YeastieBoys
Well-Known Member
YeastieBoys said:
Anyone brew this lately? I'm doing it right now, but scaled down the base malt to 15 lbs for a 10 gallon batch. I upped the catapults to a lb for a little more body and head.
German Pils Cat's **** "Bitburger" - Premium Pilsner
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Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Anyone brew this lately? I'm doing it right now, but scaled down the base malt to 15 lbs for a 10 gallon batch. I upped the catapults to a lb for a little more body and head.
I'm ready to bottle my batch. Do I need to add yeast to bottle condition or will the lager yeast still be able to work once its warmed up?
YeastieBoys
Well-Known Member
You should be good without adding the yeast. There should be enough yeast in suspension to bottle condition. Make sure you wait 3 weeks or so before putting into the fridge to lager it out.
Luckily I scored some cornies off craigslist and kegged the batch. Man I like this one! If I can keep out of it till the holidays I will have some very happy guests. 
MollyHatchet
Well-Known Member
Sweet deal, I was lucky and had 15 cornies given to me. I just bought a 1.32gal mini keg of Bitburger, and was thinking of getting another and toss it in a keg to get my fix until I can get this one brewed. Let us know how it turns out!Bigbeavk said:Luckily I scored some cornies off craigslist and kegged the batch. Man I like this one! If I can keep out of it till the holidays I will have some very happy guests.
Man, Mutilated is right! This recipe IS The Cats Tits!!! It really is a "guzzler." I made it a few months ago but omitted the Carapils as an option instructed by the author. It is the kind you could literally gulp several times if you are thirsty. Most people who tried this said it was the best beer they's ever had. So good. Clean, crisp, no fruity esthers or sweetness. This is my favorite beer and I just ordered a 55lbs sack of Weyermann Pilsner Malt because I intend to make ALOT.
CHunter
CHunter
+1 on it being a delicious guzzler! Side by side with a real Bitburger this recipe has a little more of a citrus/lemony taste. I think I like this recipe much better. Color is just a hint more on the yellow/golden side. I can't wait to brew more of this one. Awesome recipe and everyone that has tasted it loved it! I think I'm gonna have to savor the last gallon for my self and of course my son.
BTW I did fill a couple Grolsch bottles and added one carb drop to each. It carbed just fine at room temp for 4 weeks.
BTW I did fill a couple Grolsch bottles and added one carb drop to each. It carbed just fine at room temp for 4 weeks.
rebrandsoftware
Well-Known Member
Maybe someone else has answered you, I haven't read the whole thread yet, but I brewed this today and had the same experience: lots of clumpy protein-looking-stuff floating around, some of it collecting into goopy balls.
Pretty gross looking so I just siphoned around it for the most part and left it in the kettle.
I think it might have something to do with the extra long mash, just a guess, though.
-Mike
That material was in mine too. I think it is somewhat unavoidable. It will all settle during the lagering period and you will end up with a nice, clear beer by the end. Just be careful not to stir it up when you siphon out for bottling.
Brewing this one again today!
rebrandsoftware
Well-Known Member
It turns out all the gunk in the beer was not a bad omen. I tried a sample today after one day on gas and it's FANTASTIC. I love it when a beer is this good before it's even carbed.
Going to pitch a Schwarzbier on top of this yeast and see how it turns out.
I will definitely be making this again.
Going to pitch a Schwarzbier on top of this yeast and see how it turns out.
I will definitely be making this again.
1.
I've read some here, and got some ideas for you. I've made this one once. Its' good, but needs a Starter as said in recip. I used 3L starter, made 3L 1042OV starter 1 day before brewing.
Then i put it in fermenter With the beer. From ther it goes into freezer Witch i have ext temp Control. Set it at 10 degrees celsius for 14 days, then slowly Down to 2 degrees celsius over NeXT 4 weeks. Ended up 1010OV(from 1054OV).
Earlyer i've made some lager, but always had problem getting them Down to a tasty OV. Often they stop around 1015OV witch is a bit sweet for the lager. So make a big starter and use stir plate if you have. Helps a lot.
2.
Anyway, i like my lager 100% Clear.. and that is easy to do. Chill the beer to 0 degrees celsius. Then boil up a cup of water, put in a tespoon of Gelatine and add to the beer wile you stir it. Close, remove air from keg With co2, then wait 2 days.. And you got 100% Clear beer.. ofc the first half liter you need to throw away Then serve Your friends and be proud. I do this With all my beer, and the taste is a LOT better when its Clear. But then again some like the taste a some yeast rest. So do what you prefeer.
