Listermann’s Nut Brown Ale Recipe

Ingredients:
3.5  lbs. of Canadian light syrup
3.5 lbs. of English malt syrup
0.5 lbs. Pale Malt*
0.75 lbs. 60L crystal malt*
0.5 lbs. Chocolate malt*
2 oz Fuggles pellet hops (bittering)
0.5 oz Golding pellets hops (flavoring)
5 oz (3/4 cup) priming sugar
1 packet of Munton’s Gold ale yeast
2 hop bags
1 grain bag (large)
*All grains provided in one bag

Equipment:
12 qt. or larger pot
Thermometer – freezing to boiling
A large stirring spoon
Fermenter – 6 gallon minimum, with drilled lid
Airlock with stopper

Procedure:
Pour about half of the grain grist into the large grain bag and knot or tie it shut in the middle.  Place the remainder of the grain in the other half of the bag and tie it off sausage style. Pour about 2 gallons of water into the pot, add the grain bag and start to heat on a stove. When the temperature of the water reaches 150ºF, reduce heat and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes. Do not allow the temperature to rise above 160ºF. Reduce with cold water if necessary. Occasionally lift the bag, allow it to drain and return to the water.  After simmering, remove the bag and allow it to drain over the pot.  Do not squeeze. Discard or compost the spent grains.

Increase temperature until boiling is reached and remove from the heat.  Stir the extract syrup into the pot until dissolved. Pour the 2 oz Fuggles hop pellets into a hop bag, tie shut and add to the pot. Return the pot to heat and boil for 45 minutes.  Pour 0.5 oz Golding hop pellets into a hop bag, tie shut and add to the pot and boil 15 minutes. Watch for boil over- they will happen.  Keep a glass of cold water close by to pour in if a boil over happens. The total boil time is 60 minutes.

Remove the hop bag and cool the pot of wort (unfermented beer) by immersing it in a sink or tub of cold water.  The water will need to be changed periodically as it warms.  Ice can be added to the sink toward the end of the cooling.

Make up a solution of Sanitizer by mixing a teaspoon of sanitizing powder with water in the jar.  Sanitize the fermenter by pouring a couple of cups of solution and sloshing it around until all surfaces are wetted.  Rinse the fermenter twice.

When the wort is cooled to about 100° F, pour it into the fermenter and fill with tap water to the five gallon level.  The temperature should be between 65° and 75° F.  Open the yeast package and pour it in.  Violently stir (whip) the wort with a sanitized spoon to aerate.

Wipe the lid with Sanitizer and rinse.  Fit the lid to the fermenter and fit the sanitized air lock, half-filled with water to the lid’s hole.

Place the fermenter in a place where the temperature will be between 65° and 75° F.  In 12 to 24 hours the air lock should start to bubble and thick foam will form on the surface of the wort. Over 5 to 7 days, the bubbles will slow to about one every other minute and the foam will start to disappear. (Note: It is not unusual for the fermentation to be complete very quickly, 1-2 days, especially if the temperature is warm.) Always wait until the foam is gone before proceeding to bottling. There is no need to rush to bottling: the beer will be fine if left in the carboy for several weeks.