Opinions on my second ever brew recipe?

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CafeRoaster

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I'm planning out my second brew ever. My first was this Amber Ale from a LHBS. It turned out really well.
IMG_5320.jpeg


Main thing I'll be changing is my bottling process. I didn't enjoy using Brewer's Best Conditioning Tablets. As far as tablets go, it's probably one of the easier ones, since you can add 3-5 tablets, depending on your desired carbonation. But it was an arduous process. So I'm opting for Dextrose. I picked up a bottling bucket and racking cane to help in the process.

I'd like to share the recipe I've been working on - a warm-fermented Helles. Fermentation will be in a room that is steadily 66.5-67ºF. This recipe is inspired by Charlie Papazian's Helles or High Water recipe on page 298 of The Homebrewer's Companion, Second Edition and Jordan Folks' recipe used in his xBmt, "Impact Of Ferm Temp + Yeast Pitch Rates On A Munich Helles". There are a couple of things I'd like to draw attention to and ask about.

1. I'm using a Grainfather G30 and a Fermonster 6 gallon. The default batch size for the GF30 is 6.08 gallons. My first brew was set to 5 gallons. I'm not sure if that was the correct thing to do or not. The Grainfather app says the amount you set in this field is the amount going into the fermenter. So I would think I'd select 5 gallons?

2. I am aiming for a carbonation level of between 2.2 and 2.7 volume CO2. Brewer's Friend calculator suggests using 4.8 oz of Corn Sugar for a 5 gallon batch, or 5.7 oz for a 6 gallon batch, when I set the volume CO2 to 2.5. I just wanted to make sure this is correct.

3. Irish Moss or Whirlfloc tablets? I have both on hand. Do we think that since this is a warm-fermented beer, it might need the extra carrageenan from the tablets? Fermentation with my Amber took ~5 days for activity to be pretty much unnoticeable. I kept it in there for 7 days, and bottle conditioned in a room that varies between 40ºF and 58ºF for another 7 before trying it.

4. Will longer bottle conditioning help me achieve a clearer beer?

5. Anything you see in this recipe that you would change?

edit: I don't know what's going on with Brewfather links, so here's the Grainfather link to the Helles recipe. Also attached PDF.
 

Attachments

  • To Helles and Back Again.pdf
    863.8 KB
Last edited:
My opinion, first on the recipe, there is zero need for Aromatic malt in a Helles and 1 lb of CaraHell seems like a lot. I would go with 9.5 lbs Pilsner, 0.5 lb of CaraHell. IBUS are a touch high for a Helles, I like mine to be down around 25, but to each their own. Your mash schedule is close, but I would drop the second step to like 154 at 160 you are getting close to mash out temps and don't want to grain to be denatured and stop releasing sugars. A 144/154 mash is a perfect step mash known as Hockkurz mash and you hit beta and alpha rest steps and will get a good balance of sugars converted, 30 mins at each step works well for me and then your mash out.

As for your questions:
1. Yes if the Grainfather is for amount going into fermenter, you want it at 5 gallons.

2. Yes the amount of sugar needed to carb looks right.

3. I prefer Whirlfloc over Irish Moss, but they both work well. The large tablets of whirlfloc are really for 10 gallon batches, so 1 tab is enough. Key is after the beer is done fermenting, give the yeast time to settle and clean up any fermentation byproducts, like sulfur, which lager yeasts tend to produce. But since you are fermenting warm, that should be gone after 2 weeks or so. I notice your first beer you brewed on 12/21 and bottled on 1/3...while ales ferment fast, that's really a short time. You should really leave the beer in fermenter for a minimum of two weeks, I like to do 3. After fermentation, if you have any way to put the fermenter in your fridge, cold crashing the beer will help it clear also.

4. Yes, after bottling and storing the bottles at room temp for two weeks or so to carbonate, don't be afraid to let them sit a few more weeks, or even better, once you have tested one to make sure it's carbed, put them in the fridge for a week or two. That will help drop remaining yeast out of suspension. You will have some sludge in bottom of bottles, just pour carefully when opening one.

5. Already made suggestions on the recipe, but one other tip...some lager yeasts are better are warm fermentation then others. I am not sure how well the Omega yeast performs at warm temps.

