Recipe

Mt. Shasta Brewing Co.’s Abner Weed Amber Ale clone

Abner Weed Amber Ale clone
Mt. Shasta Brewing Co., CA

(5 gallons/ 19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.051 FG = 1.008
IBUs = 41 SRM = 11  ABV = 5.5 %

Ingredients
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Coopers Light, unhopped malt extract
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) light dried malt extract
0.6 lb. (0.27 kg) Munich malt
0.6 lb. (0.27 kg) crystal malt (15 °L)
0.6 lb. (0.27 kg) crystal malt (40 °L)
0.6 lb. (0.27 kg) crystal malt (70 °L)
6.5 AAU Chinook pellet hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./ 14 g of 13% alpha acids)
1.4 AAU Cascade pellet hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./ 7 g of 5.5% alpha acids)
3.9 AAU Chinook pellet hops (30 min.) (0.3 oz./ 8.5 g of 13% alpha acids)
1.1 AAU Cascade pellet hops (30 min.) (0.2 oz./ 5.7 g of 5.5% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade whole leaf hops (dry hop)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (15 mins.)
White Labs WLP001 (American Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
0.75 cup (150 g) corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Steep the crushed grain in 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water at 150 ºF (65.5 ºC) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from the wort and rinse with 2 quarts (1.8 L) of hot water. Add the liquid and dried malt extracts and bring to a boil. Add the hops and Irish moss as per the schedule. Add the wort to 2 gallons (7.6 L) of cold water in the sanitized fermenter and top off with cold water up to 5 gallons (19 L).
Cool the wort to 75 ºF (24 ºC). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to 70 ºF (21 ºC) and hold it there until fermentation is complete. Transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing. Add the dry hops and let the beer condition for one week. Strain the dry hops and then bottle or keg. Allow to carbonate and age for two weeks.

All-grain option: This is a single step infusion mash. Replace the malt syrup with 8.5 lbs. (3.9 kg) 2-row pale malt. Mix the crushed grains with 3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of 168 °F (75.5 °C) water to stabilize at 150 ºF (65.5 ºC) for 60 minutes. Sparge slowly with 175 ºF (79 ºC) water. Collect approximately 6 gallons (23 L) of wort runoff to boil for 60 minutes. Reduce the 60 minute hop additions to 0.4 oz. (11 g) Chinook and 0.2 oz. (5.6 g) Cascade to allow for the higher utilization factor of a full wort boil. The remainder of this recipe and procedures are the same as the extract with grain recipe.
Note: A thin mash is recommended by the brewer (1.5 quarts/1.4 L) strike water for each pound of grain).

Issue: September 2008

Leaning more towards the malty side of the spectrum, Abner Weed Amber Ale balances itself out with a touch of American hops and clean yeast profile.