Glissade Clone time!

Hi all, I have been working on this recipe and waiting for the right time to brew for a while now. This is a) my own recipe from reading a lot of bock recipes (and from what's on the SN website) and b) my first lager attempt. Here's what I'm looking at for a recipe. Please let me know your thoughts, especially to my questions below in bold. Thanks for the help!!!


BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Glissade Clone
Brewer: Travis Rappleye
Asst Brewer:
Style: Mailbock/Helles Bock
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.070 SG
Estimated Color: 6.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 42.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
8.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 60.38 %
3.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 22.64 %
1.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 11.32 %
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 15L (15.0 SRM) Grain 5.66 %
0.65 oz Pearle [7.50 %] (60 min) Hops 15.6 IBU
0.65 oz Magnum [13.10 %] (60 min) Hops 27.3 IBU
0.75 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.10 %] (5 min) (AroHops
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.10 %] (5 min) (Aroma Hop-SteeHops -
0.75 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
7.50 gal San Jose, CA Water
1 Pkgs German Bock Lager (White Labs #WLP833) Yeast-Lager


Here are my interesting (to me) recipe notes:

I plan to mash at 155F

I'm substituting Tettnang hops for the Spalter, since those weren't available.

I am adding just enough Crystal to get my color. I'm expecting most of the malty sweet flavor to come from the Munich malt.

On to the lagering process:

- Make a 2L starter two days before, and incubate at about 45F. Is 2 days enough when making a starter at 45F? Longer?

- Pitch at about 45F, and then ferment for 4 weeks at 45 - 50F. How often should I take gravity readings? Should I even worry about how long to ferment and take readings, or just RDWHAHB for the entire 4 weeks?

- Rack into a maturation corny keg. Reduce the temp at 1*F per hour to the high 30's (the lowest my fridge will go). Mature and carbonate for 4 weeks. Is the maturation temp too high? Will carbonation be affected by not racking at exactly the right time (see the above question)? Is over-carbonation a concern?


- Rack into a serving keg and lager at high 30's (degrees F) for 4 weeks or until I can no longer stand to wait.


Thanks for looking, and thanks in advance for any tips as this is my first lager.

Travis

Bump for help/advice/comments on my first bock recipe design and my first lager

I'd love to hear from those with experience, to see if I'm missing something glaring, or if there are any tidbits that can help make this batch awesome!

Thanks!

I don't have the know-how to to give input on your recipe. It sure seems solid enough for me to bookmark for later. I'm not setup to lager but would like to try this with a clean ale yeast in the near future.

Please post how this comes out.

fezzman said:

I don't have the know-how to to give input on your recipe. It sure seems solid enough for me to bookmark for later. I'm not setup to lager but would like to try this with a clean ale yeast in the near future.

Please post how this comes out.

Click to expand...

Thanks fezzman, will do.

Speaking of using an ale yeast, in putting this recipe together I couldn't help but notice how close Helles Bocks are to American Pale Ales. If this recipe works out, I'd like to make a 10gal batch, split it in two, and make one into an ale and one into a bock.