Crooked Nail Rustic Ale

Crooked Nail Rustic Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.045  FG = 1.010
IBU = No hops  SRM = 9  ABV = 4.6%

With no hops, homemade base malt, and recycled yeast, this beer is pretty rustic, but the wild herbs perfectly complement the grain bill to give a rich, earthy flavor. This brew uses a hybrid temperature step mash and cereal mash to get the most out of the home-malted corn.

Ingredients
6.3 lbs. (2.86 kg) popping corn
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) Munich malt
13 oz. (370 g) rye malt
10 oz. (285 g) medium crystal malt (60 °L)
0.6 oz. (17 g) dried ground ivy (60 min.)
1.3 oz. (37 g) dried mugwort (60 min.)
1–1.5 cups of SafAle S-04 yeast trub from a previous batch (or other yeast trub)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by step
You will need to malt the popping corn 8–10 days before brewing according to the instructions outlined in the Pantry Brew article, making about 5.7 lbs. (2.56 kg) of corn malt. 

On brew day, heat 1.75 gallons (6.7 L) of water to around 109–111 °F (43–44 °C) and stir in the crushed corn malt to achieve an initial mash temperature of around 104 °F (40 °C). Hold it at this temperature for 30 minutes. Then add 2 quarts (1.9 L) of boiling water to raise the mash temperature to around 122 °F (50 °C) and hold at this temperature for 30 minutes. Then drain off 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of the mash liquid and store this in the fridge (you will need this later). Add 0.8 gallons (3 L) of boiling water to the mash to raise the temperature to around 152–154 °F (67–68 °C) and hold it at this temperature for 30 minutes. Add another gallon (3.8 L) of water and heat the mash to around 194 °F (90 °C), holding at this temperature for 30 minutes. Cool to 169 °F (76 °C), then add the other malts and the 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of liquid from the fridge and reheat the mash to 151 °F (66 °C) and hold at this temperature for 2 hours. Sparge with 170 °F (77 °C) water to collect 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. 

Boil the wort for 60 minutes, add-ing the mugwort and ground ivy at the start of the boil. At the end of the boil, remove the mugwort and ground ivy, then chill the wort to around 68 °F (20 °C) and aerate well before pitching the yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) for 7 days, then chill to around 39 °F (4 °C), if possible, for two days. Rack to keg or bottles and either prime with the sugar or carbonate to around 2.0–2.5 volumes.