Gluten-free Buckwheat Beer

Description
Some brands of rice extract contain gluten. Please read the label carefully before using.

Ingredients

 * 3 lbs. malted buckwheat (recipe follows)
 * 1 cup corn sugar
 * 1 oz. Saaz hops
 * 2 oz. Hallertauer Hersbrucker hops
 * 6 lb. rice syrup ***
 * 1 pkg. ale yeast (EDME)

Directions

 * Put crushed malted buckwheat into strainer bag, add to 1-1/2 gallons of water in brewpot. Keep buckwheat in brewpot, stirring, until water starts boiling. Remove buckwheat and add rice syrup, corn sugar and 1/2 ounce each of the Saaz and Hallertauer hops. Boil for 30 minutes and add 1/4 ounce each of the Saaz and Hallertauer hops. Boil for 15 minutes and add another 1/4 ounce of each type of hops. Boil for another 15 minutes to make a total boiling time of 1 hour, then let the remaining 1 ounce Hallertauer hops steep in the wort for 2 minutes. Strain into your fermenter and pitch yeast when cooled.

This "beer" will ferment for longer than most ales, for about 10 days. Add ¾ cup corn sugar for bottling, and let the beer age for at least 1 week before drinking.

Instructions for Malting Buckwheat:

Luckily, this is a pretty simple process. First, obtain raw (that is, uncooked and untoasted) buckwheat from a health food store or co-op. Rinse about and let it sit for 30-48 hrs completely submerged in water, rinsing it off every 8 hours or so. The buckwheat will expand as it soaks up some of the water and also produce a sticky oily substance which should be rinsed off. Now put the buckwheat into a strainer or fine-mesh colander and let it sit in the open air in a cool dark place, rinsing off every 8 hours to prevent mold. After 1 day you will see rootlets forming. Let the buckwheat sit in the open air for about 2 days, or until some of the rootlets are about twice as long as the grain bodies. Spread the buckwheat out in a thin layer on several cookie sheets and bake in a 200-250 degree oven until the buckwheat becomes hard and crunchy (and tastes remarkably like Grape-Nuts) At this point you may increase the temperature and make dark-roasted buckwheat, for darker-colored beers. Use a rolling pin or a glass jar to crush the buckwheat.