Munich Helles BierMunchers “Helles Belles” (Munich Helles, AG)

For a 5 gallon batch, should I change the grainbill at all? I would assume that normally, the answer is yes.

So the real question is more as follows: I'd rather have a higher ABV, could I just do a 5 gallon batch with the same grain bill to raise the OG, or would it change the beer too much. Perhaps just cutting it all down a half is best for a 5 gallon?

ekjohns said:

i would like to give this a try but first does anyone know of a comercial version that is similar so i can give it a try and see if i like it. Im in the columbus OH area so it cant be anything to difficult to find.

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I just had Sierra Nevada Summerfest the other day. It tasted a lot like a Munich Helles. Give that a whirl.

BM, just wanted to give a big thanks for this recipe. I can not stop drinking this stuff and my wife has requested that it be on tap "all the time."

Sockmonkey said:

BM, just wanted to give a big thanks for this recipe. I can not stop drinking this stuff and my wife has requested that it be on tap "all the time."

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You've just reminded me that I am running low on this brew. Time to get crushing I guess.

Just giving a shout-out to BierMuncher for the recipe! Still going strong since 2007 it seems! I also see a Helles Belles recipe in the Beer Smith sample recipes which is slightly differend (basically just Hallertauer instead of Tettnang). Looks like originally from 2005. Is this yours too Bier?

Anyway, brewed this one last night and Im excited! LHBS only had WLP036 Dusseldorf Alt Yeast, so I will let you guys know how it comes out! OG 1.041 which will be a lighter beer for my taste, but its summer right?!

Will report back in 6 weeks!

:rockin:

Brewing this up tomorrow. Unfortunately I only have dry yeast at my disposal, and no means of lagering. I'll be pitching two packs of Notty and keep temps at 60F.

I just brewed up an AG 5 gallon batch today. After the boil I just had 5 gallons. I took a gravity reading and it came up 1.056. I'm new to AG so I haven't quite gotten my process dialed in yet.

I went ahead and pitched my yeast. Should I add some water to it in the morning? If so, how much? Or, just leave it and have a slightly stronger Helles?

TRainH2o said:

I just brewed up an AG 5 gallon batch today. After the boil I just had 5 gallons. I took a gravity reading and it came up 1.056. I'm new to AG so I haven't quite gotten my process dialed in yet.

I went ahead and pitched my yeast. Should I add some water to it in the morning? If so, how much? Or, just leave it and have a slightly stronger Helles?

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Wsup Train, personally I would leave as is and just have a stronger beer. Im sure it will be good. If you see mine above, it came out at 1.041 and was a real nice summer beer, but I kinda wanted it a little stronger. I have added water before to beers (when i first starting brewing and batches came out short), although I would do so before you pitch your yeast. Also, I dont like adding water, becasue I think it takes flavor away. So relax, and have a strong homebrew!

Cabbie said:

Just giving a shout-out to BierMuncher for the recipe! Still going strong since 2007 it seems! I also see a Helles Belles recipe in the Beer Smith sample recipes which is slightly differend (basically just Hallertauer instead of Tettnang). Looks like originally from 2005. Is this yours too Bier?

Anyway, brewed this one last night and Im excited! LHBS only had WLP036 Dusseldorf Alt Yeast, so I will let you guys know how it comes out! OG 1.041 which will be a lighter beer for my taste, but its summer right?!

Will report back in 6 weeks!

:rockin:

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As a follow up, the Helles was a HUGE hit with my friends this summer. Everyone loved it! Many were surprised that it an ale could come out this clean and lite very much like a pilsner or lager. I also used the Dusseldorf Alt yeast (noted above) and was very tasty. Gave it a hint of sweetness, but was very clean and no aftertaste.

GREAT recipe BierMuncher! This one will definitely be added to my annual brewing list! Thanks again

Yes, I may just leave it as is. At 1.056, I'll have about a 5% ABV if it finishes at 1.014. Looking at the style guidelines, it is still within the ABV range. Not that it means that much to me personally.

How would I make this into a PM?

I made an Americanized Hoppy Helles. I ordered the AG recipe from my LHBS. I brewed it exactly as per the instructions but I didn't double-check the AAs on the hops.

Is it what I was expecting? Nope, but I am not complaining. VERY drinkable. It has that smooth malty Hellas character and smell, with the hop flavor of a Pale Ale. I used Kolsch yeast so it's fairly clean.

I'm going to sneak this one in at our local club's next competition. I'll see if they can figure out what it is. It seems like the hoppiest brew always wins our friendly competition. I might be in the running this time.

Gonna be brewing this one next time I brew - first weekend in Nov. Quick question - is the intent of the 90 min mash to produce a drier, lower FG beer? I have never done a 90 min mash before, so just wondering what to expect - don't want any surprises!

