Maibock Recipe - "Golden Afternoon"

[NoIguanaForZ]

So, I really wanted to brew a Maibock to have ready in May. My LHBS offers a Maibock kit, but the location I went to apparently didn't have it in the system, and the guy at the counter attempted to put the recipe together from memory. What he gave me was 14lbs of Munich Malt, to which I added 4oz of Melanoidan Malt I was already taking home (well, I had a pound of it, basically, because they accidentally didn't mark an order I'd already picked up as filled, and filled it again for me. I wound up taking the duplicate milled specialty grains). It came with 2 packs of W-34 and 2oz of 3.9% AA Tettnanger hops.

As you may have already noticed, this recipe is not at all consistent with a maibock (I'm now fermenting it, having recorded it as a Doppelbock I'm dubbing "Doppel Take"), which I became aware of about 2/3 of the way through brewing it.

I still wanna make a maibock, though the way timing's shaken out, I'm pretty much going to have to do a pseudo-lager to make it by May. I put together the following recipe based on stuff I'd seen around the internet on Maibocks:

"Golden Afternoon"
Batch Size: 2.75 gallons (for 3 gallon fermenter)
Yeast: 1.0 pack W-34
SRM: 7.9
IBU: 32
ABV: 7.3%

Grain bill:
3lb German Pilsner (42.9%)
3lb Vienna Malt (42.9%)
8oz Munich II (7.1%)
4oz Melanoidan Malt (3.6%)
4oz Amber Malt (3.6%)

Hops:
.66oz Tettnang 3.90%AA at 45min
.66oz Tettnang 3.90%AA at 20min
.67oz Tettnang 3.90%AA at 5min

Mash...currently spec'd as single decoction, but considering medium-low body infusion mash. Fermenting around 59F for...my schedule allows for 2 weeks, but I'm thinking it should maybe be 3-4...

Also considering a Kolsch yeast and fermenting as a low-temp ale, then aggressively cold-crashing. I want something nice and bright, and all the Kolsch yeasts warn of cloudiness.

Thoughts?

 

[MrPowers]

It perfectly doable if you use WLP029. That yeast will drop clear in a relatively short time, without findings, especially if you cold crash. Wyeast 2565 is not the same strain and will take much longer/much more effort to clear.

 

[dmtaylor]

I like your recipe, I'm stealing it.

I second the motion to give WLP029 a try. It ferments fast and clear compared to the other Kolsch yeasts. Alternatively, you might want to try a lager yeast at relatively warm tempertures and see what that does for you? Or split the batch and try both -- this would make a cool experiment.

 

[giraffe]

One thing, Amber malt has a kind of harsh toast to it, I like it in an esb, but i worry it might be a bit rough in a Maibock. If you have had it before and know what it tastes like, by all means go for it, but if you havent id use caution.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

One thing, Amber malt has a kind of harsh toast to it, I like it in an esb, but i worry it might be a bit rough in a Maibock. If you have had it before and know what it tastes like, by all means go for it, but if you havent id use caution.

I have, but it's been mainly in dark beers with a lot of other intense flavors. Was hoping for some mild toasty notes, without it being a dominant flavor. Any suggestions for substitutions?

Victory, maybe?

[EDIT]Oh, it appears my LHBS does in fact carry Biscuit Malt. Coulda sworn they didn't.

So that gives me three options...I don't really want to use all three of them, I'm thinking... o.o

 

[theheroguy]

half a pound of munich 2 isn't gonna do much at all. Just do 50/50 pils vienna. You will get a clean complexity as opposed to a muddled one. Make sure you use high quality pils and vienna.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

You know, my set of 1gal fermenters will be free around the time I'd be brewing this. Maybe I'll do the main batch with Victory malt rather than Amber (seems like the best match to what I'm looking for from my reading) and then one each <1 gal side batch with Amber, Biscuit, and with just 50/50 Vienna and Pils.

How do you tell if it's "high quality?" My LHBS carries one entry of each.

 

[dmtaylor]

I really wouldn't see a need to change anything at all. 3.6% Amber malt or one of the other subs is not going to be so huge as to be too distracting, just adds a nice background biscuity malt flavor. Similar story with the Munich, a half pound is enough without being too much. Should be good whatever you want to do. Maybe just don't second-guess your first stab!?

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

I kind of threw "amber" out there because I knew I could get it, and it was the first thing that came to mind for "toasty." With more reading, Victory might be a better fit to the qualities I'm looking for. I'll think on it, though.

May leave it up to chewing a grain of each at the store.

 

[theheroguy]

How do you tell if it's "high quality?" My LHBS carries one entry of each.

Look at the rep of the maltster for that malt. Durst weyermann best avangaard are known for good vienna and munich malts. Briess for example isn't. I actually really like the european style malts but the don't taste the same as continental ones to me. I can't speak for their bonlander though I haven't tried that one.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Made this. Unfortunately, the LHBS had to substitute the Wyeast strain, and it never did clear satisfactorily - partly chill haze, partly the sediment at the bottom remaining easily disturbed even after more than a month in the bottles.

Malt flavors are quite nice (did wind up going with Victory), but, as strange as it is to say this, it really needs more hops...

Might try a California Common-type yeast strain next time.