Festbier - first lager back in.

[user 246304]

Well, I don't know if it's because I'm in my wife's homeland, the U.P. of Michigan, with her Estonian clan and their love of all things malt....but snow and cold and softwood forests does light my fancy towards lagers, something I haven't revisited in a long, long time (much longer than my last years brewing, before the current break - all British ales - but I did brew a lot of lagers in the years prior). Came across this nice thread on a member wanting to clone a Festbier, which included a link to this really nice-seeming Festbier, so I thought I'd jump in. Looking for thoughts.

Nothing settled on yeast - thinking either the Wyeast Bavarian (2206) or Munich (2308). The Schmitz decoction is only there as a placeholder for now. I used to do only decoctions but have seen a lot of data on whether this even makes a difference in the finished beer. So, jury's out. Just as a starting point:

Festbier

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------

01-D Light Lager, Munich Helles

Min OG: 1.045 Max OG: 1.051
Min IBU: 16 Max IBU: 22
Min Clr: 3 Max Clr: 5 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 9.75
Anticipated OG: 1.054 Plato: 13.26
Anticipated SRM: 4.2
Anticipated IBU: 24.9
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 1.10 Gallons Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 6.60 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.045 SG 11.13 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager

Additional Utilization Used For First Wort Hops: -10 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.4 1.50 lbs. Munich Malt II Germany 1.037 8
84.6 8.25 lbs. Pilsener Germany 1.038 2

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.20 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfruh Whole 4.50 19.4 First WH
0.60 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfruh Whole 4.50 5.5 30 min.


Yeast
-----

WYeast 2206 Bavarian Lager


Water Profile
-------------

Profile: Munich
Profile known for:

Calcium(Ca): 76.0 ppm
Magnesium(Mg): 18.0 ppm
Sodium(Na): 1.0 ppm
Sulfate(SO4): 10.0 ppm
Chloride(Cl): 2.0 ppm
biCarbonate(HCO3): 152.0 ppm

pH: 8.33


Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Name:

Total Grain Lbs: 9.75
Total Water Qts: 24.38 - Before Additional Infusions
Total Water Gal: 6.09 - Before Additional Infusions

Tun Thermal Mass: 0.30
Grain Temp: 67.00 F


Step Rest Start Stop Heat Infuse Infuse Infuse
Step Name Time Time Temp Temp Type Temp Amount Ratio
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mash-In 5 30 122 122 Infuse 133 24.38 2.50
Ramp 150 5 30 150 150 Direct --- ------- ----


Total Water Qts: 24.38 - After Additional Infusions
Total Water Gal: 6.09 - After Additional Infusions
Total Mash Volume Gal: 6.88 - After Additional Infusions

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.
All infusion amounts are in Quarts.
All infusion ratios are Quarts/Lbs.

 

[Bobby_M]

The last time I saw a Promash export, I nearly fell off my dinosaur.

Recipe looks good. The alpha acids of today's available Hallertau is more like 2.0 to 3.5 so you'll need to adjust that. I really like Omega's Bayern Lager yeast for this, but regardless of what you choose for yeast, make a huge starter (3 liter).

 

[user 246304]

The last time I saw a Promash export, I nearly fell off my dinosaur.

Recipe looks good. The alpha acids of today's available Hallertau is more like 2.0 to 3.5 so you'll need to adjust that. I really like Omega's Bayern Lager yeast for this, but regardless of what you choose for yeast, make a huge starter (3 liter).

I know, man....I feel like one, believe me.

Awesome, many thanks. And we also carry the Bayern, so I'll definitely do it. And gotcha on the pitch rate. Thanks again, man.

 

[hottpeper13]

When I want to skip the decoction I use (for your grain bill) 4 oz of honey malt. It really rounds out the mouth feel but still lets the hops come thru, and mimics the SRM from boiled grains. As long as yeast was in the question ,my fav is wlp833 which I bank since it's a PC strain. So far on my journey my fav dry is S-189, lots more of these to try,looks like S-23 and Diamond are next year.

 

[Beermeister32]

my fav is wlp833

Great strain. I’d lower the IBU a few points and also set the SRM to around 3- 3.5 or so. ABV 4.7-5.2 range

 

[beren]

I recently made my first lager with the wyeast octoberfest blend but started my diacetyl rest way too soon so has a lot of banana. Hopefully it clears in a few months...

 

[user 246304]

I recently made my first lager with the wyeast octoberfest blend but started my diacetyl rest way too soon so has a lot of banana. Hopefully it clears in a few months...

What was your fermentation temp?

I need a dedicated lager fridge. Though my wife will kill me. I'm kicking out 4 ales - 2 bottled (ordinary and best bitter), one in dry-hop (strong bitter), and an oatmeal stout mashing right now. My ale-side is alive and well but I would like a separate lager side. So many beers!

 

[beren]

I had it at 51 for 8 or 9 days, then 62. I messed up. I picked up a kegerator pretty cheap to use as my lager fridge, it can hold 3 cornies wooo!

