Schmoogdaddy

Recipes 

I was figuring on 6.6 lbs. of Munich LME and 3 lbs. rauchmalt, but I don't know what to do for dark grains and/or pilsner malt.
I would also be using Wyeast 2206 or WLP833 and some combination of Hallertauer and Tettnanger.

Help anyone?

Schmoogdaddy

Recipes 

OK, so I'm going with:

2 lbs. Smoked malt
2 lbs. Munich malt
1/2 lb. Caramel 120
1/2 lb. Chocolate

Steep grains at 155 for 1 hr.

Bring to boil and add 9.9 lbs. Munich LME.

1 oz. Perle @ 60 min.
.5 oz. Hallertauer @ 60 min.
.5 oz. Hallertauer @ 20 min.

2L starter of Wyeast 2206
Ferment at 52 degrees.

SpeedYellow

Recipes 

Definitely skip the caramel and chocolate malts. Theyre not really appropriate. If you want some color, the standard addition would be Weyermann Dehusked Carafa II.

Also, if you're planning on using Weyermann smoked malt, you'll barely taste the smoke at this level. Definitely NOT a rauchbier with that little rauch malt. If you're using Briess, you'll get a slight smoke, but still barely a rauchbier. Given this recipe, may want to stick with Briess Smoked and drop some Munich so you can add more Briess. Shoot for 25-40% Briess, or around 50-100% Weyermann. Just made a rauch bock with 95% Weyermann and it's not even that smoky.

Schmoogdaddy

Recipes 

I appreciate your help, but it came too late. I don't feel much like a 2 hour round trip to the LHBS, so I'm going with what I have. I will definitely take your advice and use Carafa II next time. The smoked malt is Briess and I have had good flavor with 2 lbs. in my other smoked beers.

Schmoogdaddy

Recipes 

I am a bit baffled by this fermentation. I pitched a 2L. starter of 2 packs of 2206 into a 1.070 wort at 65 degrees. I placed it in my temp. controlled refrigerator at 55. Next morning I had airlock activity...a burp every 2 seconds, so I ramped it down to 50 throughout the day. The airlock peaked at about one burp per second and by today, day 4, it has slowed down to only 4 or 5 per minute. I was expecting that much O.G. with a lager yeast at that temperature to peak out more like today and carry on for another week. Should I ramp the temp. up to the high end of the range and agitate at this point or just leave it alone and let everything take it's course?

A second point is what is the actual temperature. My temperature controller says 55. A glass thermometer says 50. A dial type says 50. A type K thermocouple in one DMM says 60 and the same T/C in a different meter says 44.

SpeedYellow

Recipes 

Next time, pitch at or slightly below fermentation temp. I'd suggest tossing your fermenter into your fridge, set at 32F. Then after 5-8 hours, you'll be around 50f. Then aerate well, take the yeast out of your kitchen fridge (roughly 35-38F), and pitch and set to 50f or whatever. Remember, yeast do NOT like being cooled down -- you're telling them to go to sleep.

Btw, did you aerate well?

Re. calibration, that's a thread all it's own. Goes without saying you need to get a handle on that.

Schmoogdaddy

Recipes 

Thank you. You really helped me wrap my mind around that. I have made good lagers, but now I see that I was doing it backwards.

Yes, I aerated well before pitching. I also went ahead and agitated and ramped the temp up to 56. The airlock is much more busy again. They are resilient little buggers. I think I'm back on course.