Pick of the Season Cherry Ale

Classification: fruit beer, cherry ale, extract

Source: Chuck Coronella (coronellrjds@che.utah.edu) Issue #447

I decided to use lactose because several people thought Papazian's Cherries in the Snow was a bit dry.

Ingredients:

6 pounds, Laaglander light dry extract
1/4 pound, crystal malt
1/4 pound, lactose
7-8 pounds, fresh sweet cherries
1/2 ounce, Chinook hops (boil)
1/2 ounce, Chinook hops (finish)
1/2 ounce, Hallertauer hops (dry)
1/2 teaspoon, Irish moss
Whitbread ale yeast

Procedure:

This recipe makes 5-1/2 gallons. Freeze cherries a couple days before brewing. Defrost in the fridge. While wort is boiling, remove stems and crush cherries. After boiling, pour wort over cherries in fermenter. Add cold water and pitch yeast. After a couple days, rack to secondary, straining out cherries.

Specifics:

Primary Ferment: 2 days
Secondary Ferment: 6--8 weeks