Grantham Mild

Grantham Mild

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.036 FG = 1.009
IBU = 22 SRM = 20 ABV = 3.5%

Ingredients
5.8 lbs. (2.6 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
0.5 lbs. (0.23 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
6 oz. (0.17 kg) crystal malt (80 °L)
6 oz. (0.17 kg) crystal malt (120 °L)
3 oz. (85 g) chocolate rye malt (250 °L)
3 oz. (85 g) chocolate malt (450 °L)
5 AAU East Kent Goldings hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast Labs 1028 (London Ale) or White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 2.3 gallons (8.8 L) of 160 °F (71 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 148 °F (64 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear and lauter. Sparge the grains with 4.9 gallons (18.5 L) water and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list. After the boil, turn off heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for seven days. Raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for seven more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging at 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity.

Grantham Mild

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.037 FG = 1.010
IBU = 22 SRM = 20 ABV = 3.5%

Ingredients
4.2 lbs. (1.9 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
0.5 lbs. (0.23 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
6 oz. (0.17 kg) crystal malt (80 °L)
6 oz. (0.17 kg) crystal malt (120 °L)
3 oz. (85 g) chocolate rye malt (250 °L)
3 oz. (85 g) chocolate malt (450 °L)
5 AAU East Kent Goldings hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast Labs 1028 (London Ale) or White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Bring 5.6 gallons (21.2 L) of water to 162 °F (72 °C) and hold there, and steep milled specialty grains in grain bags for 15 minutes. Remove the grain bags, and let drain fully. Add liquid extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list. After the boil, turn off heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for seven days. Raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for seven more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging at 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity.

Tips for Success:
Don’t be afraid of the low mash temperature here. The presence of so many crystal malts will add plenty of body and character to your beer, and a highly fermentable wort will mean that the beer keeps its “drinkable” status. If you find this one too darkly malty for your taste you can go one or two steps lighter on the crystals’ Lovibonds (20 or 40 for the Crystal 60, 60 for the 80, etc.), maybe add in some interesting light character malts (Victory®, biscuit) and swap in some pale chocolate or dehusked malts for the chocolate malts to keep it from going too malty/roasty. And if you have access to them, definitely make use of British crystal malts (light, medium, dark). The Lovibond numbers won’t match exactly, but that’s fine — it might just be in my head, but I find the beer tastes a bit more authentic when you use native ingredients.