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recipe

Aurora (Not So) Blonde Ale

Aurora (Not So) Blonde Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.014 IBU = 25 SRM = 30 ABV = 5.2%

A black blonde? Why not? One evening after a scrumptious lemon-rosemary chicken meal prepared by my wife, Raven, we got to talking about what kind of beer would go with lemon and rosemary and this recipe was the result. The original version of this recipe appeared in the JAN/FEB 2006 issue of Brew Your Own.

Ingredients

9.1 lbs. (4.1 kg) 2-row malt
12 oz. (336 g) white wheat malt
10 oz. (280 g) Vienna malt
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) roasted barley (cold steeped)
5.8 AAU Wakatu pellet hops (45 min.) (0.83 oz./23 g at 7% alpha acids)
2.9 AAU Wakatu pellet hops (10 min.) (0.42 oz./12 g at 7% alpha acid)
½ tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
¼ tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP008 (East Coast Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

This is a single infusion mash. On brew day, mash the crushed 2-row, white wheat and crystal Vienna malts at a 1.5 quarts to 1 pound ratio of strike water (3.1 L/kg) at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until wort runs clear. Sparge with enough water to collect about 6.25 gallons (24 L) of wort in the kettle.

Boil for a total of 45 minutes, adding the hops, Irish moss, and yeast nutrients per the recipe. Chill the wort to pitching temperature, rack to fermenting vessel, and pitch yeast. Ferment for 2 weeks in the 67–69 °F (19-21 °C) range. On day 13, make the roasted barley coloring extract by steeping 1.25 lbs. (567 g) of crushed roasted barley in 2 qts. (2 L) water. On day 14, separate the grain from the coloring extract and boil the extract for 10 minutes. Once cooled to room temperature, add the coloring extract to the fermenter then proceed to package the beer with priming sugar and bottle or keg and force carbonate as normal.

Aurora (Not So) Blonde Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.014 IBU = 25 SRM = 30 ABV = 5.2%

Ingredients

5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
12 oz. (336 g) white wheat malt
10 oz. (280 g) Vienna malt
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) roasted barley (cold steeped)
5.8 AAU Wakatu pellet hops (45 min.) (0.83 oz./23 g at 7% alpha acids)
2.9 AAU Wakatu pellet hops (10 min.) (0.42 oz./12 g at 7% alpha acid)
½ tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
¼ tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP008 (East Coast Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Heat 1 gallon (4 L) of water to 155 °F (68 °C) and add the crushed white wheat and Vienna malt in a mesh bag. Steep for 30 minutes then remove the mesh bag and allowing the grains to drip back into the kettle. Add 3 gallons (11 L) of water, thoroughly mix in the malt extract. Once all malt extract is dissolved, return to heat source and top off kettle to 6.25 gallons (24 L) and bring to a boil.

Boil for a total of 48 minutes, adding the hops, Irish moss, and yeast nutrients per the recipe. Chill the wort to pitching temperature, rack to fermenting vessel, and pitch yeast. Ferment for 2 weeks in the 67–69 °F (19-21 °C) range. On day 13, make the roasted barley coloring extract by steeping 1.25 lbs. (567 g) of crushed roasted barley in 2 qts. (2 L) water. On day 14, separate the grain from the coloring extract and boil the extract for 10 minutes. Once cooled to room temperature, add the coloring extract to the fermenter then proceed to package the beer with priming sugar and bottle or keg and force carbonate as normal.

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