[Ravensfort] An Ale Recipe for the brewers...

[Charley Atchley]

PLEASE!!! talk to Zork, me or some one who brews, before trying this recipe.
Some of the brewing techniques are a bit rough. This will work as a beer,
and is probably a great beer, but for example saying use spring water is
about like saying "put some sauce in your food." What kind of water? Does he
mean hard water, soft water, water with high sodium or high bicarbonate. I
think he means non-chlorinated Scottish ale takes a fairly specific type of
water. The yeast technique listed below is just plain bad advice.

Athaulf
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May your life amuse the gods.
-- Dave Duncan

>>Hailsan all,
>>   Well, here it is,my recipe for strong Scottish ale, the very one
>that I
>>had at the moot, and the same as the one I am drinking right now. I
>have not
>>alteres it or left anything out. I will upload it to the file
>section of
>>this list as well, and if anyone has any questions about it, feel
>free to
>>ask me.
>>Good luck, and svae me a bottle or two of it to taste....
>>Frith,
>>Michael M
>>
>>Clan Murray's Dark Highland Strong Scottish Ale
>>   OK, first off, this is the most difficult recipe that I make. I
>started
>>out with a recipe purportedly from Scotland, and have modified it
>over the
>>years. The recipe I am writing is for the ale that I had with me at
>the ANA
>>Moot. It requires grinding ones own grain, and patience. While some
>of the
>>ingredients are canned and packaged, part of the flavor I am sure
>is from
>>the water from which it is made. While I am certain that no one
>will make it
>>and have it taste exactly as mine does, I am equally certain that
>the result
>>will be a truly excellent beer. This recipe is to make five gallons
>of beer.
>>I like to use a six-gallon carboy due to the violent fermentation
>that
>>occurs with this one, as well as a blow off tube and water jug for
>the
>>initial 24 hours or so of fermentation. Please read the directions
>all of
>>the way through before starting.
>>   First, the ingredients, then the process.
>>
>>Two cans, 6.6 lbs., of Munton's Amber malt extract
>>1 & 1/2 lbs., of Munton's dry malt extract
>>3 lbs. Honey, preferably good, unprocessed clover or heather honey
>>½ lb. CaraPils Malted barley
>>½ lb. Aromatic Malted barley
>>1 & ½ lbs. Crystal Malted barley
>>1 Oz. Roasted Malt
>>1&1/2 oz. Northern hops
>>¼ tsp. Irish Moss
>>1 pack Ale yeast
>>
>>   Start by grinding the grains into a large kettle. Once they are
>ground,
>>add approximately one gallon of water. Here is where things might
>get
>>interesting, as I recommend using only spring or well water.
>>   Steep the grains by bringing the mixture to a slow boil, stirring
>>occasionally, just to where it starts to steam, and then let the
>mix sit and
>>steep for 20 minutes.
>>   Take the mixture, and pour it through a strainer into a large, 4
>gal. Plus
>>size kettle. I usually have to pour about 1/3 of the grain into the
>strainer
>>at a time. When you have a goodly amount of the grain in the
>strainer, pour
>>cold water through it and let it drain into the larger kettle. This
>process
>>is called sparging. When you have sparged each strainer full of
>grain two or
>>three times, or until the liquid coming out of the strainer is
>clear. This
>>removes all of the available malt sugars from the grain and gets it
>into the
>>wort, or soon to be beer.
>>   Now that you have a fair quantity of sparged liquid in your brew
>kettle,
>>turn the heat up under it and bring it to a boil. When the wort is
>boiling,
>>add the two cans of liquid malt, the dry malt, hops and the honey.
>Oh yeah,
>>the liquid malt is very thick, so I always cook the open cans in a
>pot of
>>water to make them easier to pour. You should probably get this
>going on
>>about the time that you steep the grains. When you have all of these
>>ingredients added to the wort, stir occasionally over high heat
>until it
>>returns to a boil. Watch it carefully so that it doesn't boil over,
>stirring
>>occasionally, and allow it to boil for an hour. You will likely
>need to
>>reduce the heat under it a bit.
>>   When the wort has been boiling for 45 minutes, add the Irish
>moss. This is
>>seaweed that is used in brewing to clarify the beers and meads and
>stuff.
>>Works great.
>>   When the wort has boiled for an hour total, let it cool some.
>>   Oh yeah, another thing. At about half an hour into the process,
>boil some
>>water and pour about a cup of it into a..cup. Put a thermometer in
>it, and
>>when it reaches 110-100 degrees F., add the yeast to it. Let this
>stand for
>>15 minutes.
>>   Pour the wort through a strainer funnel into the carboy. Using
>spring or
>>well water, bring the total volume in the carboy up to 5 gallons.
>This
>>usually cools the wort to about 100 degrees F. The wort and the
>yeast
>>culture need to be within 5 degrees of each other to avoid thermal
>shock to
>>the yeast, typically producing death.
>>   Once you have inoculated the wort with the yeast, insert a rubber-
>brewing
>>stopper into the mouth of the fermentor, and insert about 2 ½ feet
>of food
>>grade tubing into the stopper. Place the other end of the tube into
>a
>>container of water, submerging the end at least 3-4 inches. This
>forms an
>>airlock that will allow the gases and other things that are going
>to blow
>>off during the initial fermentation. Once the krewsening ,  or super
>>fermentation stage passes, a standard airlock can be used.
>>   Allow the wort to ferment until it is finished. Usually this
>takes 5-7
>>days. When fermentation is completed, transfer the beer into a
>bottling
>>bucket, add a boiled mixture of  3/8 cup dry light malt and 3/8 cup
>corn
>>sugar to prime the beer in the bottle, to get it carbonated. Bottle
>the
>>beer.
>>   I watch mine, and when I can see a white ring at the bottom of the
>>bottles, I try one. This usually takes from two weeks to a month.
>If you
>>drink a 'green' brew, it will likely induce diarrhea.
>>   The older this brew gets, the more it changes. After about 6
>months, it
>>gets a flavor much like a good Scotch whisky.
>
>
>
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