Dunkles Bock Brazos Bock

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goatchze

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
108
Reaction score
2
Location
College Station, TX
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Wyeast Bavarian Lager 2206
Yeast Starter
1 Quart
Batch Size (Gallons)
5
Original Gravity
1.069
Final Gravity
1.015
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
25
Color
15 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14 @ 52F-35F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
28 @ 25F
Tasting Notes
Well balanced bock with malty characters winning out over hop bitterness.
Brazos (Texas) Bock

Don't let the simplicity of this recipe fool you, it's what makes it great!

Drawing2.jpg


Ingredients

Grain
12 lb German Munich Malt
1/2 lb German CaraMunich 80L

Hops
2 oz Halltertauer Hersbrucker (2.4%) - Boiled for 60 minutes
1 1/2 oz Halltertauer Hersbrucker (2.4%) - Boiled for 15 minutes

Water
50% Mineral/Spring Water
50% Reverse Osmosis Water

Yeast
Wyeast Bavarian Lager 2206 in a 1 quart starter

Method

Single Infusion Mash with Batch Sparge

Protein Rest: none
Sacc. Rest: 60 minutes @ 152F
Mash Out: During Sparge @ 168F

Notes: The AAU for the hops is what is most important and 2.4% is quite low for a typical Hellertauer (but I bought several pounds of the stuff, so that's what I use!) If you've got 5% AA Hersbrucker hops, then cut the hop amounts in half.

This is easily my favorite homebrew beer and it reminds me of the Augustiner Dunkel from Munich. The malt character is present, but the beer is not overly sweet. At the same time the hop bitterness is not overpowering. Clarity has never been a problem and color is quite appealing. An excellent, balanced beer that is extremely drinkable; will please light and dark beer lovers alike!

Also, secondary should be at 35F, not 25F!

I usually shoot for 6 gallons collected @ SG=1.049 and usually end up with 5-5.5 gallons post-boil at around SG=1.052-1.058, so that's a little bit lower than the recipe formula states.
 
Of course, feel free to use whatever size starter you prefer. 1 quart is what I use and haven't had any problems.

I do pitch warm. Starter is at room temperature and I pitch the the wort after it comes through the CFC and is aerated (~70F). It then goes straight to the fridge/freezer set at 52F. If I cooled the wort/starter first, I would probably want a larger starter.

Use whatever technique you like best.
 
When it comes to secondary, do you end up kegging it then?

I'm excited about making my first lager(just got a chest freezer) and would love a bock to be it.

Thanks for the good recipe!
 
It depends; I have a limited amount of buckets and kegs, so I use what is available.

If I do use a keg for secondary, I'll usually rack the beer out of the keg, rinse out any yeast cake remaining at the bottom of the secondary, and then rack it back. Sometimes I'll push it through a filter to the same effect.

I don't have shortened dip tubes and sometimes travel with the kegs, so I like to get all the flocculated yeast off the bottom.

Alternatively you could just do nothing and dump the first few pints, but that always brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it!
 
I want to brew this one this weekend. Have you made any changes to the recipe or can you make any suggestions now since brewing it?
 
Hey Mkory, I've brewed this many times before and after posting. I've always liked the way it comes out and haven't made any changes myself. It's still my favorite homebrew and beer in general; I like it more than any commercial beer or microbrew. The only beer I might like more is the Augustiner Dunkel from Munich, but I can't get that over here!

The key for you will be to add the right amount of hops. My AAU was really low on the hops I was using when I developed this recipe. I've used some Hersbrucker hops that were even worse (1%) and some that were better (4%). As long as I do the math right, it comes out fine.

Also, I usually end up with a "smaller" beer than the original recipe asks for (see the comments at the bottom of the original post). I actually like it more this way.
 
A fellow Ag and I are brewing this on the 14th. His SWMBO (another Ag) has been on him to brew a bock and I can't think of a better one, given the name.

How much is this like Shiner? Is it heavier? That is what his SWMBO wants.
 
A fellow Ag and I are brewing this on the 14th. His SWMBO (another Ag) has been on him to brew a bock and I can't think of a better one, given the name.

How much is this like Shiner? Is it heavier? That is what his SWMBO wants.

Let me start by saying I like Shiner and am not trying to knock their product(s).