Lastly, one thing new brewers overlook a lot is proper yeast pitching. Warm fermenting a lager, 1 pack of yeast is probably enough for a 1.048 OG beer, but it depends on how old the yeast is. Yeast starters are your friend. You will get healthier yeast and beers will start fermenting faster. Brewers Friend yeast calculator is a good one. If you ever cold ferment a lager, you need around 3 times the yeast that an ale does, that's where starters come in handy instead of having to buy several packs.

Welcome to the hobby and happy brewing!
 
Wow! Thank you for the informative reply!

My opinion, first on the recipe, there is zero need for Aromatic malt in a Helles and 1 lb of CaraHell seems like a lot. I would go with 9.5 lbs Pilsner, 0.5 lb of CaraHell. IBUS are a touch high for a Helles, I like mine to be down around 25, but to each their own. Your mash schedule is close, but I would drop the second step to like 154 at 160 you are getting close to mash out temps and don't want to grain to be denatured and stop releasing sugars. A 144/154 mash is a perfect step mash known as Hockkurz mash and you hit beta and alpha rest steps and will get a good balance of sugars converted, 30 mins at each step works well for me and then your mash out.
I was wondering about the aromatic hops. I hadn't seen it in any other recipes, but figured I would trust Charlie Papazian. Haha!

Same with the mash schedule. I don't know anything still, but I was reading about step mashing, and the temperatures didn't really line up with what I was reading.

Honestly, I still have zero clue about anything, and am starting to wonder how the heck folks absorb all this information that they read and experience through brewing.

As for your questions:
1. Yes if the Grainfather is for amount going into fermenter, you want it at 5 gallons.

2. Yes the amount of sugar needed to carb looks right.

3. I prefer Whirlfloc over Irish Moss, but they both work well. The large tablets of whirlfloc are really for 10 gallon batches, so 1 tab is enough. Key is after the beer is done fermenting, give the yeast time to settle and clean up any fermentation byproducts, like sulfur, which lager yeasts tend to produce. But since you are fermenting warm, that should be gone after 2 weeks or so. I notice your first beer you brewed on 12/21 and bottled on 1/3...while ales ferment fast, that's really a short time. You should really leave the beer in fermenter for a minimum of two weeks, I like to do 3. After fermentation, if you have any way to put the fermenter in your fridge, cold crashing the beer will help it clear also.
Whoa! That amount of time is vastly different to what I did, for sure! I'll give it a go! Guess I'll need to brew sooner than I thought. Haha. ;)

4. Yes, after bottling and storing the bottles at room temp for two weeks or so to carbonate, don't be afraid to let them sit a few more weeks, or even better, once you have tested one to make sure it's carbed, put them in the fridge for a week or two. That will help drop remaining yeast out of suspension. You will have some sludge in bottom of bottles, just pour carefully when opening one.

5. Already made suggestions on the recipe, but one other tip...some lager yeasts are better are warm fermentation then others. I am not sure how well the Omega yeast performs at warm temps.
I reached out to both White Labs and Omega to tell them what I was doing, and they both pointed me towards some of their yeasts that they say will do well. :)

Lastly, one thing new brewers overlook a lot is proper yeast pitching. Warm fermenting a lager, 1 pack of yeast is probably enough for a 1.048 OG beer, but it depends on how old the yeast is. Yeast starters are your friend. You will get healthier yeast and beers will start fermenting faster. Brewers Friend yeast calculator is a good one. If you ever cold ferment a lager, you need around 3 times the yeast that an ale does, that's where starters come in handy instead of having to buy several packs.

Welcome to the hobby and happy brewing!

I saw signs of fermentation the next day on my first brew, with Imperial yeast that I purchased from my LHBS. I just pitched the whole pouch after chilling the wort to 60ºF (colder than intended). None of my local shops have this yeast, so I'll be interested to see how fresh it is.

And yes, my dad has been strongly encouraging me to consider yeast starters. Hah. Really trying to keep this hobby as simple as possible, though. Perhaps a fool's errand. Hah!

Again, thanks so much! I'm going to make some adjustments and then post the update. :)
 
This looks good. It will make beer, and what’s better, it’ll be a simple beer that will make it easier for you to figure out what’s doing what. You could make it as-is.

