Munich Helles Dead Guy Clone (Extract & AG- see note)

I made 10 gallons of this about a month past. It is very nice. I'm still waiting for it to clear out but as you can see from the picture the color is very close. The lacing on this is great and the head stays around until the last gulp.

I think I am going to oak one of the kegs - has anyone ever oaked this?

Thanks for the recipe yoop.

runningweird said:

I made 10 gallons of this about a month past. It is very nice. I'm still waiting for it to clear out but as you can see from the picture the color is very close. The lacing on this is great and the head stays around until the last gulp.

I think I am going to oak one of the kegs - has anyone ever oaked this?

Thanks for the recipe yoop.

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Is that glass from a keg? That's gorgeous. Wish my kegged beers had head like that (haven't made this one yet).

evandena said:

Is that glass from a keg? That's gorgeous. Wish my kegged beers had head like that (haven't made this one yet).

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yeah it's from a keg. i bet it will be really pretty once it all clears out.

So far it has been fermenting for 2 weeks and 1 day. Temp was right around 60, no more than 62. Should I let this warm up for a week and then keg or let it sit at 60 for another week and keg?

i have been trying to get the temp down for a week now. The lowest i got is 72 do i just leave it in the primary for longer or is this brew damaged for good. Will it be dryer and sweeter? I used us-05

steviesteve31 said:

i have been trying to get the temp down for a week now. The lowest i got is 72 do i just leave it in the primary for longer or is this brew damaged for good. Will it be dryer and sweeter? I used us-05

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I believe it'll be fine, though 72 degrees is about the highest you should go with us-05 even though I don't think most people recommend it. Above 70 you might experience some esters/harshness, but fermenting too high of a temp doesn't really contribute to the dryness or sweetness of the beer.

Your beer is definitely not damaged for good! Aging it might help, but I would try it first to see what you think.

Tasting great.

Planning to brew this tomorrow. Got setback by the heat wave last week.

Anybody ever try fermenting this with notty?

Well, I brewed this extract version today, as always waiting for the yeasties to start bubbling.
-bill

Made this all grain with wyeast pack of rogue pacman yeast. Used a 1.5 liter starter and it took off in hours, by the 3 rd day it all seemed to drop. Is this normal for pacman ?

I didn't make a starter.
I brewed the extract version on Sunday. My LHBS didn't have Pacman, so the guy there recommended that WLP001 California Ale would be a good substitute. So I checked on their website, and it wants to ferment between 70-75 (which is good since that's my basement's ambient temperature) and the FAQ says that you don't need a starter for up to OG 1.070. So I looked at the recipe and Yooper's recipe said hers had OG 1.066, so I figured I was okay. And I was under some schedule constraints, so I didn't have the extra days to start.
Anyway, after I finished the boil and cooldown, my OG turned out to be 1.072... recommended starter. But by then it was too late. So it's been fermenting nicely (had to add the blowoff tube), but as I understand it, the issue would be when the alcohol levels get high closer to the end of fermentation. Should I do something? I have heard you can add more yeast to help things along, but I'd need to make another trip to LHBS.
Any thoughts welcome. Thanks!
-bill

BPhad said:

Made this all grain with wyeast pack of rogue pacman yeast. Used a 1.5 liter starter and it took off in hours, by the 3 rd day it all seemed to drop. Is this normal for pacman ?

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Yes, it seems to work hard and fast. That seems about right.

HeuristicsInc said:

I didn't make a starter.
I brewed the extract version on Sunday. My LHBS didn't have Pacman, so the guy there recommended that WLP001 California Ale would be a good substitute. So I checked on their website, and it wants to ferment between 70-75 (which is good since that's my basement's ambient temperature) and the FAQ says that you don't need a starter for up to OG 1.070. So I looked at the recipe and Yooper's recipe said hers had OG 1.066, so I figured I was okay. And I was under some schedule constraints, so I didn't have the extra days to start.
Anyway, after I finished the boil and cooldown, my OG turned out to be 1.072... recommended starter. But by then it was too late. So it's been fermenting nicely (had to add the blowoff tube), but as I understand it, the issue would be when the alcohol levels get high closer to the end of fermentation. Should I do something? I have heard you can add more yeast to help things along, but I'd need to make another trip to LHBS.
Any thoughts welcome. Thanks!
-bill

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Well, a starter should be used for any beer above about 1.040 no matter what their website says. Check mrmalty.com for a good yeast pitching calculator that isn't from one of the yeast manufacturers. If it's fermenting now, then there isn't much you can do about it at this point. Hopefully the yeast was healthy and didn't create many off-flavors from the underpitching.

