool contents below 80 degrees.

○ While wort is cooling, sanitize your bucket or carboy, funnel, air lock, nylon straining bag, and any other equipment your wort will come in contact with.

○ Once wort is below 80 degrees, pour the wort out of the brew kettle through nylon straining bag into your bucket or carboy. (If using a carboy you will need a funnel. Pour wort through nylon mesh bag and catch the strained liquid in the funnel).

NOTE: The nylon mesh bag will filter easily at first, but then will start plugging. DO NOT squeeze the bag. Instead, move the contents around the bag by tipping the bag in all directions, letting the wort drain through unclogged mesh openings. Continue to do this until the boil kettle is empty, and what is left behind in the nylon mesh bag is approximately the consistency of cottage cheese. Again - never squeeze the bag!

○ If you have less than 5 gallons of wort, top off bucket or carboy with clean water to the 5 gallon mark. If the water in your area isn't good for brewing (or if you have a well) use purified water or boiled water that has been cooled. DO NOT USE DISTILLED WATER.

NOTE: It is best to pitch yeast at the actual fermentation temperature. That way your yeast will be comfortable that the temperature isn't changing and will go to work faster. Try to adjust the temperature of the added water so that the combined 5 gallons of wort are as close to fermentation temperature as possible.

○ Aeriate the wort as much as possible. This can be done by shaking the carboy side to side, swirling with a large sanitized spoon, or transferring from sanitized bucket to sanitized bucket several times with hard pours. For best results use an aeration system (such as an oxygen stone).

○ Take sample of wort so you can do a gravity reading. Make sure whatever you dip into your wort is sanitized. A wine thief is the perfect tool for taking samples of wort out of your bucket or carboy.

NOTE: Hydrometers are calibrated for accurate readings at 60 degrees. You may need to put your wort sample into the fridge for a while to cool it to 60 degrees.

○ Pitch yeast after sanitizing the yeast packet or vial AND whatever tool you use (scissors, hands, etc.)

○ Cap bucket or carboy. Place airlock into opening. Fill with vodka to designated line. If vodka is not available, use StarSan solution. If StarSan solution not available use plain water.

○ Set in a dark area. Ferment at 70 degrees. If using a carboy, cover carboy so light won't get to your wort.

○ Verify your wort sample is near 60 degrees. Take a gravity reading and write it down in your brewing notes. The gravity reading is the line at which the hydrometer floats in the liquid wort sample - wherever the meniscus of the liquid (without bubbles in it) is at on either side of the hydrometer line: that is your reading.

NOTE: NEVER pour wort samples back into the bucket or carboy! It is not worth the chance of contaminating the wort you worked so hard to make!

○ Wait at least 5 days AFTER airlock stops bubbling before transfer to secondary. The longer you wait the better your beer will taste, but don't go longer than 3 to 4 weeks.

○ Sprinkle ¼ ounce of Polyclar on top of wort once it is in secondary. This will help produce the clearest beer by settling solids to the bottom of your bucket or carboy.

○ Leave in secondary a few days for beer to clear. If you can wait 1 - 2 weeks, that is even better.

○ If bottling: Transfer to bottling bucket. Stir in 1 ounce (by weight) of priming sugar per gallon of beer. It is best if you add the priming sugar to 1 cup of boiling water, then cool to room temperature before adding to bottling bucket.

○ If kegging: Transfer from secondary to keg. Cool keg to 34 degrees. Run 20 - 25 pounds of CO2 initially to speed carbonation, then reduce CO2 pressure to your normal serving pressure.