AppleBeerDay

This beer was named by my niece. When she was 18 months old she said "AppleBeerDay" instead of Happy Birthday. Just seemed fitting for

Brewer:	Dogleg		Email:	kyle@jlsrebar.com
Beer:	AppleBeerDay		Style:	Belgian Fruit Lambic
Type:	Extract w/grain		Size:	5.5 gallons
Color:	12 HCU (~8 SRM)		Bitterness:	45 IBU
OG:	1.056		FG:	1.012
Alcohol:	5.7% v/v (4.5% w/w)
Grain:	1.5 lb. Wheat malt 2 lb. American crystal 20L .5 lb. Raw wheat
Steep:	Step mash the grains. I did this by heating two pots of water. Heat 4 gallons to 128 for 30 minutes then add 2 gallons that is heated to 190 which will mix to 160. Leave for 30 minutes
Boil:	60 minutes	SG 1.047	6.5 gallons
	2 lb. Diced Green Apple 1 lb. Honey 5 lb. Wheat extract
	Add two pounds of peeled and diced Apples in a grain sack starting at flameout.
Hops:	.75 oz. Belgium Admiral (14.5% AA, 60 min.) .5 oz. German Perle (8.1% AA, 30 min.)
Yeast:	Use Wyeast American Wheat
Log:	Brewed on 7/27/08. Transferred to the secondary over juice mix on 8/11/08. Juice one pound of apples. Should be about 1.75 cups of juice. Mix with 1.5 cups of water and blanch at 160 degrees for 20 minutes. Since my OG (before fruit addition) was over 1.06 due to the great efficiency in the steeping, I added 0.5 gallons of water after the boil. This theoretically should have taken it to 1.056 (which I designed for). When I transferred to the secondary I actually had beer left over and quickly heated some honey and bottled the 8 bonus beers! I am not sure what the fruit adds to the alcohol content, but I am thinking it can't be more than 1%.
Carbonation:	I use about 3/4 pound of honey and one cup of boiling water to carbonate. This gives me about a half inch soapy head that lasts the entire beer. Only takes 3-5 days to condition in good ol' Texas summertime.
Tasting:	I tasted the the beer after the primary and it was very good. Even warm and flat, the apple flavor was noticeable yet waited until the aftertaste to kick in. I can't wait to try the bonus beers which should be ready any day now.

Recipe posted 08/16/08.