But I'd check again on the temperature for fermentation. The best info on that strain is right on the website:
WLP001 California Ale Yeast
This yeast is famous for its clean flavors, balance and ability to be used in almost any style ale. It accentuates the hop flavors and is extremely versatile.
Attenuation: 73-80%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 68-73°F
(20-23°C)

I'd keep it no higher than 68 degrees, but I've done it lower with good results. If the ambient temperature is, say, 70 degrees, an active fermentation could easily be 80 degrees, which is way way too warm. I try to keep the ambient for ales at about 62 degrees.

Hmm... well, the thermometer on the side of the fermenter says 72... are you saying that the temperature inside is not represented by that 72, but is higher than that? Sorry, I am not an expert
-bill

HeuristicsInc said:

Hmm... well, the thermometer on the side of the fermenter says 72... are you saying that the temperature inside is not represented by that 72, but is higher than that? Sorry, I am not an expert
-bill

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No, that's pretty close. But when fermentation starts, it can get really warm really fast so keep an eye on it.

Also interesting, I re-checked the yeast bottle and it does say 70-75, which is different from the website's 68-73. Well, from my frequent checks on the fermenter temp it has been in that range the whole time, so that's something anyway. I can always keep it in the bottles longer to try to mellow it.
Thanks for your help. Probably I should look into some sort of cooler for the next time. Right now I depend on the basement temps.
-bill

Thanks Yooper this is one of my best and most popular beers.

That looks really great!

Brewing another batch this weekend

Bottled this last night. It bottomed out at 1.023, so it's sweeter than the presented recipe, but I think it tastes good anyway. If I make this one again I'll use the starter!
-bill

Kegging up batch #2 of this recipe. Think it's closer to real thing this time.
Will be washing the pacman yeast when done.

Just did a batch yesterday, BIAB. I ended up with 1.072 OG with a 76% efficiency number. I was surprised. I am still dialing in my equipment as this was only my second BIAB. I did get more boiloff than I thought I would so that probably made the difference. But it looks great and I am very excited.

We were just talking about this beer yesterday. I haven't made it in a while, so it's about time. I don't have any pacman yeast, but I have some WLP001 that I may use.

What hops substitution can I use for this recipe? I have cascade, amarillo, willamette and centinnial

thanks!

HoppyDaze said:

What hops substitution can I use for this recipe? I have cascade, amarillo, willamette and centinnial

thanks!

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I've never made it with other hops, but centennial and amarillo are far too citrusy for this recipe. Willamette is earthy, and nothing like the hops in the recipe, but may work as a bittering hop.

Made this along time ago. It's been bottled for probably 6 months. Grabbed one out of the case warm and it is almost identical tasting to the real deal. So I thru a 2 sixers in the fridge. Once cold it has a terrible off flavor not sure what it is. But taste perfect warm.

Dead Guy is one of my favorites...going to brew today for a homebrew Oktoberfest party in 5 weeks. I'm planning on 1-2 weeks in primary with another week in secondary (3 weeks total) then let it mellow in a keg for another 2 weeks. Do you think that will be enough time? I'm using Pacman that I harvested from a bottle of Brutal Bitter and stepped up 3 times to a 1L starter. I'll let the gravity determine when I'll move it to secondary...I just hope it will be ready in time.

Looking forward to this one...worst case scenario, it'll be ready for the Cal-Oregon game in November.

I though 'secondaries' were dead. Why secondary?

ultravista said:

I though 'secondaries' were dead. Why secondary?

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Maybe they are...i'm a NOOB! This is my 6th batch, 3rd that is from a recipe off HomeBrewTalk. I've been reading through the forums and seeing a lot of contradictory statements, and my first 3 kits suggested using a secondary.

Should I leave it in primary for 3-4, then condition in the keg for 1-2? My main question remains...do you think it'll be ready in 5 weeks?

Anyone have any idea what the AA units on the hops should be? I asked yooper and she said she did't remember she lost it on her hard drive. Im new to brewing so im not sure how to acheive a 30 to 35 IBU to this clone any help? Thanks all.

Going to do an "inspired by" batch of this as my next brew.

Started from the AG recipe, swapped the MO out for Vienna (because I used MO for my last brew, and I want to learn the difference), and then traded that off for DME to get down to a partial mash that I can handle. Haven't settled on the hops schedule, but it'll be some combination of Brewer's Gold, Willamette, and Spalt select because I have a huge amount of those sitting in my freezer. My initial thought was to use BG for 60 min bittering, Willamette for the 30 minute, and SS for the 5 minute, but we'll see. Yeast-wise, I'm going to try WLP007.

So, well, I don't think I can pretend that this is the same recipe, but the proportions and specialty malts are certainly Yooper's creation. But we'll see what happens.

