Doppelbock

[fuzzybee]

I'm looking a t brewing a doppelbock to put over a 34/70 yeast cake that is working right now on a Marzen. What do y'all think of this recipe?

Doppelbock
8.7% / 19.1 °P
BrewHardware recirc 20G 6Gal batch
70.3% efficiency

Batch Volume: 6 gal
Boil Time: 120 min

Mash Water: 9.99 gal
Total Water: 9.99 gal
Boil Volume: 8.61 gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.065

Vitals
Original Gravity: 1.079
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU (Tinseth): 22
BU/GU: 0.28
Color: 17 SRM

Mash
Strike Temp — 150.6 °F
Beta Amlyase — 144 °F — 45 min
Alpha Amylase — 160 °F — 30 min
Mash Out — 170 °F — 15 min

Malts (17 lb 15 oz)
14 lb 8 oz (80.8%) — BestMalz Munich — Grain — 6.2 °L
2 lb (11.2%) — Weyermann Barke Pilsner — Grain — 1.9 °L
1 lb 4 oz (7%) — BestMalz Caramel Dark — Grain — 34.3 °L
3 oz (1.1%) — Briess Chocolate — Grain — 350 °L

Hops (2.5 oz)
2 oz (19 IBU) — Hallertauer Hersbrucker 4% — Boil — 60 min
0.5 oz (2 IBU) — Hallertauer Hersbrucker 4% — Boil — 15 min

Miscs
3 g — Baking Soda (NaHCO3) — Mash
5.3 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Mash
1.3 g — Epsom Salt (MgSO4) — Mash
1.3 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Mash

Yeast
2 pkg — Fermentis W-34/70 Saflager Lager 83%
Fermentation
Primary — 50 °F — 5 days
Primary — 55.4 °F — 2 days
Primary — 62.6 °F — 1 days
Primary — 66.2 °F — 1 days
Cold Crash — 41 °F — 5 days

Carbonation: 2.4 CO2-vol
Water Profile
Ca2+
64
Mg2+
6
Na+
38
Cl-
77
SO42-
51
HCO3-
115

 

[hottpeper13]

I've found that munich malt doesn't have the GU potential as Pilsner malt and i would put your BHE at 65% to compensate or get the COA for the Munich and go from there. What mash pH are you shooting for?

 

[fuzzybee]

Thanks for the response. I've temporarily altered the BHE, but I'll check at the shop when I pick up the Munich (not sure which brand they carry), and I'll make sure to get extra to compensate.

Right now with no additions, I'm looking at a mash pH of 5.54. Do you think this is too high?

 

[hottpeper13]

The pH looks good, I'm tracking pH and color in my brews and am finding that pale ones are crisper at 5.0-5.2, ambers have a cleaner malt flavor at 5.4, and the stouts come together faster if mashed at 5.5-5.6

 

[riceral]

What is the purpose of the sodium bicarb? Do you need it?

 

[fuzzybee]

It was auto-added when I did the water chemistry auto adjust on Brewfather. Since then, I've run through Bruin Water and it said I didn't need it.

 

[AlexKay]

A couple of thoughts:

1. I find my tolerance for melanoidins maxes out at about 50% Munich. Maybe that’s me, or maybe that’s the Munich I use; I haven’t tried BestMalz.
2. I wouldn’t put any caramel/crystal malt into a Doppelbock at all; let the Munich carry the load. What you’ve got certainly looks like too much to me.
3. That’s with the exception of DRC (double-roasted crystal) which is wonderful stuff. I use it in place of the small roast malt portion.
4. I like Spalt and Tettnang in a Doppelbock. Just one perspective. (a fair amount of Tett, actually: 0.5 oz @ 15 for a 2.5 gallon batch in my last brew,)

 

[fuzzybee]

Altered the recipe a bit:

Lower Munich %, replaced the crystal with Caramunich III.

Doppelbock
8.3% / 18.4 °P
Recipe by
PWB
All Grain

BH recirc 20G 6Gal batch (lower eff.)
65.9% efficiency

Batch Volume: 6 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
Mash Water: 9.33 gal
Total Water: 9.33 gal
Boil Volume: 7.86 gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.069

Vitals
Original Gravity: 1.076
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU (Tinseth): 22
BU/GU: 0.29
Color: 19.5 SRM

Mash
Strike Temp — 151.2 °F
Beta Amlyase — 144 °F — 45 min
Alpha Amylase — 160 °F — 30 min
Mash Out — 170 °F — 15 min

Malts (18 lb 9 oz)
11 lb 2 oz (59.9%) — BestMalz Munich — Grain — 6.2 °L
5 lb 8 oz (29.6%) — Weyermann Barke Pilsner — Grain — 1.9 °L
1 lb 12 oz (9.4%) — Weyermann Caramunich III — Grain — 53 °L
3 oz (1%) — Briess Chocolate — Grain — 350 °L
Hops (2.6 oz)
2.1 oz (20 IBU) — Hallertauer Hersbrucker 4% — Boil — 60 min
0.5 oz (2 IBU) — Hallertauer Hersbrucker 4% — Boil — 15 min

Miscs
4.8 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Mash
1.2 g — Epsom Salt (MgSO4) — Mash
1.2 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Mash


Yeast
2 pkg — Fermentis W-34/70 Saflager Lager 83%
Fermentation
Primary — 50 °F — 5 days
Primary — 55.4 °F — 2 days
Primary — 62.6 °F — 1 days
Primary — 66.2 °F — 1 days
Cold Crash — 41 °F — 5 days

Carbonation: 2.4 CO2-vol