Some assorted opinions, some of which will probably prompt vehement disagreement in following posts:
  • I agree with the assessment on CaraWhatever, presumably added for body and foam. I don’t believe it does, and I always avoid these products. You could certainly use less of it, but why not skip it completely and add it in on the next batch if you’re missing something.
  • I happen to like a little bit of Munich (or Aromatic or whatever) in my German (or American) lagers. It offends the purists, I think. But yes, start with half a pound, or a pound of lighter Munich or Vienna.
  • I think splitting hops between 70 and 40 minute additions is needless complication. They will do essentially the same thing. If you want hop aroma (I do!) use 60 and 10, otherwise a single charge early in the boil and an IBU calculator and you’re good.
  • Mash out is something that professionals do that I think many homebrewers don’t need (or want.) If you can’t articulate a reason (fixing the sugar profile? Who cares?) why not skip it? If you mash out and get your mash pH too high, you actually are risking tannin extraction, which is generally something not too worry about otherwise.
  • W34/70 is a wonderful yeast, could not be easier to use, works well at high temperatures, and doesn’t need diacetyl babying. And cheaper than liquid. With a longer shelf life. For someone starting out, I can’t think of a reason not to make life easier.
  • Whirlfloc and the like are purified kappa carrageenan, which is what the Irish moss would be adding (in unpurified form.) if you’ve got moss to use up or it’s vastly easier to find or cheaper, sure, but without a reason not to, I would pick the tablets.
  • You want to bottle condition substantially warmer — 70 F, say, probably for two weeks.
  • If you’re using American beer bottles, be wary of going too high on the carbonation. I would not go any higher than that 2.7.
Have fun with it! It sounds like you’ve hit the ground running.
 
Oh, and clarity: it’s tough but not impossible with bottle conditioning. After they’ve carbonated, store them as close to freezing as you can for multiple weeks, don’t jostle them at all, and then pour very carefully.
 
3. I prefer Whirlfloc over Irish Moss, but they both work well. The large tablets of whirlfloc are really for 10 gallon batches, so 1 tab is enough. Key is after the beer is done fermenting, give the yeast time to settle and clean up any fermentation byproducts, like sulfur, which lager yeasts tend to produce. But since you are fermenting warm, that should be gone after 2 weeks or so. I notice your first beer you brewed on 12/21 and bottled on 1/3...while ales ferment fast, that's really a short time. You should really leave the beer in fermenter for a minimum of two weeks, I like to do 3. After fermentation, if you have any way to put the fermenter in your fridge, cold crashing the beer will help it clear also.
I will say, the recipe for that all called for 10 day fermentation. It did turn out really well.

Diving deeper into your comment, though: You considering cold crash part of that 2-3 weeks?

I updated the recipe. I certainly like the look of it better. Can't really put my finger on it, but it seems simpler and feels right. Whatever that means haha. Here's the link. You'll notice I put in 14 days for fermentation, 7 days for cold crash. Cold crash could either be the room that ranges between 40ºF and 58ºF, or a garage that sits at about 10 degrees warmer than outside. Currently around 40ºF. But it will vary throughout the day, so I'm not sure if that's okay, or even if it could get too cold. I would think that once fermentation has completed, it can get pretty cold without any sort of ill effect?
 

Attachments

  • To Helles and Back Again.pdf
    863.8 KB
This looks good. It will make beer, and what’s better, it’ll be a simple beer that will make it easier for you to figure out what’s doing what. You could make it as-is.

Some assorted opinions, some of which will probably prompt vehement disagreement in following posts:
  • I agree with the assessment on CaraWhatever, presumably added for body and foam. I don’t believe it does, and I always avoid these products. You could certainly use less of it, but why not skip it completely and add it in on the next batch if you’re missing something.
  • I happen to like a little bit of Munich (or Aromatic or whatever) in my German (or American) lagers. It offends the purists, I think. But yes, start with half a pound, or a pound of lighter Munich or Vienna.
  • I think splitting hops between 70 and 40 minute additions is needless complication. They will do essentially the same thing. If you want hop aroma (I do!) use 60 and 10, otherwise a single charge early in the boil and an IBU calculator and you’re good.
  • Mash out is something that professionals do that I think many homebrewers don’t need (or want.) If you can’t articulate a reason (fixing the sugar profile? Who cares?) why not skip it? If you mash out and get your mash pH too high, you actually are risking tannin extraction, which is generally something not too worry about otherwise.
  • W34/70 is a wonderful yeast, could not be easier to use, works well at high temperatures, and doesn’t need diacetyl babying. And cheaper than liquid. With a longer shelf life. For someone starting out, I can’t think of a reason not to make life easier.
  • Whirlfloc and the like are purified kappa carrageenan, which is what the Irish moss would be adding (in unpurified form.) if you’ve got moss to use up or it’s vastly easier to find or cheaper, sure, but without a reason not to, I would pick the tablets.
  • You want to bottle condition substantially warmer — 70 F, say, probably for two weeks.
  • If you’re using American beer bottles, be wary of going too high on the carbonation. I would not go any higher than that 2.7.
Have fun with it! It sounds like you’ve hit the ground running.