But Shiner Bock isn't really a bock; it's more like an "amber/dark lager". It's not 100% true to style. For starters, it's not "big" enough (thanks to our silly Texas laws) to be a true bock. Most bocks fall in the 6-7%abv range. Shiner is 4.4%. I should note though, that I usually end up with a "smaller" bock than is typically true to style; I usually have 5.5-6.0% or so and I actually prefer this. I guess I should probably revise the grain bill down a bit in the recipe....

Shiner also uses corn in their grain bill which alters the final product.

So if I was to compare the two, I would say this recipe makes a beer that is:

similar in color to Shiner
about equivalent in bitterness and aroma (little to none)
has a fuller body than Shiner
is "smoother" than Shiner (in comparing the two, the use of corn will really jump out at you)
has more of a caramel, malty flavor to it
I usually carbonate to a lower level than Shiner

But, if your SWMBO likes Shiner, then it's safe to say she will like this beer. This beer isn't quite as sweet/malty as St. Arnold's Bock, but is more so than Shiner Bock.

Are you in B/CS? I haven't brewed in a while (building a new system), but I think I may have a bottle or two of this laying around if you'd like to try it.
 
I'm in NW Austin, but my in-laws are in BCS. I'll be in town this weekend so I might take you up on that offer. Send me a PM when you are available and your address.

I'll send this to my buddy and see what his SWMBO thinks. It's really for her, but I don't mind having 5g of it on hand.

And I understand about the Shiner/style issue. I thought about going to AHS and picking up there clone kit, but I really like the sound of this one (plus the higher ABV always helps).
 
:off: (Sorry)

Man this does sound tasty!! Im about to try my hand at my first lager and can't wait to do this, but for now I'm looking at trying one with some of the 100 pounds of 2row that I just bought (plus any other complimentary grains as well). Any lager AG suggestions with 2row??
 
:off: (Sorry)

Man this does sound tasty!! Im about to try my hand at my first lager and can't wait to do this, but for now I'm looking at trying one with some of the 100 pounds of 2row that I just bought (plus any other complimentary grains as well). Any lager AG suggestions with 2row??

Duffman,

Sorry to reply so late. You can check out my Terreros Pils recipe if you want to brew an AG lager with 2row. Just substitute the 2row for the pilsner malt. It should come out just fine.
 
Alright, I've finally gotten around to brewing this bock and I'm excited. Had to use Light Canadian Munich because that's all they had, and I also used WL820 because I had a jar of it. But other than that, I followed your lead.

Got a few months before I can really enjoy this one, but I'll let you know how it turns out! And cheers!
 
I have to do this one for real because anything with a&m on it means i gotta do it! Also, it looks so simple in recipe so it has to be delicious!

-Class of '11
WHOOP!
 
Howdy from a Texas transplant via Georgia!
Could you walk me through your Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 @ 52F-35F?
Do you go 14 days at 52 then drop to 35? Do you step it down day by day? I'm new to lager methods and don't know when to start dropping the temp.
Thanks,
Tx
 
Just pitched this brew...thanks for the recipe. Should be ready just in time for NFL playoffs! Hope it tastes as good as it smells.
 
Digging up an old thread. I just pitched yeast in a brew that used this recipe as a base. Only changes are a full pound of Munich 60 not 80 bc lhbs didn't carry it, Munich lager yeast instead of Bavarian lager yeast, and tettanger instead of hersbrucker bc they were out. Its fermenting away less than 24 hours later, and the preliminary taste test was a success with my brew crew.
 
I finally got around to tasting this one at bottling. The Munich malt is VERY pronounced. My family, who hates (HATES! wtf?) beer, said that this one is great, even without the carbonation. OG was low (1.062) but FG was great (1.014) for 75% attenuation to make it 6.3% overall. I used the Munich lager yeast WY2308 at 48 degrees for 10 days, 4 day diacytl rest @ 64 and lager at 35 - 44 degrees (Illinois Heat Wave raised hell on my fridge!) for 5 weeks. I simply just couldn't wait any longer to lager. This will be about ready in another 2-4 weeks. Totally excited for the beginning of August!

I washed and repitched the yeast on an Oktoberfest. Again, less than 24 hours to begin active fermentation.

