Help with a recipe?

[Dude]

I'm trying to duplicate my favorite brew, Lienenkugel's Creamy Dark. I found a good start for a recipe (I think) but I want to get as close to accurate as possible, specifically with the yeast strain. The recipe says "any neutral lager strain" will suffice, but I want it close. I ran across a chart a while back that compared strains, and now I can't find it.
More info on the beer can be found at the Leinies site. Here is what I've got so far. Any suggestions/help?


Leinie's Creamy Dark

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

Batch Size (GAL): 5.00 Wort Size (GAL): 5.00
Total Extract (LBS): 8.50
Anticipated OG: 1.054 Plato: 13.41
Anticipated SRM: 28.1
Anticipated IBU: 21.7
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
70.6 6.00 lbs. Light Liquid Malt Extract 1.035 7
8.8 0.75 lbs. Chocolate Malt America 1.029 350
8.8 0.75 lbs. Crystal 55L Great Britian 1.034 55
8.8 0.75 lbs. Munich Malt Germany 1.037 8
2.9 0.25 lbs. Roasted Barley Great Britain 1.029 575

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.50 oz. Cluster Pellet 5.75 13.9 60 min.
0.75 oz. Mt. Hood Pellet 6.50 7.8 20 min.


Yeast
-----
Any neutral lager strain

 

[SwAMi75]

Blast from the past......

I'd probably go with the Bavarian Lager yeast: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/wyeast.asp

Sam

 

[BitterRat]

Overall, it looks good, however, I would drop the Roasted Barley and up the chocolate instead. They don't mention using RB in that brew.

 

[Dude]

Revisiting this...planning a lager.

Those who have had Creamy Dark...think I'm close?

Donnybrook Dark
4-C Schwarzbier (Black Beer)

Size: 5.5 gal
Efficiency: 80.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 162.98 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.049 (1.046 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.012 (1.010 - 1.016)
Color: 27.6 (17.0 - 30.0)
Alcohol: 4.82% (4.4% - 5.4%)
Bitterness: 26.6 (22.0 - 32.0)

Ingredients:
4.0 lbs Optic Pale Ale Malt
2.0 lbs Pilsner Malt
1.5 lbs Munich Malt
1.0 lbs American Vienna
0.5 lbs American Chocolate Malt
0.5 lbs Chocolate Wheat Malt
0.25 lbs Carafa® TYPE III
0.75 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.75 oz Cluster (7.0%) - added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
0.75 oz Mt. Hood (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 5.0 min

Plan on using a clean lager strain...

 

[the_bird]

Wow, it blew my mind for a second... WHY IS DUDE USING EXTRACT?!

Never had the beer, but looks tasty...

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

I've been thinking of doing a Schwarzbier. There's an article on them in BYO magazine. That kinda reminded me that I have never brewed this style.

Why the pils malt? Why not more 2 row or vienna? How did you first round go?

 

[Rhoobarb]

Wow, good one to try and replicate! I'll be interested in how this goes, as I like LCD. I also like one that is very similar but, IMHO, even better: Sprecher Black Bavarian. Both are Schwarzbiers and incredibly tasty!

Your recipe looks pretty damn close to me. In fact, I happen to have the BYO on Schwarzbiers here at work and the two recipes they have look very similar to the one you have concocted!

FWIW, I had notes on a Sprecher BB clone and, IIRC, it called for ~8 oz. black patent and 1 lb. of Special B, Northern Brewer & Mt Hood hops. It came in ~1.060 and ~30 IBUs. IMO, that's would be way too much of both malts, but you might want to toss in just a bit of each. Or not.

Yeast? The BYO Schwarzbier recipes call out White Labs WLP830 German Lager or Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager.

Definitely report your progress to us. I might want to try this myself.

 

[ill.literate]

We love Creamy Dark... please report back and let us know how this goes.

Hopefully we'll have lagering capability before long

 

[Brewpastor]

I don't know the beer and so I really can't speak specifically to it, but if I remember right their other beers have a DMS character that gives them part of their character. Right or wrong I have always thought of that as a regional flavor for the lagers produced in that part of the country. So perhaps a lager yeast or a process that produces a bit of DMS, would be preferable.