Brooklyn Lager

Mash the grains at 118°F (47°C) for 20 minutes. Ramp up to 135°F (57°C) and hold for 5 minutes. To reach the saccharification temperature of 156°F (69°C), there are two methods, depending on your equipment. If your heat source can raise the temperature of the mash rapidly (in 5 to 10 minutes), then do so. If not, add 200°F (93°C) water to the mash, stirring vigorously to avoid hot spots, until you reach the target temperature. (American 2-row pale malt is diastatically powerful, and if the mash isn’t heated quickly enough, the resulting wort will be too fermentable.) Hold for 35 minutes at 156°F (69°C), then ramp up to mash out at 170°F (77°C). Vorlauf and then sparge at 170°F (77°C) until you’ve collected enough wort (gravity should be 13°P/1.053 SG). Boil for 75 minutes, adding the hops as instructed. (Brooklyn Brewery’s boil is 15 minutes longer, but boiling longer over a direct flame would result in too much color development). If necessary, adjust the volume to 5 gallons (19 L). Cool to 55°F (13°C) and pitch the yeast. Once activity has clearly started (approximately 24 hours for lagers), ferment at 52°F (11°C). As activity subsides toward the end of fermentation, allow a free rise to 60°F (16°C) over 48 hours. Once the fermentation is finished, bring the temperature to 36°F (2.2°C) for lagering. After 1 week at 36°F (2.2°C), add the dry hops and hold for 10 days.