This brew will be for my girlfriend's sister's wedding which is between xmas and new years so, I need a real crowd pleaser for the BMC crowd (especially as I am the SOLE beer provider! NO commercial stuff...) I don't have the time to lager, so will use Notty at a low fermentation temp for a (hopefully) quick clear and lager-like result. Any other tips towards achieving that goal?? Thanks!

sleepystevenson said:

Gonna be brewing this one next time I brew - first weekend in Nov. Quick question - is the intent of the 90 min mash to produce a drier, lower FG beer? I have never done a 90 min mash before, so just wondering what to expect - don't want any surprises!

This brew will be for my girlfriend's sister's wedding which is between xmas and new years so, I need a real crowd pleaser for the BMC crowd (especially as I am the SOLE beer provider! NO commercial stuff...) I don't have the time to lager, so will use Notty at a low fermentation temp for a (hopefully) quick clear and lager-like result. Any other tips towards achieving that goal?? Thanks!

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90 minutes will cause higher attenuation and a drier beer...what you're looking for. Use some gelatin in the secondary and give the beer plenty of time (2 weeks at least) in the primary.

Thanks ! Looking forward to trying it!

I brewed this several weeks ago. Everything went well but after four weeks in the primary, the FG stopped dropping at 1.013. I went ahead and kegged. It has been in the keg for almost 4 weeks at this point.

The beer has a strong Acetaldehyde taste. I made a 1.5 liter starter and pitched at 68˚F, which wasn't easy for the summer. Temp was controlled and steady at 66˚F for the entire 4 weeks in the primary with the recommended Kolsch yeast.

It doesn't sound like BierMuncher did any type of lagering. Will an extended lagering period do me any good? Like I said, it's been sitting for 4 weeks already cold. The beer doesn't taste bad, it just tastes cidery.

Another thought.......

Should I add some of the saved Kolsch yeast back to the keg and let it warm back up a bit? Right now it is 38˚F.

Thoughts?

My final gravity turned out to be 1.040 isntead of 1.041 is it that big of a deal? and also I changed it to partial mash that can have something to do with it.

I brewed this sucker up yesterday evening. One problem, forgot the Whirlfloc! OK, so how clear can I get this batch with a cold crash and gelatine? I'm afraid this batch will never be aesthetically pleasing. It looked like mud going into the fermenter.

Hey Erie - you should be fine with the cold crash and gelatin. I brewed a batch on 11/7/10 and just kegged it on sat after a week cold crash /gelatin. I did use irish moss in the boil. It was crystal clear out of the primary and into the kegs. My OG was a little higher - 1.045. I used Notty yeast and kept the ferm temps low: 57-60 for the first 5 days, then raised to 65 to complete fermentation. After about 3-3 1/2 weeks, I crash cooled to 33 and added gelatin. FG was around 1.010.

I was very impressed with the beer immediately after kegging. Bready, grainy, clean tasting, with very little ale yeast presence. Definitely tasted more like a Helles Lager than an ale. I will report back with more tasting impressions after it has had time to carb up. Thanks BierMuncher for a great recipe!

Thanks Sleepy. In past experience, I've noticed that Nottingham really does a good job cleaning up after itself, a characteristic that I understand that a Kolsch yeast does not possess.

I'm looking for a little advice here...
I brewed this two weeks and one day ago and it's been fermenting at 56F, OG 1043.
I opened the lid of my bucket on Saturday. Aside from the rotten eggs that punched me in the face, I still had a moderate size krausen that was still hanging around. I decided to check a gravity (1009) and move it to a warmer location. I took a look today and that krausen is still floating like it's a damn hot tub party. I'd like to get this thing into the secondary and get some gelatin in it but the krausen is detouring me. Suggestions? Leave it? Rack it? It might be a question for another forum but it's related to this recipe so I decided to post it here.

Brewed this about a month and a half ago. I took the risk of not boiling for 90mins but rather boiling for 60min.

My beer now has a corn taste to it

Here's hoping it mellows out.

Thanks BierMuncher, great recipe!


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ErieShores said:

Thanks BierMuncher, great recipe!


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Damn that looks tasty.

Tweaked this a bit and entered it as a Kolsch in the NHC. I scored a 36. Great comments from the judges. My issue, as I anticipated, was it was too estery. I didn't make a yeast starter with this one (still getting educated on liquid yeast). Great beer, nonetheless.

Has anyone tried using SF lager for this recipe?

I dont have laggering capabilities so i was hoping on using that strain.

Cheers

Just got finished brewing up 10 gal of this. The only difference is I'm using wlp080 cream ale yeast. Should be tasty.

I brewed this up about 10 weeks ago. I used 2 packets of 34/70. I also made it a PM. O.G. was 1.041 ish can't remember off hand. F.G. is 1.010. Fermented around 50 deg for 2 weeks and lagered for 7 weeks at 33ish. It is a great beer. Very clean slighty malty flavor that seems to go down all too fast. This is one that will be brewed again

Anybody have any alternate yeasts to use at high temperatures. During these warm months I am pretty stuck at about 70 degrees.

