Bloom_198d
Active Member
So I brewed Jamils Bopils (with slightly more hops and domestic malt) and the final product isn't really what I was picturing. This was my first lager.
I used 90% RO water to 10% Calgary (very hard) water, and did a double decoction with a full 90min boil. The beer fermented with Budvar yeast in a 10C temp controlled fridge. After 1 week the gravity was down 80% so a 2 day D-rest was done which brought the beer to its final gravity. The beer lagered at 5C (brought 10C to 5C over 3 days) for about 3 weeks, than the temp was raised to about 8C to accommodate another beers fermentation. The beer sat at 8C for 2 weeks, I than kegged it and let it carbonate for 2 weeks at 5C.
First off I am getting a bit of medicinal off flavours, which i assume must be from a bad mash pH. I guess it could be from the chlorine in the tap water, but i only used 10% tap water and have never had this problem with light cream ales I have made. I can live with the off flavours because they are faint and I know that making your own lager is very challenging.
BUT.... I dont find my beer anything like a crisp lager. I feel like i could have made the same (or better) beer with US-05. Is this just the realities of making your own lagers? do I need to wait longer? up the carbonation? I am getting tons of maltiness and I guess it is clean.... but something is missing.
help?
I used 90% RO water to 10% Calgary (very hard) water, and did a double decoction with a full 90min boil. The beer fermented with Budvar yeast in a 10C temp controlled fridge. After 1 week the gravity was down 80% so a 2 day D-rest was done which brought the beer to its final gravity. The beer lagered at 5C (brought 10C to 5C over 3 days) for about 3 weeks, than the temp was raised to about 8C to accommodate another beers fermentation. The beer sat at 8C for 2 weeks, I than kegged it and let it carbonate for 2 weeks at 5C.
First off I am getting a bit of medicinal off flavours, which i assume must be from a bad mash pH. I guess it could be from the chlorine in the tap water, but i only used 10% tap water and have never had this problem with light cream ales I have made. I can live with the off flavours because they are faint and I know that making your own lager is very challenging.
BUT.... I dont find my beer anything like a crisp lager. I feel like i could have made the same (or better) beer with US-05. Is this just the realities of making your own lagers? do I need to wait longer? up the carbonation? I am getting tons of maltiness and I guess it is clean.... but something is missing.
help?