Altbier Style Braggot

[Hrahn1995]

So this came to mind today while sitting on the forum reading some posts. Im a big mead maker; i do 1 gallon batches and every batch is different. I have had the ideas to do a bunch of Braggots recently (but will have to wait for my current batches to be done). One of my problems is i cant do a boil, so i rely on extract brewing, Hop Teas, and adjuncts to create the desired flavors. With an Altbier i know alot of it is in the yeast used, where its the top fermenting ancestor to a lager yeast. What would you suggest for a recipe? I generally do 2lbs of Wildflower Honey (for this i might do buckwheat thus i would need some strong flavors from the malts) and about .5lbs of malt. Even more important is what yeast would you suggest? I can get most types at my LHBS or online if i absolutely need it.

Anyone with experience in making a Red Ale, or Wheat beer could you take a look at another one of my threads in the Mead forum regarding 3 braggot recipes that i want some comments and suggestions on.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/wheat-malt-braggot-red-braggot-spiced-braggot-384763/

 

[COLObrewer]

The Dusseldorf alt yeasts are: WLP036 and Wyeast 1007, Ferment at 55F - 67F for Alt.

 

[Hrahn1995]

Thanks! what would you suggest doing to create that albier style hops, and malt wise? would you suggest adding an wheat or rye?

 

[COLObrewer]

Well, I dont know if you aren't boiling it, any suggestion I make would be pure speculation.

 

[Hrahn1995]

speculation is always good for me!

 

[Hrahn1995]

I did some looking into the WLP036, it says it has a moderate alcohol tolerance, what do you think that entails? 8-10% because if i do .5lb malt, 2lb honey it would be up around 12% but with a 65-72% which would between 7-9% alcohol with a high amount of residual sweetness. (would amalyase increase the attentuation?) Something i just read that myight be a good idea is Use the WLP036 until it finishes then use say the EC-1118, or the ICV D-47 to ferment the rest to a higher attentuation maybe 85-90%. I dont want the beer to be too sweet which would certainly be a problem due to the amount of fermentables in there.

 

[COLObrewer]

Trial and error, or success, I would certainly try the WLP036 alone first, it will do 11% with maltose, who knows since you have some honey in there it could be perfect.

 

[OldWorld]

Honey can be misleading. It will ferment out very dry. Honey flavors don't really exist in beers unless you get premium fresh local honey. It's possible to leave residual sugars from the honey in the beer and force carbonate. That will give you some extra honey flavor.

I love honey as an adjunct. It's always given me amazing fermentation. The honey flavor depends greatly on the hive. The type of pollen makes all the difference.

I fermented with wyeast 1010 American wheat with about 3LBS of honey. The carboy was in the garage during the heat wave of 100 degree weather. Ambient temperature in the garage was 85+ degrees.

Oddly enough it was the best beer I ever made. It was also extract....Good luck.

Don't overlook the malt characteristics. Sometimes using a specific yeast that isn't intended for a specific style can actually create a beer that won't taste like expected character.

 

[Hrahn1995]

well im actually rather blind when it comes to the expected character. I use honey very often because most of my brews have been mead, and i have a couple brands that i really like because they add great character to the brew. I almost always use wildflower honey because it is stronger than most other honey types. To me it doesnt have to taste like an Alt, it just has to be enjoyable and something that i feel is good enough to share with friends and family. what kind of extract did you do?

I will definitely try using just the WLP036 by itself first, take a gravity and a taste to see if it is where i want it to be before i consider a second pitching of a wine/ mead yeast. Trial and error all the way, that is why i keep nicely detailed logs of what i do to each batch.

 

[Hrahn1995]

I have started this brew today. I used .25lbs of Bavarian Wheat Malt Extract, .5lb of Dark Malt Extract, and 2lbs of wildflower honey. I added some Tettnang and Spalt hops to the primary and used WLP036 as my yeast. In a couple days/ a week i plan on addin some ec-118 to finish the fermentation to about 1.010

 

[Hrahn1995]

I bottled this today, and i think its gonna be great. im hoping the alcohol harshness will age out in about 6 months- a year. It is very dark but not thick. Hoppiness is present. if beer had weight classes this would be super heavy weight at about 14% Pictures will be uploaded when its ready to drink!