BILL'S RASPBERRY TART ALE

Steps:

• If using liquid yeast,"smack-pack", pop inner seal and let yeast activate per package directions.
• Sanitize a 5 gallon fermenter and airlock.
• Steep the specialty grains (crystal and biscuit malts) in a fine-mesh grain bag in one gallon of water at 155F for 20 minutes.
• Raise temperature to 175F, removing grains after 10 additional minutes (30 minutes total steep time).
• Add malt extract and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Add 1 ounce bittering hops in a cheesecloth hop bag.
• Continue to boil, adjusting heat as necessary, for 25 minutes (no further stirring).
• Add approximately 1/8 ounce of hops to boiling wort in another hop bag.
• Continue boiling for 10 more minutes.
• Add Irish moss and stir in gently.
• Add remaining hops in a hop bag.
• Boil for a final 10 minutes (total boil time 45 minutes).
• Add honey and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Remove brew pot from stove and chill wort using your preferred method (you may opt to set the pot in an ice water bath).
• If using dry yeast, proof it per package directions.
• When wort temperature reaches 100F, top up with cool water to just over 2 1/2 gallons.
• Stir to swirl, cover, and let sit on stove or counter for 30 minutes.
• Pour yeast slurry into fermenter.
• Transfer wort to fermenter, using a racking cane and hose (one method to start to siphon is to fill hose with water, keeping cane and free tube end both elevated; cover tube end, place cane into brewpot, and release tube in fermenter).
• Try to avoid the material settled in the bottom of the brewpot (this stuff is called trub).
• Allow the wort to splash and aerate.
• Put on cover or install drilled stopper and affix airlock, filling airlock halfway with distiller water or grain alcohol.
• Set fermenter in a safe area.
• Room temperature should be in the range of 60-70F.
• Avoid sunlight on your fermenter.
• Fermentation should be evident within a day or so; monitor activity.
• When activity is slowing, sanitize a 3 or 5 gallon fermenter (preferably glass) and racking cane and hose.
• Place raspberries in secondary fermenter (do not boil fruit- it will set the pectin and create a bad haze in the finished beer; if you're concerned about wild yeast on fresh berries, steep them at 165F for 10 minutes, then drain and cool).
• Rack beer onto fruit.
• Affix airlock.
• Allow to sit again.
• Secondary fermantation will be slower and less vigorous.
• Be careful and watch the fermentation- if the fermentation is vigorous,a piece of fruit could possibly block the airlock (if this happens, remove the airlock and use a blow-off tube).
• Leave on berries for 2-4 weeks, until they appear pale pink.
• Fruit may sink when beer is ready to bottle.
• Sanitize bottles (and bottling equipment) or kegging equipment.
• Boil corn sugar in a cup of water for 10 minutes, then cool to room temperature.
• Pour corn sugar solution into bottling bucket.
• Rack beer into bucket, avoiding yeast sediment in fermenter.
• Stir gently to mix well.
• Fill bottles and cap.
• Allow to condition and age for at least one month.
• For any further information on homebrewing, a good reference is"The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by Charlie papazian; it has a good intro to basic techniques and processes.