Even though I've read most of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, and taken notes, I still don't know what I'm doing. 😅 Aromatic malt? No clue what it does (besides adding aromatics, but that's because it's in the name). The mash steps came from an xBmt article on warm fermenting a Helles. I can't articulate a reason for any of it!

Only reason I've avoided W34/70 is because I also do sourdough, and vehemently insist on using live starter over dry yeast, as it imparts a better, fuller flavor. I read that liquid yeasts are more active, so I held on to that. I do love Weihenstephener Helles, though...
 
The difference between baker's yeast and sourdough is a lot bigger than between liquid or dry brewing yeast. Give dry yeast a try as well, you'll be surprised how well they perform.

Your original mashing scheme is fine as well. 62°/72°C is a classic as well. Though if you use German malt, you may want to increase the first step to 65°C or at least don't drop the second step. European barley crops have had some tough times in recent years and gelatinisation temperatures have risen quite a bit because of it.
 
I will say, the recipe for that all called for 10 day fermentation. It did turn out really well.

Diving deeper into your comment, though: You considering cold crash part of that 2-3 weeks?

I updated the recipe. I certainly like the look of it better. Can't really put my finger on it, but it seems simpler and feels right. Whatever that means haha. Here's the link. You'll notice I put in 14 days for fermentation, 7 days for cold crash. Cold crash could either be the room that ranges between 40ºF and 58ºF, or a garage that sits at about 10 degrees warmer than outside. Currently around 40ºF. But it will vary throughout the day, so I'm not sure if that's okay, or even if it could get too cold. I would think that once fermentation has completed, it can get pretty cold without any sort of ill effect?

Cold crashing would be after the 2-3 weeks. Cold garage would work for a cold crash, as long as temps don't drop below freezing. I use a fridge to do my cold crashes and lower the temp like 4 degrees every 12 hours. There have been some that say cold crashing right from 60's to 40's can reduce head retention, but the few times I have rushed cold crash, I have not experienced that.

Adjusted recipe looks great, though I still think your mash steps are long, time wise. I have been brewing for 12 years plus now, plus some extract brewing in the 1990's and have learned that simple grain bills are better then overcomplicated one. Have to remember Charlie P wrote his books in the 80's when he was dealing with limited grains that were available in the US back then. Now with so many great malt out there, you can get a ton of flavor with only a few.

You want a good spot for recipes, check out Mean Brews on YouTube, my buddy Matt Herold does it. He takes a bunch of award winning homebrew recipes and comes up with a mean average recipe of all of them. He has videos for a ton of styles. Have brewed a lot of the recipes from the site and they for the most part of all been great and they have won me a good amount of medals in comps. Here's his Helles recipe... Mean Brews Helles All his recipes are also all available in the Brewfather software.
 
Main thing I'll be changing is my bottling process. I didn't enjoy using Brewer's Best Conditioning Tablets. As far as tablets go, it's probably one of the easier ones, since you can add 3-5 tablets, depending on your desired carbonation. But it was an arduous process.
Thats a good word for it. Bottling in general is an arduous process. We all buy kegging setups and some kind of kegerator or keezer conversion. I have capacity for 5 kegs and I still bottle. Its not something I’ve been able to really get away from. I like to bottle stronger beers instead of having them on tap. I brew a barleywine every year. As of now I have those every year going back to 2019. Only a few of the oldest left. Imperial stout is probably the style I brew the most. This year I also brewed old ale a couple times. I brew smaller batches. 3 gallons at a time, especially stronger stuff. Its not as bad for me as its only 30 bottles. Bottling is not something I dread but its also sure not something I look forward to doing.
1. I'm using a Grainfather G30 and a Fermonster 6 gallon.
You’re way far ahead of where I was for my first few brews way back when. I started out doing all extract. I didn’t have a big enough pot, I didn’t have a wort chiller. I fermented in a plastic bucket.
 
