Beer Recipe of the Week: Uncommonly Lucky

Recipe located in Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer. (Pages 108-110)

This week's recipe is for Uncommonly Lucky, an award winning California Common by Jamil Zainasheff. California Common's are fairly malty yet dry and known for toasted, grainy, and carmel notes in both the flavor and aroma. Common's tends to be bitter, but by no means overwhelmingly bitter. Hops used for this beer lend an almost woody taste to the beer in the flavor and aroma, and also help with a firm dry finish. Enjoy!

Extract Recipe 5 gallons (19 L)

Ingredients:

6 lb (2.7 kg)	Light Liquid Malt Extract
1 lb (.45 kg)	Munich Light Liquid Malt Extract
1.75 lb (.8 kg)	Medium Crystal Malt (40 °L)
7 oz (.2 kg)	Victory Malt
2 oz (56 g)	Pale Chocholate Malt (200 °L)
1 oz (28 g)	Northern Brewer Hop Pellets, 6.5% Alpha Acid (60 min)
1.5 oz (42 g)	Northern Brewer Hop Pellets, 6.5% Alpha Acid (15 min)
1.5 oz (42 g)	Northern Brewer Hop Pellets, 6.5% Alpha Acid (1 min)
* 2 - 2.5 tubes/packets	WLP810 San Fransisco Lager/Wyeast 2112 California Lager

* or make a starter, here's a link to the homebrewopedia on making a starter. http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/YeastStarter Give it a shot!

Original Specific Gravity: 1.062

Final Specific Gravity: 1.018

Boil Time: 60 minutes

Directions:

Place the grains in a muslin sack and then steep the grains in 1.5 gallons of water at 160° F (71.1° C) for 30 minutes. Take out the grains and hold them over the kettle allowing the remaining water to drip back into the kettle. Do not squeeze the grains. Squeezing the grains could result in bitter tannin extraction. Top up your brew kettle to 3 gallons and bring to a rolling boil (If possible, top up to 6 gallons and conduct a full boil). Stir in the malt extracts and bring kettle to a rolling boil. Add 1 oz of Northern Brewer hops and allow to boil for the full 60 minutes. Be careful when adding hops as you may encounter a boil over during the first hop addition. With 15 minutes left in the boil add 1.5 oz of Northern Brewer hops. When there's only 1 minute left in the boil add the remaining 1.5 oz of hops to the boil. Allow the wort to cool and then pitch the yeast around 65° F (18° C). Ferment around 62° F (16.5° C) to 65° F (18° C). Cooler fermenting temperatures are more ideal. Allow to ferment for several weeks. After several weeks check the gravity to ensure fermentation has completed. Carbonate the beer around 2.5 volumes of CO₂.

All Grain Recipe 5 gallons (19 L)

Ingredients:

8.5 lb (3.85 kg)	American Two-Row Malt
.8 lb (363 g)	Munich Malt
1.75 lb (.8 kg)	Medium Crystal Malt (40 °L)
7 oz (.2 kg)	Victory Malt
2 oz (56 g)	Pale Chocholate Malt (200 °L)
1 oz (28 g)	Northern Brewer Hop Pellets, 6.5% Alpha Acid (60 min)
1.5 oz (42 g)	Northern Brewer Hop Pellets, 6.5% Alpha Acid (15 min)
1.5 oz (42 g)	Northern Brewer Hop Pellets, 6.5% Alpha Acid (1 min)
* 2 - 2.5 tubes/packets	WLP810 San Fransisco Lager/Wyeast 2112 California Lager1

* or make a starter, here's a link to the homebrewopedia on making a starter. http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/YeastStarter Give it a shot!

Original Specific Gravity: 1.060

Final Specific Gravity: 1.015

Boil Time: 60 min

Directions:

Conduct a mash at 150° F (66° C) for 60 minutes then sparge. Collect roughly 6 gallons of runoff and bring to a rolling boil. Once at a rolling boil add 1 oz of Northern Brewer hops and allow them to boil for the full 60 minutes. Be careful when adding hops as you may encounter a boil over during this first hop addition. With 15 minutes left in the boil add 1.5 oz of Northern Brewer hops. When there's 1 minute left in the boil add 1.5 oz of Northern Brewer hops. Allow the wort to cool and then pitch the yeast around 65° F (18° C). Ferment around 62° F (16.5° C) to 65° F (18° C). Cooler fermenting temperatures are more ideal. Allow to ferment for several weeks. After several weeks check the gravity to ensure fermentation has completed. Carbonate the beer around 2.5 volumes of CO₂.

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