Pitch Black Schwarzbier

Directions:

1. In a small pot bring 3 or 4 quarts of water to around 150 degrees (bubbles start to form on the bottom.)
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the specialty grains, cover and steep for 20-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, fill the large brew pot half full with water and apply heat.
4. When bubbles start to rise from the large pot, turn off the heat and stir in the extract.
5. After the grains have steeped for 20-30 minutes, pour them through a strainer into the large brew pot.
6. Add some hot water to the small pot and rinse the grains in the strainer.
7. Bring what is now called ‘wort’ to a full, roiling boil. Watch for boilovers!
8. Once the foaming stops, add the contents of the first hop package.
9. Sanitize your fermenter, strainer, airlock & stopper.
10. Maintain the boil for one hour, adding hops as per recipe.
11. When the boil is done, cool the pot in a sink until sides are cool to the touch.
12. Pour the wort into your sanitized fermenter, add pre-chilled water to bring it up to 5 gallons at about 75 degrees and pitch the yeast.
13. Ferment in the temperature range recommended above.
14. Lager at 35F for 3-4 weeks.