Adjusted recipe looks great, though I still think your mash steps are long, time wise. I have been brewing for 12 years plus now, plus some extract brewing in the 1990's and have learned that simple grain bills are better then overcomplicated one. Have to remember Charlie P wrote his books in the 80's when he was dealing with limited grains that were available in the US back then. Now with so many great malt out there, you can get a ton of flavor with only a few.
Hmm. Like I said, I don't know anything. 😅

You want a good spot for recipes, check out Mean Brews on YouTube, my buddy Matt Herold does it. He takes a bunch of award winning homebrew recipes and comes up with a mean average recipe of all of them. He has videos for a ton of styles. Have brewed a lot of the recipes from the site and they for the most part of all been great and they have won me a good amount of medals in comps. Here's his Helles recipe... Mean Brews Helles All his recipes are also all available in the Brewfather software.
Oh, nice! Checking it out after I post this. :)

Recipes are great, but I'd love to understand what's happening so that I can then understand what ingredients to use, why to mash at certain durations, etc. I got to the spot in Charlie P's book last night where he starts talking about enzymes in the grains and my brain melted. No way I could retain anything from that, nor apply it.

Thats a good word for it. Bottling in general is an arduous process. We all buy kegging setups and some kind of kegerator or keezer conversion. I have capacity for 5 kegs and I still bottle. Its not something I’ve been able to really get away from. I like to bottle stronger beers instead of having them on tap. I brew a barleywine every year. As of now I have those every year going back to 2019. Only a few of the oldest left. Imperial stout is probably the style I brew the most. This year I also brewed old ale a couple times. I brew smaller batches. 3 gallons at a time, especially stronger stuff. Its not as bad for me as its only 30 bottles. Bottling is not something I dread but its also sure not something I look forward to doing.

You’re way far ahead of where I was for my first few brews way back when. I started out doing all extract. I didn’t have a big enough pot, I didn’t have a wort chiller. I fermented in a plastic bucket.
I definitely don't have room for a keg setup, so I doubt that'll happen for me. ;)

The G30 was gifted to me from my dad. :D
 
Okay! New plan. Based on available ingredients from my LHBS, and based on the fact that I already ordered and had the grains crushed and am picking them up tomorrow, here's a new recipe, based on this video shared by @jdauria. Thanks again for sharing!

Of note in the recipe is that Grainfather's library of grains is far from complete. In this case, I'm using Dark Munich from Crisp, rather than Munich.

I picked up Novalager, because the Omega wasn't in. I'll likely check out Omega's yeasts in the future, but it seems folks have good luck with Novalager for warm fermentations (and Cablecar, but that also wasn't in stock). The temperature for this yeast goes as high as 68ºF. The room I plan to ferment in, which is the same room as my first go at it, is typically 66.6ºF 👿. The yeast's pitch rate is 50-100g/hL, which I think is 1.89g/gal - 3.8g/gal. So the 11g packet should be plenty. Hopefully not too much.

I'm also wondering if the step mashing is required. I did my best to match closely with what the gentleman in the Mean Brews video used. Question is - how do I know if a grain needs a rest, and when. I know that the stages at which you want to rest are for different things. Example: In this recipe, there's a "protein rest" at 126ºF @ 25:00 for 5:00 minutes. How do we know the grain needs that? How do I know if the grains I'll be working with need that? I read that a rest at this temp can hurt head retention, which would definitely be counter to the Helles style.

edit: Just noticed my batch size is set to 5.5 gallons. Whoops!
 

Attachments

  • Meanbrews Helles.pdf
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Last edited:
I know the Grainfather makes it easy to get complicated, but for your second batch? I’d do a single infusion, 60 minutes at 147 F. Check that temperature with an independent thermometer, too.

The beer will be good. It will probably be indistinguishable from the beer you’d make with the 147/154 step; if there’s any difference at all, it would be the two steps would solubilize and then break down the starches just a bit better.

Start simple, see how the beer turns out, and then make adjustments to move it in the direction you want. Though honestly, it’s hard to think of a situation where the effects of a step mash couldn’t be mimicked with an adjustment of the recipe.

And yeah, the protein rest is unnecessary, along with all the other low-temperature rests (with the possible-but-dubious exception of a ferulic acid rest to make your Hefeweizen more clove-y.)

Single infusion, no mash out. Honestly, that can get you 95% of the way there. When you’re starting out, focus your attention on recipe and fermentation. Come back to step mashes in a few years, if at all.

Edit: oh, and packaging. Packaging matters.
 
Please bear with me, as I'm still learning terms. And, since I have only done one brew, I don't entirely understand mashing in and mashing out.

I know the Grainfather makes it easy to get complicated, but for your second batch? I’d do a single infusion, 60 minutes at 147 F. Check that temperature with an independent thermometer, too.
By "single infusion", does that just mean adding the grains at one step before mashing out?

And mash out is typically 168-170?

And yeah, the protein rest is unnecessary, along with all the other low-temperature rests (with the possible-but-dubious exception of a ferulic acid rest to make your Hefeweizen more clove-y.)
Y'all are blowing my mind right now, and I love it! So, it seems that I may be reading materials that are outdated? Am I entering in a time when brewers are bucking trends and steering away from the more complicated ways of doing things?

Single infusion, no mash out. Honestly, that can get you 95% of the way there. When you’re starting out, focus your attention on recipe and fermentation. Come back to step mashes in a few years, if at all.
Oh! No mash out. What does that mean? If you're at 147 for 60 minutes, isn't mash out, then, just not raising the temp and going straight to lautering and sparging? FWIW, I cold-sparged my first batch. I don't know if it is what caused my low efficiency of 64%, but I still plan to cold sparge for the foreseeable future. If I hot sparge, it would be with a maximum of 1 gallon, since that's the largest pot I have and I don't feel like purchasing a larger one haha.

Edit: oh, and packaging. Packaging matters.
Could you elaborate?

Thanks so much!
 
By "single infusion", does that just mean adding the grains at one step before mashing out?
Yes! Let everything sit in water at a single temperature for an hour. Usually that's between 145 and 160 F to activate the starch-to-sugar enzymes. I personally think ~150 F works well for most beers, but if you wanted a full-bodied, low-attenuation English ale, 160 F would be reasonable.

This is not to say that step mashing doesn't do anything for you, just that it's usually not necessary to get the beer you want. Start simple! The fewer variables you have at the beginning, the faster you'll figure out what they do.

I'm also coming from the position that efficiency, in and of itself, doesn't really matter all that much. If you can mange to use 10% less malt in a commercial operation, that's a big ****ing deal, but it's kind of a non-issue for a homebrewer.

Y'all are blowing my mind right now, and I love it! So, it seems that I may be reading materials that are outdated? Am I entering in a time when brewers are bucking trends and steering away from the more complicated ways of doing things?
The major change is that modern technology has given us substantially better malt, and things that used to be necessary are no longer. For instance, a protein rest might be necessary if the proteins weren't sufficiently broken down in the malt house, but if they were, it is both unnecessary and potentially detrimental to foam and body.

There are also people in this hobby (and on this forum) who like making beer in traditional or historical ways, and if that's your goal, then your reading materials are probably just right.

Oh! No mash out. What does that mean? If you're at 147 for 60 minutes, isn't mash out, then, just not raising the temp and going straight to lautering and sparging? FWIW, I cold-sparged my first batch. I don't know if it is what caused my low efficiency of 64%, but I still plan to cold sparge for the foreseeable future. If I hot sparge, it would be with a maximum of 1 gallon, since that's the largest pot I have and I don't feel like purchasing a larger one haha.
This may be my own personal weirdness, so see what other folks say. Mashing out may give you a little boost in efficiency (something I don't care about). The elevated temperature will lower wort viscosity, and so you may have an easier time with your sparging. The arguments about "locking in your sugar profile" puzzle me. Who cares if you convert a little more starch during sparging? Why does that matter?

Also, nobody ever tasted a beer and said "huh, low brewhouse efficiency, right?"

Could you elaborate?
When you're starting out, focus on consistency in your brew day, and keep things simple as possible. This lets you play with recipes, which honestly is the fun part, and will have more of an effect on your product than fiddling around with complicated mash protocols and decoctions and whatever.

When you get to the point where you want to make things more complicated, the thing that's going to help your beer the most is fermentation temperature control, followed by yeast management (right-sized pitches, starters if necessary, oxygenation, and the like).

After that, getting the beer into a keg or bottle without undue oxygen exposure is the next complication to think about. Usually that means switching to kegging with closed transfers from the fermenter.
 
