"Champagne" Lager for New Years

[Brettomomyces]

So I was playing around with an idea for a new years beer, a high gravity low srm lager. Take the grain bill from a Tripel, 10% cane sugar, a big ass healthy pitch of 34/70 (2 3.5L starters), haven't decided on the hops yet but relatively low. Looking at about 1.095 for the OG and hoping to get below pretty low on the finish (finally upgrading to an O2 system this weekend which should help). So, if I brewed this on Sunday it would give me about 6 weeks total.

Reasonable timeframe for this? Or should I go lower with the OG? I wanted to keep the beer reasonably clean/light, so not a lot of heavy flavors that need time to mellow, but it will be a big ass beer.

 

[Cyclman]

I don't think that big a gravity will be super clean in that time period, but if you "lager" in the keg you could watch it evolve. Maybe do it as a tripel and lager that?

 

[Brettomomyces]

I think I'm going to go a little lower, like 1.080. If it isn't ready, then it doesn't get served and gets to lager for some more I've been brewing ales for a decade but only one lager under my belt, now that my equipment is stepped up a bit I'm excited to experiment.

I don't want it to be a tripel, just use some of the same ideas. Cane sugar at 10% to thin it out/bump the gravity, mostly pils malt with a little bit of aromatic, biscuit and carapils.

So...I went ahead and jumped most of the guns and already hit up my LHBS on the way home...

Picked up a vial of WLP-885, Zurich lager yeast that a lot of people use to brew a Samichlaus clone. It's rated for over 11% ABV. I was considering 34/70, but the LHBS had some of this in stock so I went with it. I'm going to make a 3.5L starter, crash, decant, and then another 3.5L starter using a portion from the first.

Also picked up a couple of american oak spirals, light toast. I want to impart a small amount of oak taste and a little bit of tannins.

 

[Brettomomyces]

Starting is going already...

Who needs an expensive piece of glass that I will definitely end up breaking?

 

[ktblunden]

Starting is going already...

Who needs an expensive piece of glass that I will definitely end up breaking?

Now I want to go buy some Los Blancos Nines. Love that cigar and haven't thought about that one in a couple years.

 

[Brettomomyces]

Going strong this morning

 

[dyqik]

I like this idea. You seem to be inventing a new style

Have you thought about Nelson Sauvin as a late hop to maybe get it even closer to white wine/champagne?

 

[Brettomomyces]

I like this idea. You seem to be inventing a new style

Have you thought about Nelson Sauvin as a late hop to maybe get it even closer to white wine/champagne?

That's a good idea! Unfortunately I have 7lbs of hops coming in the mail today and can't justify buying more from my lhbs, haha.

I'm going to use Azacca hops for the finish and something neutral to bitter, like 30 IBU. Azacca are listed as having a big tropical fruit flavor which made me think of some South American whites I've had before. Going low on the hops though, maybe 2-4oz total for 11g.

 

[Brettomomyces]

One advantage of the big open container, harvested krausen!

 

[Brettomomyces]

Starter number 2 from harvested krausen...

Also waiting on fedex for my #7 lb hop order from Yalima Valley

 

[Brettomomyces]

Hops!