Comments on this Schwarzbier

I have taken Jamil's Dark is the Night Schwarzbier recipe and modified it to the ingredients I have and also my equipment.

The biggest change is that I don't have a lager yeast or a beer fridge/ freezer to lager this thing in. So because of that I turned to Nottingham and I plan to primary at 60-64 F. If, in the next week I can pick up a beer fridge I will lager/ cold crash it in there.

Only other change is the mash. Jamil has an infusion at 154. I am gonna try a a 'double infusion'. This is something I've never done before so I am blindly following Beer Smith's instructions.

I'd appreciate comments on the mash schedule and fermentation schedule with this lager/ ale.

Here is the recipe:


Recipe: Black Gumboot Ale
Brewer: CJO
Style: Schwarzbier (Black Beer)
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.30 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 26.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 37.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 39.22 %
4.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 39.22 %
1.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 9.80 %
0.40 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3.92 %
0.40 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3.92 %
0.20 lb Carafa III (525.0 SRM) Grain 1.96 %
0.20 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 1.96 %

1.25 oz Hallertauer, New Zealand [7.50 %] (60 minHops 30.2 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer, New Zealand [7.50 %] (20 minHops 7.3 IBU
0.50 oz Liberty [4.30 %] (1 min) Hops 0.3 IBU

1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Double Infusion, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 10.20 lb
----------------------------
Double Infusion, Light Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
30 min Protein Rest Add 9.18 qt of water at 132.1 F 122.0 F
30 min Saccrification Add 8.16 qt of water at 187.9 F 150.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 8.16 qt of water at 210.3 F 168.0 F

I wouldn't use roasted barley or chocolate malt in a Schwartzbier. It's going to taste like a porter if you do.

david_42 said:

I wouldn't use roasted barley or chocolate malt in a Schwartzbier. It's going to taste like a porter if you do.

Click to expand...

+1 also make sure the Carafa that you use is Carafa special - the dehusked version

I brewed this today.

I hear where people are coming from on the chocolate and roasted barley. It probably doesn't belong in the strict guidelines of a schwarzbier but I was looking for a little bit of a roasty flavour in there. There is a black lager brewed round here that is really tasty: Okanagan Springs Black Lager and I was trying to emulate the roasty flavour but clean finish in that beer.

Still I did cut back on the choc and roasted barley. Really just adding 3 ounces of each into the grain bill. I was looking at Gibbly's Schwarzbier and borrowed some ideas from his grain bill by adding wheat.

It was the first time I've done a sac rest or anything like that. I'm usually just a single infusion, batch sparge guy. Overall it went really well and I hit all the temps but my efficiency dropped down to about 70% when I am usually between 80-85 with my regular method.

I doubt I would do this double infusion again. I was trying to do some research to see if any of the malts i was using were not modified enough to call for this but couldn't find any info. I'm guessing since they are North American malts they are fully modified. We'll see how it tastes I guess.

Here is the adjusted recipe:

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.30 gal
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 22.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 39.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU

4.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 37.56 %
4.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 37.56 %
0.65 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 6.10 %
0.50 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 4.69 %
0.50 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 4.69 %
0.20 lb Carafa III (525.0 SRM) Grain 1.88 %
0.15 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 1.41 %
0.15 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 1.41 %


1.25 oz Hallertauer, New Zealand [7.50 %] (60 minHops 31.1 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer, New Zealand [7.50 %] (20 minHops 7.5 IBU
0.50 oz Liberty [4.30 %] (1 min) Hops 0.3 IBU

1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Double Infusion, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 10.15 lb
----------------------------
Double Infusion, Light Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
30 min Protein Rest Add 9.14 qt of water at 132.1 F 122.0 F
30 min Saccrification Add 8.12 qt of water at 187.9 F 150.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 8.12 qt of water at 210.3 F 168.0 F

Made one in Feb, drinking it right now. I don't find to too roasty, I can think of a few commercial examples that are much more roasty.

75% efficiency; OG 1.050; FG 1.012; 5.00Gal batch
5lb Pilsner
3lb Munich 10
8oz Caramunich III
8oz Chocolate Malt
4oz Carafa II Special
60min mash at 154F
Hallertauer: 2oz at 60, .75oz at 20min, .5oz at 0min = 28IBU

Wyeast 2206 @ 52F for 3 weeks. Secondary for 1 month at 52F. (It's what the basement could do).

I would probably bump up the hops on a remake, but I like the grain bill here. I could see lowering the chocolate and raising the Carafa Special to keep the color (27SRM, looks nice). Pretty good, considering it was my first lager and third all-grain.

I like Carafa III with no chocolate malts in mine.

joex444 said:

Made one in Feb, drinking it right now. I don't find to too roasty, I can think of a few commercial examples that are much more roasty.

75% efficiency; OG 1.050; FG 1.012; 5.00Gal batch
5lb Pilsner
3lb Munich 10
8oz Caramunich III
8oz Chocolate Malt
4oz Carafa II Special
60min mash at 154F
Hallertauer: 2oz at 60, .75oz at 20min, .5oz at 0min = 28IBU

Wyeast 2206 @ 52F for 3 weeks. Secondary for 1 month at 52F. (It's what the basement could do).

I would probably bump up the hops on a remake, but I like the grain bill here. I could see lowering the chocolate and raising the Carafa Special to keep the color (27SRM, looks nice). Pretty good, considering it was my first lager and third all-grain.

Click to expand...

This is interesting. It's got a lot more hops than my recipe, and yet you say you'd bump it. I'm more of a hop than malty guy so I'm interested to see how mine turns out.

Also interesting to see that it turned out well for you after fermenting the whole time at 52. This is where my unfinished basement sits but I can't get it down to lagering temps.

I need to get some actual lager yeast soon.