Rockford Brewing Co.’s Rockford Country Ale clone

Rockford Brewing Co.’s Rockford Country Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.058   FG = 1.007
IBU = 28   SRM = 7   ABV = 6.8%

This unfiltered French farmhouse-style ale features a copper color and the yeast lends estery notes of pear and apricot.

Ingredients
9.5 lbs. (4.3 kg) 2-row pale malt
9 oz. (0.25 kg) Munich malt
6 oz. (0.17 kg) white wheat malt
4 oz. (0.11 kg) Caravienne malt (20 °L)
4 oz. (0.11 kg) Victory® malt
3 oz. (85 g) Carapils® malt
9.2 oz. (0.26 kg) beet sugar (10 min.)
5.33 AAU Brewers Gold hop pellets (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 7.1% alpha acids)
2 AAU Hallertau hop pellets (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4% alpha acids)
1 AAU Hallertau hop pellets (10 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 4% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (30 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP566 (Belgian Saison II) or Wyeast 3711 (French Saison) or Lallemand Belle Saison yeast
3⁄4 cup (133 g) of dextrose (if priming)

Step by Step
This is a single step infusion mash. Mix all of the crushed grains with 4.9 gallons (18.5 L) of 168 °F (76 °C) water to stabilize at 148 °F (64 °C). This is a medium-thin mash using 1.4 quarts (1.3 L) of strike water per pound of grain. This is designed to help achieve maximum fermentability. Mash for 60 minutes then slowly sparge with 175 °F (79 ºC) water.

Collect approximately 6.2 gallons (23.5 L) of wort runoff to boil for 60 minutes. While boiling, add the hops, Irish moss and yeast nutrient and beet sugar as per the schedule.

Cool the wort to 75 °F (24 °C) and transfer to your fermenter. Pitch the yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to 66 °F (19 °C). Hold at that temperature until fermentation is complete. This may take 10–14 days. Gently transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing to prevent aerating the beer. Allow the beer to condition for an additional week. Prime and bottle condition or keg and force carbonate to 2.7 volumes CO2. Allow the beer to age for two more weeks to fully develop the flavors.

Partial Mash Option:
Scale the 2-row pale malt down to 1 lb. (0.45 oz.), and add 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Briess light, unhopped malt extract and 2 lbs. (0.9 kg) light, dried malt extract. Steep the milled grain in 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water at 148 °F (64 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from the wort and rinse with 2 quarts (2 L) of hot water. Add the malt extracts and boil for 60 minutes. While boiling, add the hops, Irish moss, yeast nutrient and beet sugar as per the schedule. When the boil is complete add the wort to 2 gallons (7.6 L) of cold water in the sanitized fermenter and top up to 5 gallons (19 L). Cool the wort to 75 °F (24 °C). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.