Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Schwarzbier Recipe

On June 16, 2011

We been posting many recaps from our Oktoberfest Duel. I think now it’s time to look forward to our future. Here is a recipe for a Schwarbier or Black Beer.

We call this one “Black Betty” (Bam ba lam).

Ingredients:

8.0 lbs. Pilsner Malt
2.0 lbs. Munich Malt
.75 lbs. Carafa Special® Type II
.5 lbs. Crystal 60
.5 lbs. Chocolate Malt

1.5 oz. Tettnanger Pellets boiled 60 mins.
.5 oz. Tettnanger Pellets boiled 15 mins.
.5 oz. Tettnanger Pellets boiled 1 mins.

Yeast: White Labs WLP830 German Lager

Predicted Results:

Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.013
Color: 25.59 °SRM
Bitterness: 34.1 IBU
Alcohol (%volume): 4.8%

Instructions:

Mash at 154°F for 60 minutes. Ferement at 50°F for at least two weeks. Lager for 6 weeks. Carbonate to 2.5 volumes.

Oktoberfest Fermentation Temperatures

By John Krochune

On June 13, 2011

In Brew Log

I was hoping to post some videos from our Oktoberfest brewing session tonight but something went wrong with the transfer from my phone to my computer. I may try to upload the videos from my phone to YouTube but I am not sure how that will go.

Brew Dude Mike took some video of the session. Maybe he can upload some later on this week.

Here is a video update of my Oktoberfest. We check in on the temperature, the airlock, the fermentation plan, and lament about using untested technology.

Oktoberfest Yeast Choice

By Mike

On June 10, 2011

In Brew Log, Yeast

I was doing some research about the Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager Yeast I pitched into my Oktoberfest. On the Mr.Malty website I was looking at the yeast comparison table and discovered that WY2206 is the thought to be the same strain as WLP820 Oktoberfest/Marzen strain. (Both thought to originate from the famed Weihenstephan brewery.) My point is that I pitched WY2206 and John pitched WLP820. For comparisons sake it appears we are using the same yeast in our Oktoberfest Duel.

Oktoberfest Fermentation Update

By Mike

On June 7, 2011

In Brew Log

I chose to chill my wort with the chiller down to about 65F. Then I put the carboy of wort in the fermentation freezer overnight to get it to pitching temps. I added my yeast a good 30 hours after the wort went into the freezer. I was at 50F when I pitched. I had made two ~16ooml starters and put them on stir plates three days prior and let them grow at 70-75F in the garage. The day of brewing I put the two flasks in the fermentation freezer to get the yeast to flocculate to the bottom of the flasks. I decanted the spent starter wort and retained just a few hundred mls of the wort to shake and resuspend the yeast. I pitched both flasks into the main wort, and shook the whole thing for 5 minutes to mix and aerate. I am happy to say that this morning, 12hours later, I have the first signs of fermentation going. I also tasted the spent wort from the starters expecting it to be sulphury or yeast… but I was very surprised that it was extremely clean and malty. Never have I tasted starter wort so clean before. Off to a really good start I hope.

Oktoberfest Brewing Duel

By John Krochune

On June 5, 2011

In Brew Log

The Brew Dudes Oktoberfest Brewing Duel happened today. It was an epic battle between two Oktoberfest.

Ok, it wasn’t really that epic or even a duel for that matter, but it was a good excuse to brew together.

If we did take the duel part seriously, I would concede and give the victory to Mike*. I had some issues along the way, like a boil over and a high starting gravity. Mike’s had a very nice cold break and it ran clear out of the kettle.

We took some video, which we will post later. Here are some photos from the day:

*We’ll see who really won when Mike gets his scoresheet back and the judge notes “hints of urine” in his O-fest. He shouldn’t have left me alone with his wort while it was cooling.

Here’s the video recap of the day: