Kreuzberg beer

[Kreuzbergbier]

My first post. Just a yr new to homebrewing, but I've been enjoying Kreuzberg Bier since I was 10. Mom's from a neighboring village.
This has come to be my favorite brew. The beer there is always cooler than most Wirthauses, has almost no head or carbonation but is super good and tasty.

 

[MaxStout]

My first post. Just a yr new to homebrewing, but I've been enjoying Kreuzberg Bier since I was 10. Mom's from a neighboring village.
This has come to be my favorite brew. The beer there is always cooler than most Wirthauses, has almost no head or carbonation but is super good and tasty.

Welcome to HBT! Have you brewed a Kreuzberg clone?

 

[Kreuzbergbier]

Not yet, but it's my goal by Summer

 

[DeanRIowa]

I wonder if using a Kloster sourced yeast like "WLP835 " might help to zero in on the flavor as well, as White Labs says

Classic yeast from a famous Bavarian monastery. This strain develops a creamy, malty beer profile with low sulfur production and low esters. It is a great choice for styles like traditional helles, Oktoberfest, bock, and dunkel.

I understand they might be a distance apart, but maybe yeast was shared in the past?

 

[Fr_Marc]

On Nov 27th, 2021, I brewed my version of the Kreuzberg Beer according to the following recipe (based on the input of this thread):

Batch Size 23 L
Boil Time 60 mins
Mash Efficiency 80%
Mash Volume 18.45 L
Sparge Volume 13.98 L
OG: 1.054
FG: 1.012
IBU 23.1
ABV: 5.49%

Fermentables
Weyermann Barke Munich 3.60 kg (65%)
Weyermann Extra Pale Premium Pilsner Malt 1.66 kg (30%)
Weyermann Caramunich II 0.22 kg (4%)
Weyermann Carafa Special II 0.06 kg (1%)

Hops
Hallertau (IBU: 9.8) 21.00 g (35%) Pellet Boil 60 min
Tettnang (IBU: 9.8) 25.00 g (42%) Pellet Boil 60 min
Hallertau (IBU: 3.5) 14.00 g (23%) Pellet Boil 10 min

Mash Steps
Mash In 65 °C 60 min
Mash Step 2 73 °C 30 min
Mash Out 78 °C 10 min

Yeast
Munich Helles Yeast (WLP860): 1l Starter

Extras
Polyclar Brewbrite 4.5 g Boil 20 min

Fermentation Steps
Primary Fermentation: 11 °C 10 d

The beer was then bottle conditoned with 4.5g of dextrose per 500ml bottle.

Last week, I was finally able to visit Kreuzberg Monastery and bring home a 2 liter growler of the real stuff to compare it to my homebrew version, which had been lagering at 4°C for nine months.

Left: My homebrew version, right: Kreuzberger Klosterbier

The beer that I brewed turned out to be very close to the real stuff. Colourwise, it was a wee bit darker (as you can see in the picture). Tastewise it was even closer to the original Klosterbier. The only notable difference was a very slight roast flavour in my brew. So I would suggest changing the Carafa Special II to Sinamar for colour adjustment.

All in all I have to say that I am pretty pleased with the outcome. Without the help of you guys on this forum I would never have gotten so far. Cheers!

Fr. Marc