Jamil’s Moonless Tropical Night
Moonless Tropical Night
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.071 (17.4 °P) FG = 1.017 (4.4 °P)
IBU = 45 SRM = 44 ABV = 7.6%
Ingredients
12.5 lb. (5.67 kg) British pale ale malt (3 °L)
0.75 lb. (340 g) black roasted barley (500 °L)
10 oz. (284 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
10 oz. (284 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
0.5 lb. (227 g) chocolate malt (420 °L)
12 AAU Kent Goldings hops (60 min.) (2.4 oz/68 g at 5% alpha acids)
1 tsp. Irish Moss
Wyeast 1028 (London Ale), White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) or Danstar Nottingham yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mill the grains and dough-in targeting a mash of around 1.5 quarts (6 L) of water to 1 pound (0.5 kg) of grain (a liquor-to-grist ratio of about 3:1 by weight) and a temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold the mash at 152 °F (67 °C) until the conversion is complete, about 60 minutes. Raise the temperature to mash out at 168 °F (76 °C). Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting wort until the pre-boil kettle volume is around 6.5 gallons (25 L) and the gravity is 1.055 (13.5°P).
The total wort boil time is 90 minutes. Add the hops with 60 minutes remaining in the boil. Add Irish moss or other kettle finings with 15 minutes left in the boil. Chill the wort rapidly to 67 °F (19 °C), let the break material settle, rack to the fermenter and aerate thoroughly.
Pitch 12 grams (0.4 oz.) of properly rehydrated dry yeast or use two liquid yeast packages. Alternatively, make a three-liter (3-qt.) starter using one package of liquid yeast. Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C), raising the temperature to 70 °F (21 °C) during the last 1⁄3 of fermentation to help reduce diacetyl and assure complete attenuation. Allow the lees to settle and the brew to mature without pressure for another two days after fermentation appears finished.
Rack to a keg and force carbonate or rack to a bottling bucket, add priming sugar, and bottle. Target a carbonation level of two to two and a half volumes.
Moonless Tropical Night
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.071 (17.4 °P) FG = 1.017 (4.4 °P)
IBU = 45 SRM = 44 ABV = 7.6%
Ingredients
6.6 lb. (3 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract (3.5 °L)
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) light dried malt extract (3.5 °L)
0.75 lb. (340 g) black roasted barley (500 °L)
10 oz. (284 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
10 oz. (284 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
0.5 lb. (227 g) chocolate malt (420 °L)
12 AAU Kent Goldings hops (60 min.) (2.4 oz/68 g at 5% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP013 (London Ale), Wyeast 1028 (London Ale) or Danstar Nottingham yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mill or coarsely crack the specialty malts. Mix them well and place loosely in a grain bag. Avoid packing the grains too tightly in the bag, using more bags if needed. Steep the bag in about two gallons (~8 liters) of water at roughly 170 °F (77 °C) for about 30 minutes.
Lift the grain bag out of the steeping liquid and rinse with warm water. Allow the bags to drip into the kettle for a few minutes while you add the malt extract. Do not squeeze the steeping bags. Add enough water to the steeping liquor and malt extract to make a pre-boil volume of 5.9 gallons (22.3 L) and a gravity of 1.061 (14.9 °P). Stir thoroughly to help dissolve the extract and bring the liquid to a boil. Once the wort is boiling, add the bittering hops. The total wort boil time is one hour after adding the bittering hops. Add Irish moss or other kettle finings at 15 minutes.
Chill the wort to 67 °F (19 °C). Aerate thoroughly and pitch 12 grams of properly rehydrated dry yeast or use two liquid yeast packages. Alternatively, make a three-liter (3-qt.) starter using one package of liquid yeast. Follow fermentation and packaging instructions for the all-grain version.
