Help with a German Alt recipe - Please

mymbtheduke · 10-16-2008, 12:48 AM

This is my third kit. My first was an Amber Ale with additions at 60 mins and 5 mins and 6 lbs of amber extract. It turned out great and is aging nicely at 11 weeks. I drank half of it so far.

My only issue is it is a bit bitter/hoppy. I like maltier beers. When I was in Dusseldorf several years ago I fell in love with Diebels Alt. Unfortunately, I can't get it here in Maryland. So I bought the NB kit but am afraid to use all of the hops as it might get too bitter. Should I leave a pack out? If so, which one? Thanks for any help. This is a great hobby. Here is the recipe.

Specialty Grains
* 1 lbs. Weyermann Caramunich II

Fermentables
* 6 lbs. Amber Malt Syrup
* 1 lbs. Amber Dry Malt Extract

Boil Additions
* 1 oz. Perle (60 min)
* 1 oz. Perle (45 min)
* 1 oz. Spalt (15 min)

If you choose dry yeast
* Safale K-97. Optimum temperature: 59-75° F.

**Yooper** · 10-16-2008, 12:51 AM

That might be more bitter than you'd like- what are the aau's of the hops? I'll run it through some brewing software. Also, what size boil are you doing? That will impact hops utilization as well.

**DeathBrewer** · 10-16-2008, 12:55 AM

i would stick to the recipe. alts have a large up-front bitterness, but the caramunich will give you a pronounced malt character.

if you REALLY want to change the beer to ensure it's nice and malty, you could cut down on all three hops to 0.75 oz each. not knowing the alpha acid, however, you may end up with a malt bomb. i LOVE malty beers, but i've made some that were rather overpowering.

if you want to cut down just bitterness, your 60 minute and 45 minute additions are going to contribute the most. it may not be to style if you cut those down, but it will definitely cut down on bitterness.

all that said, again...i would recommend sticking to the recipe on this one. if you want a malty beer, go for a scotch ale kit.

**Yooper** · 10-16-2008, 01:19 AM

I'm leaving soon, so I ran it with my hops AAUs. That is, the perle at 6.9%, and the spalt at 4.5%. With a 2.5 gallon boil, that is only 29.4 IBUs. That is a bit low for the style, but my last altbier was around there and was quite good. If you're planning a 3.5 gallon boil, that AAU in the hops would give you 39.6 IBUs. A full boil would be 54 IBUs. So, unless you're planning on boiling more than 3 gallons, your recipe should be good!

In my experience, Dusseldorf altbier has a pretty stong bitterness. The BJCP guidelines state: A well balanced, bitter yet malty, clean, smooth, well-attenuated amber-colored German ale. Light to medium body. Dry, clean and bittersweet. Low hop flavor & aroma. Medium bitterness. Some fruitiness. Medium to high maltiness. Color is bronze to brown. Low diacetyl. Moderate-high carbonation.

I've never used that yeast, but I think alts should be cold aged after fermentation, and fermented on the cooler range of an ale yeast.

mymbtheduke · 10-16-2008, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

I'm leaving soon, so I ran it with my hops AAUs. That is, the perle at 6.9%, and the spalt at 4.5%. With a 2.5 gallon boil, that is only 29.4 IBUs. That is a bit low for the style, but my last altbier was around there and was quite good. If you're planning a 3.5 gallon boil, that AAU in the hops would give you 39.6 IBUs. A full boil would be 54 IBUs. So, unless you're planning on boiling more than 3 gallons, your recipe should be good!

In my experience, Dusseldorf altbier has a pretty stong bitterness. The BJCP guidelines state: A well balanced, bitter yet malty, clean, smooth, well-attenuated amber-colored German ale. Light to medium body. Dry, clean and bittersweet. Low hop flavor & aroma. Medium bitterness. Some fruitiness. Medium to high maltiness. Color is bronze to brown. Low diacetyl. Moderate-high carbonation.

I've never used that yeast, but I think alts should be cold aged after fermentation, and fermented on the cooler range of an ale yeast.

Sorry, I am new to the IBUs. I will be boiling 3 gallons so does the bitterness go up if I boil 5 gallons? I need to read more.

