Dirtyoldguy366
Well-Known Member
I've returned to my country cottage for the weekend to brew up another lager as here I have access to a cold cellar that stays around 45 degrees all winter.
This will be my first recipe I've designed from the bottom up, my first decoction mash, my first use of first wort hops, and one of only a handful of lagers I've made.
I was assisted over in the recipe forum by member pjj2ba with my hop schedule and have come up with a recipe which I have modified somewhat to incorporate first wort hops and up the bitterness a touch.
Here's what I've come up with and plan to do tomorrow:
Grain:
9 lbs Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pilsner Malt
Water:
1:1 distilled to tap water
The boil:
90 minute boil
FWH 0.25oz U.S. Saaz 8.1 AA 8.6 IBU
FWH 0.25oz U.S. Tettnang 6.1 AA 6.4 IBU
60 minutes 0.25oz U.S. Saaz 8.1 AA 7.3
60 minutes 0.25oz U.S. Tettnang AA 5.5
30 minutes 0.50oz German Hallertau
5 minutes 0.25oz German Hallertau
34.5 IBU
Decoction mash as follows:
Add strike water to mash to reach Acid rest at 95F and rest for 30 minutes
Protein rest at 122 for 30 minutes
Saccharification rest at 149 for 60 minutes
(times do not include time needed for heating decoctions)
Each step will be achieved by drawing 1/3 of the mash from its thickest part and boiling it in a separate vessel.
The boiling decoction will be added until each rest temperature is achieved and the remaining decoction is to be added once its termperature cools to that of the desired rest temperature.
The decoction drawn between protein rest and saccharifcation rest will be allowed to rest at 148 for 15 minutes before allowed to boil.
Before draining the first runnings I will add a gallon of boiling water, which is subtracted from the sparge water.
Drain runnings and batch sparge.
Fermentation:
This beer will be fermented with a packet of Saflager w-34/70 dry lager yeast sprinkled on wort or by racking it onto a yeast cake of Saflager S-23 from a batch of light lager.
It will be fermented between 40 and 50 degrees in my cellar. If I can find time to get back here in a couple weeks I'll rack it to secondary, otherwise I'll leave it alone for a month or so and keg it. If I come back to rack it, I'll do a 24 hour diacetyl rest as well.
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I'm expecting and shooting for a crisp, dry beer with earthy/spicy flavors from the first wort saaz and tettnang additions complimented by hints of floral from the hallertau later on.
Anybody see anything I could do better in my recipe (hops wise) or mash schedule (I have 10 lbs of grain total but beersmith tells me that 10 is over the top for style)?
Am I first wort hopping appropriately?
Anybody have an opinion on racking onto a yeast cake? My thought is that more yeast in a lager can't be bad, and the first beer I used it for was very light so residual beer from the first batch should contribute little flavor. I've done it with 1056 for going from a pale ale to an IPA and it turned out super! Will it work as well for lager yeast? I don't have time for a starter as I'm only here for the weekend and don't really want to fiddle with washing the yeast as I'm already planning a lengthy decoction mash.
I'll try to take notes tomorrow and let everyone know how it went. Sorry for the long post, but I had planned to write this down for myself to use tomorrow, but couldn't find a pen (Its my country home away from home so I'm not here much)... so you get to listen to me thinking out loud.
Thanks all! Let me know what you think!
This will be my first recipe I've designed from the bottom up, my first decoction mash, my first use of first wort hops, and one of only a handful of lagers I've made.
I was assisted over in the recipe forum by member pjj2ba with my hop schedule and have come up with a recipe which I have modified somewhat to incorporate first wort hops and up the bitterness a touch.
Here's what I've come up with and plan to do tomorrow:
Grain:
9 lbs Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pilsner Malt
Water:
1:1 distilled to tap water
The boil:
90 minute boil
FWH 0.25oz U.S. Saaz 8.1 AA 8.6 IBU
FWH 0.25oz U.S. Tettnang 6.1 AA 6.4 IBU
60 minutes 0.25oz U.S. Saaz 8.1 AA 7.3
60 minutes 0.25oz U.S. Tettnang AA 5.5
30 minutes 0.50oz German Hallertau
5 minutes 0.25oz German Hallertau
34.5 IBU
Decoction mash as follows:
Add strike water to mash to reach Acid rest at 95F and rest for 30 minutes
Protein rest at 122 for 30 minutes
Saccharification rest at 149 for 60 minutes
(times do not include time needed for heating decoctions)
Each step will be achieved by drawing 1/3 of the mash from its thickest part and boiling it in a separate vessel.
The boiling decoction will be added until each rest temperature is achieved and the remaining decoction is to be added once its termperature cools to that of the desired rest temperature.
The decoction drawn between protein rest and saccharifcation rest will be allowed to rest at 148 for 15 minutes before allowed to boil.
Before draining the first runnings I will add a gallon of boiling water, which is subtracted from the sparge water.
Drain runnings and batch sparge.
Fermentation:
This beer will be fermented with a packet of Saflager w-34/70 dry lager yeast sprinkled on wort or by racking it onto a yeast cake of Saflager S-23 from a batch of light lager.
It will be fermented between 40 and 50 degrees in my cellar. If I can find time to get back here in a couple weeks I'll rack it to secondary, otherwise I'll leave it alone for a month or so and keg it. If I come back to rack it, I'll do a 24 hour diacetyl rest as well.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm expecting and shooting for a crisp, dry beer with earthy/spicy flavors from the first wort saaz and tettnang additions complimented by hints of floral from the hallertau later on.
Anybody see anything I could do better in my recipe (hops wise) or mash schedule (I have 10 lbs of grain total but beersmith tells me that 10 is over the top for style)?
Am I first wort hopping appropriately?
Anybody have an opinion on racking onto a yeast cake? My thought is that more yeast in a lager can't be bad, and the first beer I used it for was very light so residual beer from the first batch should contribute little flavor. I've done it with 1056 for going from a pale ale to an IPA and it turned out super! Will it work as well for lager yeast? I don't have time for a starter as I'm only here for the weekend and don't really want to fiddle with washing the yeast as I'm already planning a lengthy decoction mash.
I'll try to take notes tomorrow and let everyone know how it went. Sorry for the long post, but I had planned to write this down for myself to use tomorrow, but couldn't find a pen (Its my country home away from home so I'm not here much)... so you get to listen to me thinking out loud.
Thanks all! Let me know what you think!