Alimony Ale (Buffalo Bill's Recipe)

This is the famous Alimony Ale recipe as told by "Buffalo Bill" Owens in the book "Secrets from the Master Brewers" (Higgins, Kilgore, Hertlen; 1998). Alpha acid values, water treatment, and mash/boil volumes were not specified in the book, so used my own judgment. YMMV.

Brewer:	Brew Askew		Email:	lupomania@ecologyfund.net
Beer:	Alimony Ale (Buffalo Bill's Recipe)		Style:	American Amber Ale
Type:	All grain		Size:	10 gallons
Color:	27 HCU (~14 SRM)		Bitterness:	89 IBU
OG:	1.051		FG:	1.010
Alcohol:	5.3% v/v (4.2% w/w)
Water:	Gypsum is usually a good idea.
Grain:	18 lb. American 2-row 2 lb. American crystal 120L
Mash:	70% efficiency
	From the book: "Mash grains for 60 to 90 minutes at 155°F. Sparge and collect wort."
Boil:	90 minutes	SG 1.043	12 gallons
	"Boil for 90 minutes, adding all the hops after 30 minutes and [1 tsp] Irish moss during the final 5 minutes." (I'd do it at 15 minutes, but who's up for arguing?)
Hops:	8 oz. Cascade (pellets) (5.5% AA, 60 min.)
Yeast:	"American Ale Yeast"
Log:	"Ferment at 70°F for 3 days. Cool to 38°F and ferment an additional 4 to 6 days. Bottle or keg. Age 7 to 10 days before serving."
Carbonation:	Typical american ale carbonation level (2.8-3.0 volumes?) is what I gather from descriptions I've read by tasters.
Tasting:	I've never had Alimony ale. I hear it is very bitter but not more than the typical American IPA. It has also been described as malty also. Should be intersting. I wnated to put this recipe in the spreadsheet to see how it calculates out. Although the OG is different than in the book, I'm sure it is within reason.

Recipe posted 12/13/04.