German Amber Altbier

I'm brewing a German Amber Altbier and just curious if anyone would alter these ingredients at all? Cheers!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1486941297.932665.jpg
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It's a 5 gallon partial mash btw.

To be honest, the whole recipe looks fubar for an altbier. Maybe it will work, but it looks very unorthodox (Special B?). Is starting over a possibility? If so, I've got lots more to say. If not...

Skip the epsom salts. Probably skip the CaCl too. And the gypsum, and the yeast nutrients.

I only used table sugar for bottling. You never need corn sugar.

passedpawn said:

To be honest, the whole recipe looks fubar for an altbier. Maybe it will work, but it looks very unorthodox (Special B?). Is starting over a possibility? If so, I've got lots more to say. If not...

Skip the epsom salts. Probably skip the CaCl too. And the gypsum, and the yeast nutrients.

I only used table sugar for bottling. You never need corn sugar.

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^^passedpawn said it already.

This doesn't mean you won't end up with a beer you like to drink..... just not a "traditional" altbier - or altbier of any fashion.

Good to know. This is a partial mash kit so I was curious. Most of it is mixed together already so I can remove any of the ingredients. I'm taking notes though.

Would anyone recommend a secondary for this or should I keep it in the primary the whole time?

K_Sweets said:

Would anyone recommend a secondary for this or should I keep it in the primary the whole time?

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I would not secondary this beer if I brewed it. I don't generally put anything in a secondary unless I need oak, fruit, age, or some other factor that will cause it to sit for a long period, and I want to limit it's contact with the yeastcake and oxygen (i.e. minimal headspace). That's just my personal preference though. Some folks like the clearing effects they get from a secondary.

Are you going to ferment it in a bucket or a carboy? If I recall correctly, WY-1007 is a top-cropping yeast that makes a huge and persistent krausen. That might make a difference whether you use a secondary or not. (I almost never secondary)

I agree with leaving out the salts. OTOH they probably won't hurt anything if they're mixed in already. The malt and the hops look good, even if they aren't Altbier. Put all the hops in at 60 minutes and you'll be a lot closer.

K_Sweets said:

Good to know. This is a partial mash kit so I was curious. Most of it is mixed together already so I can remove any of the ingredients. I'm taking notes though.

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That recipe is not a partial mash. It's an extract recipe, with steeping grains, There are no base malts to mash, so it's not a partial mash.

K_Sweets said:

Would anyone recommend a secondary for this or should I keep it in the primary the whole time?

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I'd probably bottle it out of the primary and not do a secondary, but it's possible that moving it to a carboy and cold crashing it may help it clear up a bit. Altbier is traditionally lagered so you could do that and then bottle it.

Yooper said:

That recipe is not a partial mash. It's an extract recipe, with steeping grains, There are no base malts to mash, so it's not a partial mash.







I'd probably bottle it out of the primary and not do a secondary, but it's possible that moving it to a carboy and cold crashing it may help it clear up a bit. Altbier is traditionally lagered so you could do that and then bottle it.

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So if it's not a partial mash then why am I mashing prior to boiling my wort? It sounds like I bought a ****ty Altbier kit in the first place but I'm still learning. My primary is in a carboy. The kit calls for a secondary but I've read a lot about people skipping the secondary since this Ale doesn't require aging.

Yes, you bought a crappy Altbier kit, but not necessarily a bad amber ale kit. Roll with it.

You think you're mashing, but you're not really. There's nothing there with any enzymes. I suspect you are making a tea with the Special B and the Cara-whatever to extract much of their goodness. The Special B is probably mostly for color anyway. If it was a partial mash kit, you'd have something like 3 pounds of liquid malt extract (because it comes in 3 lb cans) and 3 pounds or so of 2-row malt instead of 5 lbs of DME, and the rest would be the same (and the salts would make more sense) You would mash the grain malt with the Cara- and the Special B in a couple of gallons of water, then add the LME to the boil kettle.

Follow the directions on the kit, but add all the Perle hops at the beginning of the boil. That will increase the bitterness substantially, and reduce the hops aroma; will get them both in range for a proper Altbier.

And you don't need a secondary with this. It won't really hurt anything if you want to use one; 20-something years ago we all thought we needed a secondary for everything (at least I did)