Mendocino Brewing Co.’s Red Tail Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash) OG = 1.057  FG = 1.012 IBU = 40  SRM = 11  ABV = 6%

Ingredients

1.5 lb. (0.68 kg) 2-row pale malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) caramel malt (60° L)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Victory® malt
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Briess extra light dried malt extract
4 AAU Cluster hop pellets (60 min.) (1/2 oz./14 g at 8% alpha acids)
7 AAU Cascade hop pellet (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (0 min.) American ale yeast (Wyeast 1056 or White Labs WLP001 or Safale US-05)
3/4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Submerge cracked malts in 1 gallon (4 L) water at 153 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Remove grains and place in a colander. Wash with 1 gallon (4 L) hot water. Add extract and top up to 6 gallons (23 L) and bring to boil. Add Cluster hops, boil 30 minutes. Add Cascade pellets, boil 30 minutes. Turn off heat, add Cascade hops and stir to create a whirlpool. Allow hops to steep 20 minutes the begin to cool the wort. Put wort into your primary fermenter along with enough water to make 5.25 gallons (20 L). When cooled to 70 °F (21 °C), pitch yeast. Ferment warm (68 to 70 °F/20 to 21 °C) for ten days, rack to secondary if you so desire and condition cooler (64 °F/18 °C) for one to two weeks. Prime, bottle and age two to three weeks or keg and force carbonate.

All-grain option: Mash 11 lbs. (5 kg) pale malt, plus the Victory® and caramel as above, in 4 gallons (15 L) water at 153 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Runoff and sparge with 4 gallons (15 L) or enough water to collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) and bring to a boil. You should not need to top up the wort in the fermenter, but time your boil and hop additions to end up with 5.25 gallons (20 L) in the kettle.