Heat 3 quarts of filtered water to 165°F. Turn off the heat. Have 3 to 4 gallons of filtered water chilling in the fridge or freezer.

If using, place the crushed malt into a grain bag and submerge the bag in the steeping water. If not using a grain bag, stir the crushed malt into water. Steep for 45 minutes

While the grain is steeping, heat another 3 quarts of filtered water to 170°F

With loose grain, line a colander with several layers of cheese cloth or use a fine-mesh strainer. With a grain bag, put the bag in a colander. Suspend colander over your boiling pot (20 quarts or larger) and pour the steeping liquid through the colander.

Rinse the grains with the heated water. Remove the colander and grains and bring your boil kettle to a vigorous boil.

Remove the kettle from the heat and stir in the extract. Stir thoroughly, making sure that all the extract is dissolved and the pot bottom is free of any residue. Return to the boil.

Once at a boil, begin timing your boil and add hops as specified in the recipe. For instance add the 60 minutes hops when 60 minutes are remaining in the boil. (This is typically the start of the boil, but some recipes do specify longer boils of 75 to 120 minutes. Start counting down and when you hit 60, add the hops.)

At boil's end, add any last-minute hop additions. Vigorously stir the pot to create a whirlpool effect, place the lid on and wait 10 minutes. Chill the beer to 90°F to 100°F with a chiller or place the pot in a sink full of ice and barely running cold water.

Pour the lukewarm wort into your sanitized fermenter and add chilled water to bring to the desired volume (5.5 gallons typically). Seal the bucket or insert a sanitized stopper in the carboy and shake the beer for 10 minutes to mix.

Open the fermenter and grab a hydrometer sample to record your original gravity. Add the yeast to the fermenter.

Refer to the Fermentation and Packaging section of this appendix.