Pale Ale
- 2 lb. crystal malt
- 2 lb. pale malt
- 5 lb sugar
- 6 oz. hops
- level teaspoonful salt
- ½ oz. citric acid
- yeast - nutrient
Bring seven quarts water to 150°F. Pour this into polythene pail and add the malt at once. Cover the vessel with polythene as directed after inserting the immersion heater, and then wrap the vessel in a blanket to conserve warmth. Switch on the heater and leave for seven-eight hours. At this stage you may try the starch test if you want to.
Strain the mash into the boiler and add four ounces of hops. Boil for one minute and then simmer for forty minutes. Add the remaining hops and boil for a further ten minutes.
Put the sugar and acid in the fermenting vessel and strain the boiling mash on to it through fine muslin.
Stir well, making sure all sugar is dissolved and then make up to four gallons with boiling water.
Cover with sheet polythene as already directed and leave to cool to 65°-70°F. Then add the yeast. Cover again and leave in a warm place for seven or eight days.
If using the hydrometer, take readings after five days until 1.005 is recorded and bottle as already directed.
If not using hydrometer, allow fermentation to go on until beer goes ‘fiat’, and then prime - add sugar to restart fermentation.
If draught beer of this sort is required, then no sugar is added. The beer when ‘fiat’ is either bottled or put into tap-hole jars. But bear in mind what I have already written about the use of tap-hole jars.