Good Luck, looking forward to see some more feedback here.
I've read some here, and got some ideas for you. I've made this one once. Its' good, but needs a Starter as said in recip. I used 3L starter, made 3L 1042OV starter 1 day before brewing.
Then i put it in fermenter With the beer. From ther it goes into freezer Witch i have ext temp Control. Set it at 10 degrees celsius for 14 days, then slowly Down to 2 degrees celsius over NeXT 4 weeks. Ended up 1010OV(from 1054OV).
Earlyer i've made some lager, but always had problem getting them Down to a tasty OV. Often they stop around 1015OV witch is a bit sweet for the lager. So make a big starter and use stir plate if you have. Helps a lot.
2.
Anyway, i like my lager 100% Clear.. and that is easy to do. Chill the beer to 0 degrees celsius. Then boil up a cup of water, put in a tespoon of Gelatine and add to the beer wile you stir it. Close, remove air from keg With co2, then wait 2 days.. And you got 100% Clear beer.. ofc the first half liter you need to throw away
Then serve Your friends and be proud. I do this With all my beer, and the taste is a LOT better when its Clear. But then again some like the taste a some yeast rest. So do what you prefeer.Good Luck, looking forward to see some more feedback here.
Just kegged a batch last week! Reused half the yeast cake for a Vienna Lager. I used S-23 this time but I can all ready tell I liked the WLP-800 better. I'll be brewing this again once the Vienna Lager is done.
If you really want to mimick the water for a German lager, it would be best to use distilled water. Tap water will work and most people would not notice the difference but I insist on using 2.5 gallon jugs of distilled water for German lager.
H0meBrew77
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Just finishing up the carb in the corny keg. I wanted a really nice drinkable beer for the summer and this came out really good. Good taste. I bought several pils to taste before hand and this one comes close to one my favorites.
This is only my second all grain and I can say I am becoming a fan of lagering. Thanks for the recipe.
This is only my second all grain and I can say I am becoming a fan of lagering. Thanks for the recipe.
Brewed batch#3 today. Now the wait begins. LOL
Brewed batch#4 today. Kegging Batch#3
I promise I won't run out of this again!
I promise I won't run out of this again!
Bottled batch #4 and it carbed up just fine with no additional yeast in 10 days. Now if I can just let is sit in the fridge and lager in the bottle for a month or so. I've been using WLP800 for this beer and the only thing I'll change in the future is adding some clarifying to the process. Maybe some additional aroma hops as well.
So I brewed 10 gallons on Sunday, i.e. 4 days ago. I chilled to 55F and pitched and the fridge has been at 50F +/- 2 for 4 days and no activity in the air lock. I pitched 4 new, fresh 11.5g packs of the recommended yeast. I see krausen, and have since day 2, but think it is odd that their is no off gassing of CO2. Anyone else have issues like this? I am using a Speidel and I have checked temps with several accurate thermos I have and all read right in the 49-53F range. Not worried, just thought with 4 packs (Mr. Malty called for 3.8) that this thing would be rocking. No sulfur smells either. I know, RDWHAHB!
When I make lagers (fairly often) I wait 4 days for krausen. I don't notice activity in the airlocks. If I don't see yeast collecting on the top of the beer, I repitch. I've done this a couple of times (mostly out of panic). I've never had a lager not ferment properly.
Thanks for the info and advice!! I brew more ales than lagers and have brewed long enough to not panic with a seemingly stuck fermentation. Turns out I had changed out the standard plug and air lock that comes with the Speidel with a 9.5 drilled stopper and standard air lock because the one that comes with the fermenter was so tall it would rub/touch the top of my chamber. Well....guess what!? I noticed tonight that the stopper had come loose and I suspect all the CO2 was leaking out around it. I twisted it in good, drank a couple of homebrewed beers (and IPA and a brett'd saison) and just checked the fermenter and it is bubbling like mad!! I knew when I saw thick krausen that 1+1 wasn't equaling 2. Thanks again!
super. and thanks for inventing the IPL.
Not a problem. I think I "coined" that term almost a year before I first saw a commercial IPL (Sam Adams?). I brew a mean lager with a metric s-ton of Saaz and a buddy asked me what type of beer it was...I thought for about a millisecond and said "It's an IPL!". Love that floral Saaz hop, especially when paired with Kolsch yeast! Thanks for all your posts on HBT!! I lurked for a couple of years before I joined and your advice kept turning up in a lot of areas I was curious about! If I am ever in Clearwater or you are ever in the DC area we should hoist one! Cheers!
