Skeff Winter Stout

Prepare a yeast starter a day or two before you start your brewing. Mix the crushed grains well in a clean, dry bucket. Heat 11 qts. of water to 174° F. Mash in slowly in stages, as described below. The temperature of the mash should be between 150° and 158° F. Within this range, higher levels give a less fermentable wort and a more full-bodied beer. Lower temperatures give a more fermentable wort. Acidify 5 gals. of sparge water to a pH of 5.7 using lactic acid. Homebrewing shops sell solutions of 88 percent lactic acid concentration. A stock solution of the acid may be prepared by mixing 2 tsp. into 3 cups of water. This stock solution can be stored, and using about 1/2 cup will reduce the pH of 5 gals. of tap water to nearly 5.7. Be sure to verify this using pH papers or some other means. Acidification prevents excessive extraction of husk tannins. Heat the acidified sparge water to a temperature at or just below 170° F. Maintain the mash vessel at temperature for at least 1 hour. Mash out, raising the temperature of the mash to 168° F. To begin the sparge, slowly drain and collect 1/2 gal. wort from the lauter tun, then gently pour this back on top of the grain bed. Repeat twice more; this establishes the grain bed and produces relatively clear initial runnings of wort by filtering out any fine grain particles within the bed. Begin the sparge, maintaining the sparge water at or just below 170° F. Typically sparging for this recipes takes 45 min. to 1 hour. More time is needed if the oat content is increased. Collect 6.5 gals. of wort.

Boil the wort vigorously for 15 min. Add hops and boil 30 more min. Add Irish moss and boil 15 more minutes. Total boil is 60 min. Cool the wort to room temperature within 30 min. of the end of the boil. Siphon the wort off the trub into a sanitized fermenter. Aerate the wort for 15 min. Pitch the yeast starter. Seal the fermenter with an air lock, and let the fermentation proceed until complete.