Brew Dudes

More German lagers for summer.  It will be here soon!

Ingredients

8 lbs. German 2-row Pils
1.5 lbs. German Vienna
1.5 lbs. Dextrine Malt
0.5 lbs. German Light Munich
1.2 oz. Hallertau Hersbruck Pellets boiled 60 min.
0.50 oz. Hallertau Hersbruck Pellets boiled 15 min.
0.50 oz. Czech Saaz Pellets boiled 1 min.
Teaspoons of gypsum and calcium chloride
Yeast: White Labs WLP830 German Lager

Predicted Results

Original Gravity 1.056
Terminal Gravity 1.013
Color 4.22 °SRM
Bitterness 26.5 IBU
Alcohol (%volume) 5.6 %

Instructions 

I added some gypsum and calcium chloride to the recipe to mimic the water of Dortmund. BCJP site speaks specifically to the type of water needed.
Most recipes that I looked at while I formulated this one had multi-step mashes.  When malt wasn’t so well modified, it probably had a bigger effect on the beer.  There are enough purists that would tell you otherwise, so…

Perform a protein rest for 30 mins @ 122° F. 60 minute saccharification rest at 152° F. Primary fermentation for 2 weeks with a diacetyl rest. Lager for a least four weeks at refrigerator temperatures. Brew on.

Ah, to brew lagers.  My plan is to brew a few dark lagers first.  Maybe because I have the feeling that if I make some mistakes, the dark lagers will better cover up those mistakes.

Once I have the process down though, it’s time to hit some of the traditional light lagers like Munich Helles.

I concocted this recipe from reading the BJCP guidelines and tasting a few commercial examples (Paulaner).

Ingredients:

8 lbs. German 2-row Pils
0.25 lbs. Munich Malt
0.75 lbs. Weyermann CaraFoam
0.75 lbs. German Vienna
1 oz. Hallertau Mittelfruh Pellets boiled 60 min.
0.5 oz. Hallertau Mittelfruh Pellets boiled 15 min.
0.5 oz. Czech Saaz Pellets boiled 1 min.
Yeast: White Labs WLP830 German Lager

Predicted Results:

Original Gravity 1.048
Terminal Gravity 1.010
Color 3.72 °SRM
Bitterness 19.0 IBU
Alcohol (%volume) 5.0 %

Instructions:

This is an all grain recipe.  Extract brewers could mimic the results using Pils -based extract and steeping the Vienna, Munich, and CaraFoam malts.   For the all grain process, Mash would be at 154 degrees for one hour.  Primary fermentation temperature would be 52 degrees or somewhere between 50-55.   I would do a diacetyl rest, which is just bringing the temperature up to let the yeast re-absorb that buttery diacetyl.  I would leave it in the primary fermenter for 12 to 14 days depending on how fermentation went.  One scenario is letting it ferment for 10 days at the 50 degree mark (probably in my basement) and then bringing the fermenter into a room to raise temperature for a couple of days.  That should be exciting stuff.  I would then move the beer into a secondary vessel and then lager it at 32 to 34 degrees for a month or 2.   I would need a fridge for that…or maybe a swamp cooler rig.

Brew on…!