Knotted Root Brewing Company’s Perpetually Unimpressed clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.015
IBU = 80 SRM = 7 ABV = 8.1%
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Pilsner malt
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) Simpsons Golden Promise pale ale malt
1.6 lbs. (0.71 kg) flaked oats
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Rahr white wheat malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Golden Naked Oats® malt
7 oz. (200 g) honey malt
4 oz. (113 g) acidulated malt
6 oz. (170 g) Citra® hops (hop stand)
10 oz. (283 g) Nelson Sauvin hops (dry hop #1)
10 oz. (283 g) Nelson Sauvin hops (dry hop #2)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) yeast or Omega OYL-052 (Conan) or LalBrew New England yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mill the grains, then mix with 4.9 gallons (18.5 L) of 167 °F (75 °C) strike water to achieve a single infusion rest temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). At this time add 50 ppm of gypsum. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Mashout to 170 °F (77 °C) if desired.
Vorlauf until your runnings are clear before directing them to your boil kettle. Batch or fly sparge the mash to obtain 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort. Pre-boil pH should 5.2 to 5.4. Boil for 90 minutes.
After the boil, add 150 ppm of calcium chloride, cool the wort to approximately 190 °F (88 °C), and add the Citra® hops. Whirlpool for 40 minutes before further chilling the wort to 68 °F (20 °C). Pitch yeast. Maintain rough fermentation temperature but allow for a free rise to 72 °F (22 °C) by the end of primary fermentation for this beer.
Once primary fermentation is complete, rack the beer off the trub or drop the cone at ambient temperature. Add the dry hops sequentially as indicated and let them extract for 1 day each. During this time shake the carboy or degas with CO2 to increase the rate of hop oil extraction. Cold crash for 24 hours before bottling or kegging the beer. Carbonate to approximately 2.3–2.4 volumes.
Knotted Root Brewing Company’s Perpetually Unimpressed clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.015
IBU = 80 SRM = 7 ABV = 8.1%
Ingredients
3.3 lbs. (1.50 kg) Pilsner dried malt extract
3 lbs. (1.36 kg) pale ale dried malt extract
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) wheat dried malt extract
1.6 lbs. (0.71 kg) flaked oats
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Golden Naked Oats® malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) honey malt
½ tsp. 88% lactic acid
6 oz. (170 g) Citra® hops (hop stand)
10 oz. (283 g) Nelson Sauvin hops (dry hop #1)
10 oz. (283 g) Nelson Sauvin hops (dry hop #2)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) yeast or Omega OYL-052 (Conan) or LalBrew New England yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Bring 5.5 gallons (21 L) of water to roughly 150 °F (66 °C). Steep both types of oats and the honey malt for 15 min before removing and draining. Add all the types of DME, with stirring, before heating to a boil. Add the lactic acid, then boil for 15 minutes.
Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe instructions for post-boil and fermentation directions.
Tips for Success:
With such a fruity, hop-forward beer, you could correctly assume that water chemistry is quite important. For the all-grain brewer, shoot for a 3:1 ratio of chloride-to-sulfate prior to pitching. Unfortunately, for the extract brewer, you’re at the whims of the maltster. If you’re feeling adventurous, add 50–100 ppm of calcium chloride to tilt the balance to chlorides. Personally, I’d err on the side of caution as too little will still make the batch drinkable but too much may cause it to leave a “chemical” taste on the tongue.
The other major consideration to concern yourself with is the yeast pitch rate. With an OG = 1.076, I’d recommend a fresh starter. A strong, healthy fermentation will afford a well-attenuated beer with proper biotransformation of hop oils.
