Around a year ago, I brewed a Festbier that I entered into a brew competition as a Munich Helles in Portland Oregon that got some solid constructive feedback. I had brewed the beer using a triple decoction mash inside of my tiny apartment at the time. I now have a slightly larger apartment, and better equipment, so now I am ready to try it again, except I want to improve on the beer taking the judges feedback into mind.
Here is the recipe from the original thread:
Here is a picture showing the beer turned out.
Finally, here is the judges feedback
(Remember, this was entered as a Helles)
So there are a few things that I will need to work around. I want to keep the grain bill relatively simple as it is now. I think the judges found the malt profile to be on target if perhaps needing more spicy hops to bring it to balance. I need to some help adjusting the grain the bill and the hop profile needs to be completely re worked.
I went to the local brew store today and picked up 2 oz each of Hersbrucker, Perle,Tettnanger, Spalt, so there should be plenty of noble hops to choose from to get whatever kind of spicy hop profile my beer was lacking last time.
For the yeast, I picked up 2 packets of Saflager w-34/70, which is supposed to be similar to wlp830 https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp830-german-lager-yeast
So, what do you guys think?
Here is the recipe from the original thread:
Now for the recipe for a single 6 gallon batch:
9 lbs 8.0 oz----Pilsen (BestMälz)-----------(1.8 SRM)----70.4 %
2 lbs------------Vienna (BestMälz)----------(4.1 SRM)----14.8 %
1 lbs------------Munich (BestMälz)----------(7.6 SRM)----7.4 %
1 lbs------------Munich Dark (BestMälz)----(12.7 SRM)---7.4 %
1.50 oz---------Saaz [3.80 %]----Boil 60.0 min 18.5 IBUs
0.38 oz---------Saaz [3.80 %]----Boil 25.0 min 3.2 IBUs
0.38 oz---------Saaz [3.80 %]----Boil 15.0 min 2.3 IBUs
1.0 pkg---------German Bock Lager---------(White Labs #WLP833) ( I did a two step starter, stir plate->2.5 gallon)
Here is a picture showing the beer turned out.
Finally, here is the judges feedback
(Remember, this was entered as a Helles)
Overall Score: 30.5
Aroma:
BJCP Reference:
Pleasantly grainy-sweet, clean Pils malt aroma dominates. Low to moderately-low spicy noble hop aroma, and a low background note of DMS (from Pils malt). No esters or diacetyl.
Judge 1:
Low Grainy malt with sweet corn DMA scent. Honey malt character develops, No Hops or diactyle detected.
8/12
Judge 2:
Muted grain with some slight sweetness, some slight hint of DMS (as appropriate)
6/12
Judge 3:
Cracker and bread crust malt aroma with floral hops.
10/12
Judge 4:
Clean malt forward medium intense honey biscuit, light almond. Low hops, slight peppery. Low esters of pear. Very Pleasant.
7/12
Appearance:
BJCP Reference:
Medium yellow to pale gold, clear, with a creamy white head.
Judge 1:
Golden straw in color and quite clear. Nice head formation with white bubbles.
2/3
Judge 2:
Dull clarity of a golden color with creamy white head that dissipates quickly leaving a few bubbles along the edges.
2/3
Judge 3:
Gold color with good clarity. Creamy white head that persists at edges.
2/3
Judge 4:
Clear medium intense amber color, a bit dull with mixed sized head fade quickly. Large internal bubbles.
2/3
Flavor:
BJCP Reference:
Slightly sweet, malty profile. Grain and Pils malt flavors dominate, with a low to medium-low hop bitterness that supports the malty palate. Low to moderately-low spicy noble hop flavor. Finish and aftertaste remain malty. Clean, no fruity esters, no diacetyl.
Judge 1:
Grainy sweet malt flavor dominates, with a soft floral hop character pulling through in the end. No esters- a very clean fermentation. Hops with the balance, but don't overpower.
12/20
Judge 2:
Slightly sweet with some very mild bitterness and lot of grain/malt flavor.
10/20
Judge 3:
Malty sweetness (bread crust) with herbal hop flavor. Balanced towards sweetness but hop bite helps to dry out the finish.
12/20
Judge 4:
Sweet honeyed malt biscuit up front carries sweetness to finish. Mild white pepper form hops minimed low bitterness. Clean low pear ester form ferm. Malt King almost to much. Finish sweet and very malty.
12/20
Mouthfeel
BJCP Reference:
Medium body, medium carbonation, smooth maltiness with no trace of astringency.
Judge 1:
Light-body, medium carbonation. Slight creaminess from the alcohol. Also, slight warmth.
3/5
Judge 2:
Highly carbonated, expands quickly in the mouth leaving with a lot of gas to work through.
3/5
Judge 3:
Medium bodied with medium creamy carbonation.
3/5
Judge 4:
Medium bodied, medium carbonation. medium warmth to high not astringent.
2/5
Overall Impression:
BJCP Reference:
Malty but fully attenuated Pils malt showcase.
Judge 1:
This is a very nice balanced Helles. The soft character of the hops is showcased throughout. Refreshing, but intricate. Hops could be slightly more spicy, but it still goes well with the style. A little too sweet.
7/10
Judge 2:
Good beer with some issues in the clarity and the carbonating. The overall flavor was pleasant but seemed lacking some depth and spicy flavor.
7/10
Judge 3:
Good beer, that with some tweaking could be great. Hop flavor is a bit high for style, and higher attenuation level and dryness would make it much more drinkable.
6/10
Judge 4:
A very drinkable beer with a solid malt bill for the style. However, it needs a longer fermentation to provide more dryness and lightness. Too heavy, too alcoholic for style. Needs full attenuation.
6/10
Total:
Judge 1: 32/50 (Recognized Judge)
Judge 2: 28/50 (No given bjcp rank)
Judge 3: 33/50 (No given bjcp rank)
Judge 4: 29/50 (Certified Judge)
So there are a few things that I will need to work around. I want to keep the grain bill relatively simple as it is now. I think the judges found the malt profile to be on target if perhaps needing more spicy hops to bring it to balance. I need to some help adjusting the grain the bill and the hop profile needs to be completely re worked.
I went to the local brew store today and picked up 2 oz each of Hersbrucker, Perle,Tettnanger, Spalt, so there should be plenty of noble hops to choose from to get whatever kind of spicy hop profile my beer was lacking last time.
For the yeast, I picked up 2 packets of Saflager w-34/70, which is supposed to be similar to wlp830 https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp830-german-lager-yeast
So, what do you guys think?