I was thinking trying US-05 for a clean flavor, or potentially a california common lager yeast. I would age it for a while, and could cold condition for a long time. Would I get a similar flavor, or should I just wait for cooler weather?

Wakadaka said:

Anybody have any alternate yeasts to use at high temperatures. During these warm months I am pretty stuck at about 70 degrees.

I was thinking trying US-05 for a clean flavor, or potentially a california common lager yeast. I would age it for a while, and could cold condition for a long time. Would I get a similar flavor, or should I just wait for cooler weather?

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Search for "swamp cooler" on the forums. You should easily be able to keep your fermenter below 70 degrees with a swamp cooler. I personally would not use Cali common yeast, as it will turn out very estery at 70 degrees. I have had good luck with WLP001 fermented around 65 degrees using a swamp cooler for making pseudo-lager beers.

I just brewed this as my first AG this past Monday. Missed my mash and sparge temps by a lot, but hit my estimated OG so I am hopefull this will turn out wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!!

Billy

Okay guys looking for some advice...

I brewed a finski of this recipe yesterday. I mashed a little lower to try and achieve drier beer, and I also used the German Ale smack pack. One thing that I realized I did not follow directions on was the 90 minutes for the mash. I also got excited about an article in the new Beer mag that is about no sparge brewing. I got ahead of myself and was going to do a esb with this method but my yeast was not ready. Without thinking I went ahead and filled the mash tun, and it wasn't until my boil that I realized I think I should of rested and rinsed this pilsen malt from briess. I did achieve a 90 minute boil and hit my gravity for my recipe at 1046. The sample I thought was good for I never used pilsen malt but my friend who sampled a pre ferment sample tasted some starches. Where am I at at this point with this and what is most likely the reason for that taste. Am I okay or this beer doomed already?

Thanks
Tim

11 days fermenting time so far, FG is 1010 but it's pretty cloudy. Hopefully it will clear up in the next 3 days. The sample I drank was wonderful! I am excited to keg this on Monday.

Billy

Not sure what happened here, tastes like a nice chardonnay..fruity and a bit tart. followed the recipe to a T. Fermented mid 60's...cleared quicky, looked beautiful...bottled at 5 weeks. I guess i see what happens after a few weeks in the bottle, but i'd be shocked if these flavors retreat.

Beernewb said:

Not sure what happened here, tastes like a nice chardonnay..fruity and a bit tart. followed the recipe to a T. Fermented mid 60's...cleared quicky, looked beautiful...bottled at 5 weeks. I guess i see what happens after a few weeks in the bottle, but i'd be shocked if these flavors retreat.

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In my limited use of a Kolsch yeast (3 brews), fruit is pretty common when I fermented in the high 60's but mellowed a bit over time. Here is a clip from Wyeast...

Beers will exhibit some of the fruity character of an ale, with a clean lager like profile.

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http://www.wyeastlab.com/rw_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=144
Give it some time, I brewed this recipe around Christmas last year and it really started to taste great around March.

Kegged, Carbed and its fantastic!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the recipe.

Billy

my issue might be my starter...

it was warm that week and it was close to 75 in the kitchen...

this dropped out so fast, it's not even carbing in the bottles, it's like a belgian, I only have a slight carnonation and no head after 2 weeks in the bottle...this is my first truly bad beer, so i guess if it's gonna go wrong, it might as well go wrong on all fronts..lol..

BierMuncher said:

I'd lean towards the Liberty. Hops don't play much of a role in this style, except to balance the beer. As long as you maintain a 2.5 to 1 (OG to IBU) ratio and keep this puppy malty (sweet), the hops really don't matter. :rockin:

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So. I was thinking of doing this tomorrow morning, but I realized I have NO noble hops at all. Since it is only a 60 minute addition, and not much flavor or aroma should be imparted, could I just use some cascade that I have, or do you think this would significantly change it?

I have this recipe in the keg now and has been on gas for 3 days I am afraid it will be off a bit. This was my second beer attempt.

I brewed this biab -

My efficiency was about 95% per tastybrew calc. - which is way higher than I wanted - 1.058 (sample was 65 F when measured)

I used a little more grain than the recipe calls for thinking my efficiency would be worse than the recipe ... it was better apparently.

8 american pale 2-row
1 Vienna
.5 Munich Malt
.25 Cara Pils
1 oz tetterang for 50 minutes

8.2 gallons starting and 5.6 after boil - triple ground the grain

I had american 2 row instead of Pilsner ...I thought I had Pilsner on hand...but I was wrong .. sample tasted great though after boil.

Per tastybrew bitterness calculator - IBU 10.6 is what it came out with...with my numbers after I brewed it...it was supposed to be 14.x if I hit 1.04x

Hop AA AAU Boil Time Utilization IBU
100.0 % 1.00 Tettnanger 3.2 3.2 50 0.242 10.6

With that low of bitterness when I put it in the keg it tasted weird after it fermented out.
It had a FG of 1.015

I will let you know how it turns out in a few days.

thanks Kevin