This one gets added to the list of re-brews.
 
Slight variation I should say. Instead of 12lb Munich, I'm only using 9lbs Munich and 3lbs of Vienna.

Same hop bill/schedule and same yeast. Will report back in a few months!

[Edit] collected 6.85g (under 7g but more than 6.75 per my sight glass) of 1.057 wort. That's almost 85% efficiency! Super stoked. I credit the new mill I'm using!!

Hope to boil down to 5.5g or so. I usually over sparge and do a 90m boil to help my efficiency.

[Edit 2] Only did a 75m boil because I was done with the rain. Collected a little less than 6g of 1.068 wort. Very nice. Excited to see how this turns out.

[Edit 3] As of March 20, gravity stalled at 1.020 (6.3% abv). Wish I could have squeezed a few more points out, but it was done. Might mash at 151 instead of 154 next time. Going to transfer and start the lager this weekend. Question for the OP: I'm considering bourbon barrel oak chips while this lagers... or for a portion of the lagering. Do you think it would be an interesting addition, or should I leave this be?
 
Bought ingredients to brew this this weekend. I'm excited, it sounds good. I've been looking for a good bock recipe.

Only major difference is that the caramunich my lhbs had is 45L instead of 80L, so it will probably be a bit lighter in color.

Also, the hersbrucker was only 2aau, so I might go ahead and use a full 4 ounces. Also added a small amount of acidulated malt (6oz) for mash ph adjustment.

I'm going to go ahead and make a 2qt starter with 2 yeast packs just to make sure the yeasties are good to go.


I'll post results later.




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Bought ingredients to brew this this weekend. I'm excited, it sounds good. I've been looking for a good bock recipe.

Only major difference is that the caramunich my lhbs had is 45L instead of 80L, so it will probably be a bit lighter in color.

Also, the hersbrucker was only 2aau, so I might go ahead and use a full 4 ounces. Also added a small amount of acidulated malt (6oz) for mash ph adjustment.

I'm going to go ahead and make a 2qt starter with 2 yeast packs just to make sure the yeasties are good to go.


I'll post results later.

Not sure what happened, but I ended up undershooting my mash temps a bit. Was going for 152*F, ended up around 148/149. Should still be good, but it may end up having less body that I was hoping for. Time will tell. I added a small amount of 160*F water halfway through the mash to try to bring temps up a hair, but I'm not sure that it made any difference. I really need to invest in some brewing calculators/software.

I had 8oz of DME left over from the starter, so I ended up throwing that in the boil as well. Did a 90-minute boil, ended up with a little over 4 gallons of 1.075 wort, so I added top-up water until If got a SG of 1.060.

Last I checked it was bubbling away. Now we play the waiting game.....
 
So I've been lagering this for about 3.5 weeks, and it's been on the bourbon/chips since 3/28 (about two weeks). The bourbon/oak flavor is very, very subtle, but definitely there, and definitely intriguing!

I am going to give it another week, and if things stay subtle, I'll go ahead and keg, but next time I brew this recipe (and there will be a next time!!), I may double the bourbon barrel chips from 2 to 4 oz.

[Edit 4/24] extra week on the bourbon chips didn't do much more, so I kegged. It's absolutely delicious. Malty, but balanced, and a nice subtle pop/kick from the bourbon barrel chips. Here is a pic!

image.jpg
 
Kegged mine tonight. FG 1.013. Sample tasted great. Can't wait to taste it after it has carbed up/lagered for a bit.


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Here's a sneak preview. Took a sample after clearing with gelatin. Clear as glass. It still needs a while longer to carbonate and lager, but man, it's already pretty damn good. Thanks for the recipe.

ImageUploadedByHome Brew1399598926.559772.jpgImageUploadedByHome Brew1399598948.383295.jpgImageUploadedByHome Brew1399598958.000612.jpg


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Sounds awesome! Not set up for layering yet, but this will prob be my first one.


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How is it?
This is really going to end up being the push that makes me buy a freezer... Lol


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This will be my first Bock, Had to sub a few things but looking good so far. Hey Hunter, Did you fly FA?
 
How does this compare to Shiner Bock? Similar flavor but a lot to little stronger? Or no comparison? Just trying to get a reference point and decide how much to make. Thx


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