All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.068  FG = 1.001
IBU = 38  SRM = 3  ABV = 9%

The inaugural Prairie Artisan Ale, a dry, effervescent Belgian-style farmhouse saison that drinks smoothly for a beer of its size.

Ingredients

8.5 lbs. (3.9 kg) Weyermann Pilsner malt
6 oz. (170 g) Weyermann acidulated malt
12 oz. (340 g) red wheat malt
12 oz. (340 g) white wheat malt
12 oz. (340 g) flaked wheat 
1.5 lbs. (680 g) cane sugar (60 min.)
8 AAU German Perle hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 8% alpha acids) 
3.1 oz. (88 g) Czech Saaz hops (0 min.) 
Wyeast 3711 (French Saison), White Labs WLP590 (French Ale), or LalBrew Belle Saison yeast
Wyeast 5112 (Brettanomyces bruxellensis), White Labs WLP650 (Brettanomyces bruxellensis), or equivalent (for bottle conditioning)
Lalvin EC-1118 or equivalent (for bottle conditioning)
½ cup corn sugar (if priming)
½ cup cane sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

This is a single infusion mash with a ratio of 2 qts./lb. (4.2 L/kg) to provide a thin mash with high enzymatic activity. Target a mash temperature of 148 °F (64 °C) and mash 60 minutes or until conversion is complete. Recirculate wort (vorlauf), then sparge with 5 gallons (19 L) of water at 170 °F (77 °C) and collect 7 gallons (26.5 L) of runoff to your boil kettle. Boil for 60 minutes or until target gravity is achieved, adding bittering hops and sugar at start of boil. At flameout, whirlpool and add the Saaz hop addition.

Rapidly chill the wort to 80 °F (27 °C) and transfer the wort to your fermenter. Pitch yeast, oxygenate (if using a liquid yeast strain), and let temperature free rise during fermentation. After fermentation has completed, crash cool, prime and with bottles rated for 3+ volumes of CO₂, use a 50/50 combination of dextrose/cane sugar. Add Brettanomyces brux and Champagne yeast with priming sugar.

Extract-Only Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.068  FG = 1.001
IBU = 38  SRM = 3  ABV = 9%

Ingredients

4.5 lbs. (2 kg) Briess Pilsen dried malt extract
1.5 lbs. (680 g) Briess Bavarian wheat dried malt extract
1 tsp. lactic acid, 88%
1.5 lbs. (680 g) cane sugar (60 min.)
8 AAU German Perle hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 8% alpha acids) 
3.1 oz. (88 g) Czech Saaz hops (0 min.) 
Wyeast 3711 (French Saison), White Labs WLP590 (French Ale), or LalBrew Belle Saison yeast
Wyeast 5112 (Brettanomyces bruxellensis), White Labs WLP650 (Brettanomyces bruxellensis), or equivalent (for bottle conditioning)
Lalvin EC-1118 or equivalent (for bottle conditioning)
½ cup corn sugar (if priming)
½ cup cane sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Before starting your brew, separately pre-boil and chill about 3.5 gallons (13.3 L) of water so you can add that to top up your fermenter later. 

Heat about 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water to near boiling. The exact temperature doesn’t matter since there is no mashing. You want it hot enough to dissolve the malt extract but not too hot that it boils over. Take pot off the heat source and stir in half of the malt extract and lactic acid. Raise to boil, add the bittering hop addition and sugar then boil for 60 minutes, adding the remainder of the malt extract with about 10 minutes remaining. At flameout, whirlpool and add the Saaz hop addition.

Rapidly chill the wort to 80 °F (27 °C) and transfer the wort to your fermenter, topping up with pre-boiled and chilled water to a volume of 5.5 gallons (21 L). Pitch yeast, oxygenate (if using a liquid yeast strain), and let temperature free rise during fermentation. After fermentation has completed, crash cool, prime and with bottles rated for 3+ volumes of CO₂, use a 50/50 combination of dextrose/cane sugar. Add Brettanomyces brux and Champagne yeast with priming sugar.

Tips For Success
Don’t worry about the beer getting too hot during fermentation. Michael Lalli’s personal best is 104 °F (40 °C). Experimenting with slightly underpitching the yeast will likely produce more interesting flavors and aromas.