 

[Broothru]

Oh great. Now I find out the graphic I clicked on to get the Dinkelacker recipe that it was already translated and in ProMash format, after I spent ten minutes trying to translate from German. Or was it in Estonian? Maybe that's where my difficulty lay. Anyway, good looking recipe. I enjoyed a few festbiers over the past several weeks. Maybe a few too many.

 

[Broothru]

The last time I saw a Promash export, I nearly fell off my dinosaur.

Recipe looks good. The alpha acids of today's available Hallertau is more like 2.0 to 3.5 so you'll need to adjust that. I really like Omega's Bayern Lager yeast for this, but regardless of what you choose for yeast, make a huge starter (3 liter).

Pardon the slight drift.

Bobby, have you done any side-by-side ferments with the Omega "Bayern" and the new one with ALDC yet? It looks like Omega has a whole line up of ALDC yeast coming out soon.

 

[user 246304]

Oh great. Now I find out the graphic I clicked on to get the Dinkelacker recipe that it was already translated and in ProMash format, after I spent ten minutes trying to translate from German. Or was it in Estonian? Maybe that's where my difficulty lay. Anyway, good looking recipe. I enjoyed a few festbiers over the past several weeks. Maybe a few too many.

Oh, haha, sorry man. Estonian - good lord. 13 cases! Incredibly old and incredibly difficult language. My wife and son went a few years back to the annual summer song-fest, and thankfully all her relatives speak English. But it's nice to listen to.

Some don't know how important these national songfests are in Estonian (and all Baltic) history. A nearly bloodless overthrow of the soviet regime, all enshrouded in these ancient songs that were forbidden for decades. "The Singing Revolution."

My son was actually brought on stage by his Estonian pal, to sing up in the choir (he's stage left, about mid-way up. See him? ). Lifetime memory.

 

[Broothru]

Oh, haha, sorry man. Estonian - good lord. 13 cases! Incredibly old and incredibly difficult language. My wife and son went a few years back to the annual summer song-fest, and thankfully all her relatives speak English. But it's nice to listen to.

Some don't know how important these national songfests are in Estonian (and all Baltic) history. A nearly bloodless overthrow of the soviet regime, all enshrouded in these ancient songs that were forbidden for decades. "The Singing Revolution."

My son was actually brought on stage by his Estonian pal, to sing up in the choir (he's stage left, about mid-way up. See him? ). Lifetime memory.

View attachment 838070

Wow! That’s an incredible scene. It’s like a ‘Woodstock’ of national pride, without the hippies and flower children of course.

My father’s family emigrated from the Galician region of what is now Ukraine, ethnically Russian speaking and Russian Orthodox Catholic, though it’s unclear whether they were truly Russian, Polish, Slavic, Austrian, Hungarian or whatever. In 1913, they were now Americans.

Their names are engraved on the Immigrants’ Plaque on Ellis Island, “…tempest tossed, yearning to breathe free…”

 

[user 246304]

Wow! That’s an incredible scene. It’s like a ‘Woodstock’ of national pride, without the hippies and flower children of course.

My father’s family emigrated from the Galician region of what is now Ukraine, ethnically Russian speaking and Russian Orthodox Catholic, though it’s unclear whether they were truly Russian, Polish, Slavic, Austrian, Hungarian or whatever. In 1913, they were now Americans.

Their names are engraved on the Immigrants’ Plaque on Ellis Island, “…tempest tossed, yearning to breathe free…”

That is incredibly moving. Thanks for sharing it buddy.

 

[user 246304]

Very pleased. For the first time, I can honestly say, I can find no faults with this beer and especially given it's been close to 30 years, something like that, and it was my son's request, couldn't be happier. Clean malt, excellent hop balance, just a great result.

Joined to an easter repast of cured German meats, French Savoie and Basque cheeses, and a "Roggenschrotbrot mit Sonnenblumenkerne," a 100% rye bread with no flour, only freshly-cracked whole rye kernels in various grades, sourdough, lightly toasted sunflower seeds.

 

[hottpeper13]

WOW^

 

[Conehead]

The last time I saw a Promash export, I nearly fell off my dinosaur.

Recipe looks good. The alpha acids of today's available Hallertau is more like 2.0 to 3.5 so you'll need to adjust that. I really like Omega's Bayern Lager yeast for this, but regardless of what you choose for yeast, make a huge starter (3 liter).

Yea, I still use it. No reason not to. Yup, I am also a dinosaur.

 

[user 246304]

Yea, I still use it. No reason not to. Yup, I am also a dinosaur.

Lol, well, for what it's worth....I feel I betrayed an old friend.

 

[Broothru]

Lol, well, for what it's worth....I feel I betrayed an old friend.

View attachment 845726

Damn it! Now I’ve got another beer on my ‘to brew’ list. Good lookin’ recipe. I do enjoy a good Continental lager.