Cellarmaker Mt. Nelson Pale Ale

Mill grains and mash at 157°F (69°C) for 45 minutes.

Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate.

Boil for 75 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the schedule.

After the boil, cool wort to 185°F (85°C) (for example, by adding filtered room-temperature water), add whirlpool hops, spin for 7 minutes, then allow to settle and rest for 25 minutes.

Chill to 63°F (17°C), aerate wort, and pitch yeast. Ferment at 66°F (19°C) until the gravity has dropped to about 1.023, then allow free rise up to 72°F (22°C) for diacetyl rest.

When fermentation is complete, drop yeast over 2 days or rack to secondary. Add dry hops and ALDC enzyme, rousing gently with CO2. After 1 or 2 days, when the aroma is appealing and the beer smells clean of acetaldehyde and diacetyl, chill to 32°F (0°C), package and carbonate to 2.5 volumes, and condition for at least 2 days.

BREWER’S NOTES
Water: We have very soft water, so we add about 150ppm chloride (to the mash) as well as sulfate (to the kettle) for an even profile that adds some body but also finishes clean.

Acidification: Use phosphoric acid to adjust your sparge water to 3.0 pH. At wort transfer, use lactic acid to acidify your wort to 5.15 pH.