Clean and sterilize all your brewing equipment.
Bring 3 gallons of water to a boil. Place the whole grains into a brewing bag. Simmer for 30 minutes. Then remove them from the water.
Whisk in the malt extract and return to a boil. Stir as needed to prevent sticking and scorching.
Add in the first 3 hops and continue boiling. Stir as needed to keep from bubbling over. Boil for 30 minutes.
Add the helga and columbus hops, plus the floculation tablet or Irish moss to help with clarification. Boil for another 15 minutes.
Strain the liquid well to remove all sediment. Use sparging bags and cheesecloth if available. Transfer the liquid to a carboy and add cold water until you get about 5 1/2 to 6 gallons in the carboy. You will lose 1/2 to 1 gallon when particles settle out during fermentation.
Place a rubber stopper with a bolowout tube on the carboy and put the end of the tube in a container with a little water so the extra krausen can blow off. Leave this on for about 3 days. At this time, the activity level will be quite high. Check it daily to empty the receptacle if it overflows and check the activity level.
After about 3 days, the activity should be under control. At this point, add in the dry hop pellets. Place an airlock on the carboy and allow to ferment for another 11 days.
After 2 weeks in the carboy, it is ready to bottle. Sterilize your bottling equipment. Carefully siphon the liquid to a racking tub. Dissolve priming sugar in hot or boiling water and whisk it into the beer. Bottle and cap the beer and place in a dry dark place for another 2 weeks.
After 2 weeks in the bottle, it is ready to drink. You can age it longer if you want.
