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Kyler's Cascadian Dark Ale

5.0

(1)

Kyler Serfass, manager of Brooklyn Homebrew, shared this recipe as part of Epicurious' homebrewing primer and how-to videos. Cascadian dark ales, which are also called India black ales or Black IPAs, are dark hoppy beers that are growing in popularity among homebrewers.

Cooks' note:

The Final Gravity should measure approximately as low as 1.003, or as high as 1.020 depending on the recipe used. If there is no measurable change for at least 3 consecutive days, fermentation has most likely finished.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 5 gallons

Ingredients

Fermentables:

2 pounds Maris Otter
8 ounces C60

Special Roasted grains added to the last 10 minutes of the mash:

8 ounces Carafa Special II
8 ounces Roasted Barley
6.6 pounds Gold Liquid Malt Extract
1 pound Extra Light Dry Malt Extract

Hop Additions (17 HBU):

1 ounce Warrior (Bittering, 60 minutes)
1 ounce Cascade (Flavor, 15 minutes)
1 ounce Mt. Hood (Aroma, 5 minutes)
1 ounce Centennial (Aroma, 1 minute)

Dry Hop Additions*:

1 ounce Cascade
1 ounce Centennial

Recommended Additions:

1/2 tablet Whirlfloc (clarifying aid)

Recommended Yeast:

Wyeast #1056 American Ale

1332 Northwest Ale

1272 American Ale II

Safale US-05

Priming Sugar:

3/4 cup Dextrose (corn sugar) OR 1 1/4 cup Dried Malt Extract

Note:

*After the first 3 days of active fermentation, add the dry hop additions into the fermentor. Let sit for another 5 days, then rack (transfer) to a secondary vessel. Allow to sit for another 5 days, or until the hops particles have settled to the bottom and the final gravity is reached.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Steep grains in 1.5 gallons water at 152°F for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, add the second bag of roasted grain, and continue steeping for 10 minutes more. Next, remove all of the grains and rinse them with 1 to 2 gallons of very hot (170°F) water, saving the rinse water and adding it to the kettle. Discard the grains. Top off kettle with water to make 3-5 gallons (dependent on kettle size).

    Step 2

    Bring water to a boil then stir in malt extract until dissolved.

  2. Step 3

    Add bittering hops and boil wort vigorously for 45 minutes.

    Step 4

    After 45 minutes, add the flavor hops and boil for 10 minutes.

    Step 5

    After 10 minutes add the first addition of aroma hops and boil for 4 minutes.

    Step 6

    After the 4 minutes add the last addition of aroma hops and boil for 1 minute.

  3. Step 7

    During the final 10 minutes of the boil add Whirlfloc, or similar clarifying aid.

  4. Step 8

    Rapidly cool wort to below 70°F; from this point on, use only properly sanitized utensils and equipment! Transfer the wort to the sanitized fermenting bucket or carboy. Top off with water to make 5 gallons, making sure that any water you add gets thoroughly mixed with the wort before taking a test sample.

    Step 9

    Take sample of wort and measure the Original Gravity with a hydrometer (with sample at 60°F). DO NOT add sample back to cooled wort.

    Step 10

    Pitch the yeast into cooled wort. Aerate the wort thoroughly. If you don't own an aeration pump or pure-oxygen system then aerate wort by vigorously stirring with a sanitized utensil or shaking/rocking the sealed fermenter back and forth for 5 or 10 minutes.

    Step 11

    Ferment for approximately 3 days at the temperature recommended by the yeast manufacturer. Generally, for Ales: 55°F to 78°F, and for Lagers: 46°F to 58°F.

  5. Bottling:

    Step 12

    Boil the priming sugar with a small amount of water for 5 to 10 minutes then add to the bottling bucket. Siphon the finished beer off from the layer of sediment into the bottling bucket. Fill sanitized bottles and cap.

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