I will ferment it at about 66 degrees since that is my basement temp right now. Is it safe to assume that DME is sweeter/more sugars than LME? The SG is higher on DME. The recipe calls for 1 lb of DME plus 6 lbs of LME.

mymbtheduke · 10-16-2008, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeathBrewer

i would stick to the recipe. alts have a large up-front bitterness, but the caramunich will give you a pronounced malt character.

if you REALLY want to change the beer to ensure it's nice and malty, you could cut down on all three hops to 0.75 oz each. not knowing the alpha acid, however, you may end up with a malt bomb. i LOVE malty beers, but i've made some that were rather overpowering.

if you want to cut down just bitterness, your 60 minute and 45 minute additions are going to contribute the most. it may not be to style if you cut those down, but it will definitely cut down on bitterness.

all that said, again...i would recommend sticking to the recipe on this one. if you want a malty beer, go for a scotch ale kit.

Thanks Death. I have been eyeing the 80 shilling Scotch Ale as my next kit. Also considered doing an oatmeal stout.

**niquejim** · 10-16-2008, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mymbtheduke

This is my third kit. My first was an Amber Ale with additions at 60 mins and 5 mins and 6 lbs of amber extract. It turned out great and is aging nicely at 11 weeks. I drank half of it so far.

My only issue is it is a bit bitter/hoppy. I like maltier beers. When I was in Dusseldorf several years ago I fell in love with Diebels Alt. Unfortunately, I can't get it here in Maryland. So I bought the NB kit but am afraid to use all of the hops as it might get too bitter. Should I leave a pack out? If so, which one? Thanks for any help. This is a great hobby. Here is the recipe.

Specialty Grains
* 1 lbs. Weyermann Caramunich II

Fermentables
* 6 lbs. Amber Malt Syrup
* 1 lbs. Amber Dry Malt Extract

Boil Additions
* 1 oz. Perle (60 min)
* 1 oz. Perle (45 min)
* 1 oz. Spalt (15 min)

If you choose dry yeast
* Safale K-97. Optimum temperature: 59-75° F.

A Dusseldorf Alt should be very bitter that is to style

mymbtheduke · 10-16-2008, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niquejim

A Dusseldorf Alt should be very bitter that is to style

Quote:

In my experience, Dusseldorf altbier has a pretty stong bitterness. The BJCP guidelines state: A well balanced, bitter yet malty, clean, smooth, well-attenuated amber-colored German ale. Light to medium body. Dry, clean and bittersweet. Low hop flavor & aroma. Medium bitterness. Some fruitiness. Medium to high maltiness. Color is bronze to brown. Low diacetyl. Moderate-high carbonation.

This is the way I remember it too. Medium bitterness but not over the malt.

**jezter6** · 10-16-2008, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

I'm leaving soon, so I ran it with my hops AAUs. That is, the perle at 6.9%, and the spalt at 4.5%. With a 2.5 gallon boil, that is only 29.4 IBUs. That is a bit low for the style, but my last altbier was around there and was quite good. If you're planning a 3.5 gallon boil, that AAU in the hops would give you 39.6 IBUs. A full boil would be 54 IBUs. So, unless you're planning on boiling more than 3 gallons, your recipe should be good!

In my experience, Dusseldorf altbier has a pretty stong bitterness. The BJCP guidelines state: A well balanced, bitter yet malty, clean, smooth, well-attenuated amber-colored German ale. Light to medium body. Dry, clean and bittersweet. Low hop flavor & aroma. Medium bitterness. Some fruitiness. Medium to high maltiness. Color is bronze to brown. Low diacetyl. Moderate-high carbonation.

I've never used that yeast, but I think alts should be cold aged after fermentation, and fermented on the cooler range of an ale yeast.

I'm rocking anywhere between 30-40 IBUs out of the 3-4 different Alts I've made. Personally, I think 39 would be fine. The fact that you're using amber malt instead of just plain malt makes that 39 IBU seem a little less anyways.

mymbtheduke · 10-16-2008, 01:45 PM

This has been very helpful. Thanks for all of the input. If anyone knows the Diebels clone recipe, I would like to have it.

Thanks again.