Summer's Kiss Ale (Summer Solstice Clone)

The final product! Deeelicious and creamy!

Summer is in full swing, and so is my beer making! For my first all-grain beer, I decided to brew a clone of Anderson Valley Brewing Co's Summer Solstice Ale. This beer is a fantastic cream ale that is smooth and delicious with a trace of vanilla; definitely a beer to enjoy in the sun! Below you will
find the recipe I used, as well as some nice pics of the process! This beer turned out very well, although I will be sure to lower the pH of the wort next time; I did not get as much flavor from the grain as I would like (Portland has a relatively basic alkalinity and it could use a bit more acidity for a beer like this). Still, the beer is very creamy and drinkable - perfect for a hot summer day! I would highly recommend making this clone if you like cream ales with low IBUs. When I bottled this beer, I started with about 0.25 oz of vanilla extract and then tasted it to see if I needed more. I ended up adding a total of 0.6 of an oz to get the vanilla flavor I wanted. But please, make sure to add it to your own liking!

Summer's Kiss Cream Ale

The grains smell fantastic!

Style: Cream Ale
Type: All Grain
OG: 1.050
FG: 1.013
ABV: 4.85%
IBU's: 9.44
Batch Size: 5.0 Gal
Boil Time: 60 minutes

Primary: 14 days @ 62.0°F
Secondary: 14 days @ 68.0°F
Bottle/Keg: 14 days @ 72.0°F

Grains & Adjuncts
9.00 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US - 60 mins
13.00 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L

Mmmmm... delicious, sweet wort.
Its ready to sparge!

11.00 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L
5.00 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine Malt

Hops
1.00 oz Cascade - 15 mins

Yeasts
Wyeast 2112 - California Lager

Additions
0.25 - 0.75 oz (based on personal taste) Vanilla extract at bottling

Carbonation
5.58 oz Corn Sugar

Mash Profile
Light Body Infusion - 60 min @ 152.0°F
Add 15.75 qt ( 1.50 qt/lb ) water @ 168.1°F