If you get down here, PM me. I've met other HBT'ers down here (I bike through Clearwater Beach regularly, so I'll probably be sweaty
So pulled this out of the freezer today, thinking I might to a D-rest on it. Took a refractometer sample, okay a small glass , and it checked in a little lower than my target, hitting 1.009. Think I might forgo the D-rest as it tastes wonderful and I detect no diacetyl in the sample. I over pitched a bit, so that probably explains it getting lower by about a point...or it could be margin of error, certainly nothing to be concerned about. One issue I have is the Speidel fermenter I have seems to clog at the outlet with yeast and other crap that drops out of suspension...going to have to engineer around that as I am getting a trickle out of it right now when the tap is wide open and that is going to be a problem when I keg and condition this sweet nectar!! Three weeks seems like an eternity now...feel like a kid waiting for Santa Claus...is that sad or what?? Cheers!
Keith, thanks again for pointing me to this recipe!
, and it checked in a little lower than my target, hitting 1.009. Think I might forgo the D-rest as it tastes wonderful and I detect no diacetyl in the sample. I over pitched a bit, so that probably explains it getting lower by about a point...or it could be margin of error, certainly nothing to be concerned about. One issue I have is the Speidel fermenter I have seems to clog at the outlet with yeast and other crap that drops out of suspension...going to have to engineer around that as I am getting a trickle out of it right now when the tap is wide open and that is going to be a problem when I keg and condition this sweet nectar!! Three weeks seems like an eternity now...feel like a kid waiting for Santa Claus...is that sad or what?? Cheers!Keith, thanks again for pointing me to this recipe!
After about 16 days of lagering, this has cleared nicely. Before the glass frosts up, this is as clear as water! But tastes so much better!!
Very Nice Bro!
Thanks...couldn't/wouldn't have done it without that sample I had at your place! Only problem is I only brewed 10 gallons!! Going through it like water!
LOL yea it's very hard to stay out of. What yeast did you use?
Saflager W-34/70 - the same one used by Weihenstephaner; which have you tried?
I've only used S-23 and WLP800 of which I didn't like S-23 much compared to WLP800.
heckler73
Well-Known Member
Made my first lager with this recipe.
I'm now at 3 weeks in primary @50F and just turned up my fridge to 60F for 2 days of D-rest.
I bottle (no kegs quite yet).
My plan is to rack to secondary, wash and fridge the yeast cake and then lager in secondary carboy for 3 weeks at 34F.
Then at bottling time I'll mix in a small amount of yeast from the fridge so I can bottle condition.
Got any tips for me? Should I do a small starter on the bottling yeast to wake it up? Should I bottle now instead and lager bottles?
Prost!
I'm now at 3 weeks in primary @50F and just turned up my fridge to 60F for 2 days of D-rest.
I bottle (no kegs quite yet).
My plan is to rack to secondary, wash and fridge the yeast cake and then lager in secondary carboy for 3 weeks at 34F.
Then at bottling time I'll mix in a small amount of yeast from the fridge so I can bottle condition.
Got any tips for me? Should I do a small starter on the bottling yeast to wake it up? Should I bottle now instead and lager bottles?
Prost!
I keg so I am probably not much help, but why don't you bottle, let them sit to carb, then crash? Seems a bit easier, but hopefully folks who bottle will weigh in. Best of luck!! Cheers!!
BTW, this beer is drinking soooo good right now!! I think that one of the issues with the craft beer scene is that people get so busy chasing whales and unicorns that they forget how delightful a well crafted German beer can be. This beer is so fragrant and delicate, but full of flavor and aroma!! Love it!
I've bottled 2 batches so far and no additional yeast was needed. It carbed up fine in 10 days at 70°F then hide them in your fridge for a few weeks and enjoy. By the time you get to the last 6 pack you will realize that the longer you leave it alone the better it gets. Good luck trying to save some, this beer is really good early on as well.
YeastieBoys
Well-Known Member
heckler73
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the replies re: bottling.
What I don't get it when to bottle it. I'm at 3.5 weeks now at 50F in primary. My bottling is not forced carb-just adding dextrose at bottling.
Do I:
1) Bottle now, at 3.5 weeks primary, let it sit 3 weeks warm in bottles, and then lager for another 3-4 weeks at 34F.
or
2) Rack it now to secondary, let sit 3 weeks at 34F and then bottle and condition warm without adding yeast at bottling. This is how the recipe reads.
It's my first ever lager, and I'd hate to wait 2 months and end up with flat beer. That would suck!
Is there a dry ale yeast that will do this justice? Fermented in the low 60's and put up in big bottles in a cool cellar. (I know it won't be the same)
