Best Case "Silly Yak Gluten Free" Instructions

Your complete recipe should have:

  • a bag of crushed grain
  • hop pellets (1-3 bags)
  • Dried yeast
  • small bag of bottling (corn) sugar

You’ll also need:

  • large pot
  • standard beer making equipment

Please read the instructions through before you begin. There are tips and notes listed throughout that you might want to consider before brewing.

STEP 1

  • In a large pot, bring 4-5 litres of cold water to a boil.
  • Remove the pot from the heat.
  • Add the sorghum syrup, molasses and honey to the water and stir well to dissolve.
  • Put the pot back on the heat and bring mixture (wort) to a boil. Be careful not to boil over!

STEP 2 - HOP ADDITIONS

This step tells you at what point during the boil to add the various hops in your recipe. Hops added at various times during the boil will have different effects to the finished beer.

BOILING HOPS
  • Add your first addition of hops (boiling hops) and boil for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching.
What are boiling hops?

All recipes have boiling (bittering) hops to balance the sweetness of the malt. The hops listed in your recipe as boiling hops should be added as soon as the boil begins, and boiled with the wort for a full 30 minutes to extract the bitterness from the hops.

  • Irish Moss Tablet should be added to the boil for the last 5 minutes to aid with clarity
FINISH HOPS
  • After the 30 minute boil, remove the pot from the heat and immediately add the finish hops.
  • Replace the lid and let the hops steep undisturbed for 5 minutes. This addition should give you the aroma of fresh hops in your beer while not contributing to the bitterness.

STEP 4

  • Pour the hot wort into primary fermenter containing about 4 litres of very cold water. It is not necessary to strain the hops as they will settle out later.
  • Top up the primary fermenter to the 23 litre mark with more very cold water. As soon as you get the temperature below 30 degrees C (the sooner the better) it is time to add your yeast.

Note: placing the hot pot in a sink full of cold water and stirring for a few minutes can be an effective way of getting the temperature down before pouring it into the primary fermenter.

STEP 5 - PITCHING DRIED YEAST

Nottingham ale yeast is grown in a Gluten Free medium.

  • In a sterile cup or bottle, add 3⁄4 of a cup of luke warm water (30-35 degrees C). Sprinkle the yeast from the packet into the water and cover for 10 minutes.
  • Stir and pour the slurry into the unfermented beer. Mix well.
  • Place the lid on top of the fermenter (don’t snap it down). Keep it in an area where you can maintain a constant temperature of 18-23 degrees C. (Hotter is definitely not better.)

STEP 6

  • After approximately 12-24 hours you should see evidence of yeast activity (a layer of foam or kraeusen covering the surface of the beer).
  • After 2-3 days, you will notice that the foam will begin to change in appearance, developing holes, and starting to collapse. It is now time to transfer (rack) the beer into the secondary fermenter.

Note: Neglecting to rack at this time can be hazardous to your beer and you should never let the beer sit in the pail for more than 5 days.

STEP 7

  • Gently siphon the beer into the secondary fermenter being careful not to disturb the sediment. Avoid splashing the beer at this stage by placing the end of the siphon hose at the bottom of the receiving vessel.
  • Add some water to your airlock and attach it to the secondary. Maintain the same temperature and provide a dark environment for this stage of the process. Do not remove the airlock again until bottling day or spoiled beer could result.

STEP 8

  • After 7 to 10 days you will notice that the release of carbon dioxide through the airlock has slowed considerably or stopped completely. The beer is now ready to bottle, but can sit for a few more days if your not in a hurry.
  • On bottling day, check the specific gravity with a hydrometer. Make sure that your final reading is below 1.010 and that the beer appears stable (very little activity in the airlock).

STEP 9 - BOTTLING

  • Bulk Priming: Boil your bottling sugar in 1 cup of water on the stove. Pour this mixture into your sterilized, plastic fermenting pail.
  • Gently rack (syphon) the beer into the plastic bucket. Gently stir the beer to dissolve the sugar mixture into the beer.
  • Syphon the beer into bottles to within 1 1⁄2 inches from the top and cap.

Note: If a little less carbonation is desired, try using a little less priming sugar. For example, try 1 cup instead of 1 1⁄4 cups.

STEP 10

  • Keep the beer at room temperature for 7 to 10 days. Next, move the beer to a cooler location and start to enjoy.
  • Remember, most beer will continue to improve for the next month or so. Cheers and happy brewing!

NOTES

  • Gluten free beer, due to the nature of the ingredients, often will have some haze and keeping a head can be difficult. We think this is a small price to pay for tasty Gluten Free beer. We hope you agree.
  • While none of the ingredients in this beer recipe naturally contain gluten, we cannot guarantee that they have never been in contact with trace amounts or been processed in facilities that also produce products containing gluten.
  • Propylene glycol alginate and maltodextrine are added to the bottling sugar for head retention. These are standard commercial heading agents and are gluten free.
  • Maltodextrine can be made from a variety of starches, including corn, potato, rice or wheat. However the source does not matter because maltodextrin is such a highly processed ingredient that the protein is removed, rendering it gluten free.