Well, brewed the PM batch with Vienna + DME last Sunday. Mash was probably a little high, ranging from 156-158. Went with about 33 IBU, mostly from an ounce of Brewer's Gold at 60 mins, an ounce of Willamette at 15 mins, and 2 ounces of Spalt Select at 5 minutes. I had some trouble measuring the OG. I measured 1.053 after dilution, which is 0.011 low. Based on my measurement of the wort pre-boil it should have been closer to 1.060, maybe 1.058 at the lowest, so I suspect I hadn't mixed things up enough. Probably never know for sure though.

Pitched a decanted 2L starter of WLP007 and kept it around 60°, which is probably a bit cold for WLP007 from what I've been reading. Fortunately, I had made my starter around that temperature, so at least the yeast were trained for the cold a little bit. Nevertheless, it had a quick start (burping by 2 hours after pitch, big blowoff on Monday during the day). It had a flurry of activity but had slowed substantially by Wednesday. Temperatures in the garage rose, so it's been warming up since then, now it's at about 66 and I'll probably let it get up to 68ish if I can. It's still burping along happily...

Took a gravity sample / taste test today, 5 days after pitching. It's green, but it's going to be good. SG is about 1.018 (might have been 1.017). Still has a fairly sweet taste, with a rich and complex malt flavor. There's an earthy, almost gritty but not sharp bitterness to it, and a soft but pronounced grapefruit aftertaste that lingers on the palate. There is a tiny hint of an aroma that I think may be diacetyl, but it's barely there. Yeast-wise, it's very clean.

So, I'm going to give it at least another couple weeks in primary. I may go to secondary if I decide to start a mead with the fermenter it's in right now, otherwise I'll give it a bit longer on primary. I'm hoping it'll dry out a tiny bit more (though with a mash as high as I had, this may not be so likely). I'd also like the grapefruit to fade a bit, but maybe that's the effect of the late hops. In any case, I was a bit worried this would come out too similar to the ESB that I recently bottled. No more worries there, this one is also malty but quite different.

Making my 1st batch of this, so far everything is normal, I read celcius on my thermometer and broke a carboy.

Making this with us05 and northern brewer for bittering hop (have some left over from last year). Should turn out great... It's beer!

I never followed up on this one... it took a while to lose its flatness and get a head, and the beer at first tasted real sweet, but after a month and a half after bottling I think it blended really well.
So, nice one! I shared a half-growler with my wife tonight and she approves.
Thanks for the advice, and my next beer had a starter
-bill

Ok, brewed this 2 wks ago extract with extra pound of DME. It went from 1.081 to 1.021( checked today). I used wyeast 1056. Should I leave it in primary for another wk or put it to secondary? Fermentation has slowed to a bubble every 20-30 seconds. Leaning towards leaving it, but any advice is appreciated.

Raysfan08 said:

Ok, brewed this 2 wks ago extract with extra pound of DME. It went from 1.081 to 1.021( checked today). I used wyeast 1056. Should I leave it in primary for another wk or put it to secondary? Fermentation has slowed to a bubble every 20-30 seconds. Leaning towards leaving it, but any advice is appreciated.

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I'd leave it another week or so, and then bottle it when it starts to clear.

Kegged and carbed my batch on Friday and have been drinking all weekend...tastes better each day. OG of 1.072, kept in primary 3 1/2 and finished at 1.018...gonna get another batch of this in the queue. Used yeast harvested from a bomber of Brutal Bitter that I stepped up over a week

Revvy said:

When you switched to Xldme did you re calculate the recipe to convert the Lme to 3.2 pounds DME....making a total of 7.2 pounds XLDME...or did you use 8 pounds?

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Tried my first bottle of the Vienna-version of this (which I'm calling YMVA for Yooperish Maibock Vienna Ale). Needs a couple more weeks to carbonate and condition a bit more, but I think it may be the best result yet. The grapefruit has subsided and the beer is rich, with some raisiny flavor and a firm bitter finish that is well balanced with the richness. There's a bit of harshness to the aftertaste, which I think may be due to the Brewer's Gold hops, but it also may condition out. We'll see. In any case, it's not a serious flaw, just picking nits.

My next beer is based on Revvy's Vienna Lager, which turns out to be within a pound of Munich malt and half a pound of DME of the same grainbill as my implementation of this ale. I changed the hops around (went with 100% spalt select), but it's so similar it should give a pretty good comparison of the difference between an ale and a lager. This wasn't really planned, but it is a happy coincidence for my first lager.

This beer is delicious!! I kegged this last week and as green as it is I can't believe how smooth this beer tastes. What a great recipe thanks