Santa Amber

Santa Amber is the sophomore effort from the Dog's Butt Brewery.  It is made with amber malt in the American Micro-brew style.  I've yet to taste the beer, but I'm sure it will be fantastic!

Equipment Needs

1 - 6.5 Gallon Food Grade Plastic Pales for fermentor.
1 - 6.5 Gallon Food Grade Plastic Pale with spigot for bottling.
Airlock.
1 - 4+ Gallon stainless steel stock pot for brew-pot.
Food thermometer capable of measuring up to 220+ degrees.
3 way hydrometer.
3 feet of 3/4 inch plastic tubing.
Siphoning setup.
Long spoon.
45-50 12 oz. Crown Top bottles or equivalent.
45-50 Crown Top Bottle Caps.

Ingredients

6 Lb. Amber Malt Extract.
1 oz. Nugget Bittering Hops (Alpha Acid 13.0 %).
1 oz. Cluster Flavor/Aroma Hops (Alpha Acid 6.8%).
1.75 oz. W1056 American Ale Wyeast Yeast Smack Pack.
3/4 c. Corn Sugar

Procedure

  1. Bring 2 gal. tap water to a boil.
  2. Add 6 Lb. Amber Malt Extract.
  3. Bring to a boil again.
  4. After 10 minutes of re-boil, add bittering hops.
  5. After 45 minutes (total), add 1/2 oz. Cluster (flavor/aroma) Hops.
  6. After 60 minutes (total), remove from heat and steep 1/2 Cluster (flavor/aroma) hops for 1-2 minutes.
  7. Cool to below 80 degrees Fahrenheit, preferably closer to 70 degrees.
  8. Move to fermenting device and fill with cool water to 5 gallons.
  9. Observe gravity reading.
  10. Pitch yeast and agitate for 2 minutes.
  11. Cover and allow to ferment at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
  12. When no bubbles are observed in the airlock, remove cover and observe a gravity reading.
  13. Boil 2 cups of water with 3/4 c. Corn Sugar.
  14. Add corn sugar mixture to bottling bucket.
  15. Siphon beer into bottling bucket with corn sugar.
  16. Bottle.
  17. Keep bottles at room temperature for 1 week then move to cooler place for at least 1 more week.
  18. Enjoy your beer.

Results

I liked this beer much more than the first.  The use of more fresh ingredients from a new brewery supply store helped a lot in this case.  It is amber in color, much darker than the first batch, and has less of an aftertaste than the first batch.  The original gravity observed was 1.040 and a final gravity of 1.011, which yields an alcohol content of 3.91% by volume.  Though I like the taste very much, I wish that it were sweeter, more like Lakefront Stein Beer, or Alaskan Amber.  I will be working at accomplishing this in my next batches.  All in all, though, I can't complain about Santa Amber.  It's good!!!  Mmmm, beer...