Vienna Lager

I am getting ready to brew a Vienna Lager. My recipe exceeds the BJCP characteristics, but, why not. Looking for thoughts and tips.

OG 1.064
Fav 1.016
ABV 6.29%
IBU's 31.93
SRM 13.5

6 lb Vienna
4 lb Pilsner
2 lb Munich
1 lb CaraMunich

Single Infusion @ 152 for 60 Min
90 min boil

2 oz Tettnang 90 min

2 pkgs Bavarian Lager 2206
Primary 2 weeks @ 50
Diacetyl Rest @ 68 for 3 days
Secondary 4-6 weeks @ 38

Should work just fine. Have you used Vienna malt before? Has a very different taste than Munich and Pilsner, one I don't like. All the VMO beers are similar, and you can play around with variations on grist and hops, as well as yeast with interesting tastes. Wyeast 2206 makes for a nice, malty, beer.
I hope it turns out and you like it.

Thanks for the input. I have used Vienna before in my Nugget Nectar clone which calls for 80% Vienna. Turned out very good.

Thanks again

CaraMunich? Really? This beer may come out very dark, sweet, and bock like.

I would not put in the cara munich.

And call it Oktoberfest.

And the Diacetyl rest can be done @ 60F or even 58F, which is better just in case you underestimate the amount of fermentation that is left, which will allow the yeast to both finish and not throw off ale characteristics, and absorb any diacetyl that may be present.

I brewed a Vienna a few months ago and just drinking it now. It is a posively awesome beer but I think it is a bit sweet and malty for my liking and I only used 1/2 lb of Cara-malts in 5.5 gallons.

I think that 40-50% Vienna, 10% Munich and the rest Pilsner is a perfect grain bill. I used both Wyeast's Oktoberfest on one batch and White Labs German Bock on the other and they both taste about the same.

If you like that rich malt taste in a smooth easy drinking beer than you will love home brewed Vienna Lager.

Jayhem said:

I brewed a Vienna a few months ago and just drinking it now. It is a posively awesome beer but I think it is a bit sweet and malty for my liking because I also used Caramunich in mine.

I think that 40-50% Vienna, 10% Munich and the rest Pilsner is a perfect grain bill. I used both Wyeast's Oktoberfest on one batch and White Labs German Bock on the other and they both taste about the same.

If you like that rich malt taste in a smooth easy drinking beer than you will love home brewed Vienna Lager.

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I love the German bock yeast. Have several batches going with it now. It does not produce much if any Diacetyl, if any and is very forgiving. Can't get wyeast around here anymore. My store told me that wyeast seems to only want to sell to pros, as they charge crazy money for shipping forcing stores to by crazy amounts of yeast that can be more than they can sell.

thegreatmaibockaddict said:

I love the German bock yeast. Have several batches going with it now. It does not produce much if any Diacetyl, if any and is very forgiving. Can't get wyeast around here anymore. My store told me that wyeast seems to only want to sell to pros, as they charge crazy money for shipping forcing stores to by crazy amounts of yeast that can be more than they can sell.

Click to expand...

I do think the Vienna with German Bock is a cleaner tasting finish than the Oktoberfest yeast.

The problem with lagers is how much time it takes! I started mine on Dec 2, it's just now in bottles and carbonated and really would be better with a few weeks in the fridge.

This recipe looks more like what folks usually call an American-style Oktoberfest. I don't see what that grain bill really adds beyond simply using 100% Vienna malt. Seems like you're adding Pilsner to get away from the maltiness of Vienna, but then adding Munich to add maltiness. I used to mix these 3 grains too, but i now see that as rather schizophrenic. And if you're making a Vienna lager, why use so little Vienna malt? 100% Vienna makes an outstanding beer in every regard. Malty, balanced sweetness, great head retention, etc.

For a Vienna lager, I suggest starting with 100% Vienna as a baseline. Then, add grains according to what you believe it needs. Want a bit more residual sweetness? Add some cara-whatever. More foam? Add Cara-foam. Less malty? Substitute some Pilsner. Etc.

Thanks for the thoughts. I'll revisit my recipe and let you know how it turns out.

Here's what I ended up going with.

10 Gallon batch
OG 1.059
Target FG 1.015
ABV 5.76%
SRM 12.6
77% Efficiency
IBU 27.48

18.5 lb Vienna 84.09%
2 lb Munich 9.09%
1 lb CaraMunich 4.55%
.5 lb Crystal 40 2.27%

Mash at 152 60 min. Sparge at 170

90 Min Boil
2 oz Tettnang 60
1 oz Hersbrucker 30
1 oz Hersbrucker 10

Yeast - Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager
Pitched at 47. Will bump up gradually to 58 over 2 weeks
Diacetyl rest 3 days at 65
Lager 4-6 weeks at 35

Well, this beer turned out really well. I can see myself making this regularly. Malty with a touch of sweetness from the Vienna. Very clean and refreshing. Goes down easy, maybe too easy.

Thanks again for all the input.