Maple Brown Ale Recipe

Yield: 5 gal

Crush:
4 lbs. American Pale Malt
1.25 lbs. Crystal Malt (40L)
10 oz. Belgian Chocolate Malt
10 oz. Munich Malt

Pour 2 gal boiling tap water into plastic cooler mash tun (if applicable) to preheat. Close top and let rest.
Heat 2.5 gal bottled spring water (or dechlorinated tap water) to 170 F.
Empty pre-heat water from mash tun.
Pour about .5 gal of 170 F water into mash tun (or enough to bring water level above false bottom).
Gradually add crushed grains, mix thoroughly, add more water, and repeat until all grains and 2.5 gal water is in mash tun.
Stir until mixture is uniform, and no clumps exist. Do so quickly enough to keep from losing too much heat, but avoid agitating/aerating the mixture.
Seal-off cooler and let grains steep at approx 150 F for 90 min. (You can mix in an additional .5 gal of 170F water, if necessary, to adjust temperature.)
After 90 min, open mash tun valve slightly to release a small amount of sweet wort. Use iodine test to check starch conversion on a white plate away from the mashing/brewing area.
After starch conversion is complete, open valve to release ~1 quart of wort. Close valve, and pour the wort back slowly down the inside wall of the cooler. Repeat ~3x until liquid runs clean with few grain husks.
Open valve completely, and empty all wort from lauter tun into a large brew pot that's capable of boiling 5.5 gal of wort without boiling over.
Close valve to begin sparge.
Sparge grains with 3 to 3.5 gal (for a total of 6 gal added since beginning of batch) of 170 F water, emptying runoff into brewpot.
It's helpful to have markings on the inside of the brewpot showing gallon increments. Boil enough water to be added to the brewpot so there's 5.5 gal total.
Meanwhile, place brewpot on burner, and turn gas on high.
Stir in 2 lbs (6 cups) amber DME and 1 pint pure maple syrup (warmed in microwave)
Add boiling water, and bring wort to boil. Stir occasionally
Add 4 AAUs Fuggles hops for bittering.
Boil 45 min., then add 4 AAUs Goldings aroma/flavor hops.
Boil for 15 min., then remove from heat.
Cool rapidly to 80 F using immersion chiller (or other method), and add room temperature water until 5.25 gal total. (May add chilled water to speed-up cool-down.)
Transfer wort into fermentation vessel (pref. 6.5 gal glass carboy) and aerate.
Add one packet of Wyeast 1098 (or equiv.) liquid yeast. Stir yeast into wort to ensure it gets mixed thoroughly.
Seal off carboy with airlock and let ferment in dark closet at approx 70 F for 2 weeks.
Transfer to secondary 5 gal glass carboy, seal off with airlock, and let sit in same storage conditions for another 4 weeks.
Add 1/2 c pale DME and 1/2 c pure maple syrup to 1 c pure spring water and boil for 3 min.
Pour sugar/syrup/water mixture into 5 gal bucket, then transfer beer from secondary fermenter to bucket.
Bottle, and store in cool, dark closet for 3 weeks prior to drinking.
Beer should keep for 6 months.