This may be my own personal weirdness, so see what other folks say. Mashing out may give you a little boost in efficiency (something I don't care about). The elevated temperature will lower wort viscosity, and so you may have an easier time with your sparging. The arguments about "locking in your sugar profile" puzzle me. Who cares if you convert a little more starch during sparging? Why does that matter?
Yeah! The only reason I've even looked at efficiency is because I want Brewfather and Grainfather predicted numbers to be closer. My goal is brew lower ABV beers, and to do so, I need to know what efficiency is for those apps to make accurate predictions. That said, I'll figure out what my efficiency is over time. :)
Also, nobody ever tasted a beer and said "huh, low brewhouse efficiency, right?"
🤣
When you're starting out, focus on consistency in your brew day, and keep things simple as possible. This lets you play with recipes, which honestly is the fun part, and will have more of an effect on your product than fiddling around with complicated mash protocols and decoctions and whatever.

When you get to the point where you want to make things more complicated, the thing that's going to help your beer the most is fermentation temperature control, followed by yeast management (right-sized pitches, starters if necessary, oxygenation, and the like).

After that, getting the beer into a keg or bottle without undue oxygen exposure is the next complication to think about. Usually that means switching to kegging with closed transfers from the fermenter.
That's pretty much the order of importance I've put together based on reading posts here and what-not. I'm a coffee roaster by trade, and I always start new people out on the most basic of profiles (recipe). Once they're comfortable executing that repeatedly with success, then we introduce variables.
 
So we're on Day 7 of fermentation. I saw activity on Day 1 just after a couple hours. Day 2 was certainly the most active. And it has been gradually getting less active. Now, I'll notice a bubble every 8-12 minutes, I would say. I'm going to let it ride another 7 days, then move it to my cold room (~48ºF) for another two weeks. Not quite a cold crash, but hoping it helps with clarity.

This is certainly not the color that I anticipated. Even Brewfather's app didn't expect it to be this dark. Granted, it'll come out less dark in the bottle, and I'm hoping it clears in the cold room and in the bottle.

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I haven't done any FG readings yet. OG was only 1.032, putting my efficiency at a whopping 54%. >.< I forgot to stir the mash every 10 minutes or so. None of the LHBS stores have settings for their mills, so I can't mill the grains finer. They were milled nicely though, as far as I can tell.

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Here's the recipe (Grainfather) (Brewfather).

I'm definitely going to exclude Dark Munich next round. It added more color than I wanted, and it'll probably result in an imbalanced flavor profile, considering my low efficiency. I found Munich Type II, which is what I originally wanted to use. I do enjoy darker lagers more than lighter ones, typically, but it wasn't the goal with this brew.

In three weeks, I'll be bottling. I'm going to transfer to a bottling bucket using a racking cane, in hopes of avoiding getting trub in the bottles. I'll also be priming with dextrose this time instead of using tablets.
 
That's a terrible crush you got [...] But if you like the hobby, getting your own grain mill might be worth it.
Oh, really?! Damn haha.
Yeah, that's a very crappy crush. :(
Even running it through twice or thrice may still not crush all the kernels.
Forget using wheat or rye (malt) on that mill, those kernels are even smaller...

A hand cranked Corona type "corn mill" can be had for around $25-35, and tightened down the right amount will crush your grain much better (finer).

Look on various "marketplaces" and classifieds ads for people getting rid of theirs. There are many brands out there, but functionally they're all very similar.

With some patience, while keeping your eyes peeled, you may even find a used but good brewers' roller mill for a good price (~$100). There are some (significant) quality differences among those too, so familiarize yourself with the better brands.
 
Yeah, that's a very crappy crush. :(
Even running it through twice or thrice may still not crush all the kernels.
Forget using wheat or rye (malt) on that mill, those kernels are even smaller...

A hand cranked Corona type "corn mill" can be had for around $25-35, and tightened down the right amount will crush your grain much better (finer).

Look on various "marketplaces" and classifieds ads for people getting rid of theirs. There are many brands out there, but functionally they're all very similar.

With some patience, while keeping your eyes peeled, you may even find a used but good brewers' roller mill for a good price (~$100). There are some (significant) quality differences among those too, so familiarize yourself with the better brands.
I've used a corona with a drill for years. Works great and cheap like me
 
Yeah, that's a very crappy crush. :(
Even running it through twice or thrice may still not crush all the kernels.
Forget using wheat or rye (malt) on that mill, those kernels are even smaller...

A hand cranked Corona type "corn mill" can be had for around $25-35, and tightened down the right amount will crush your grain much better (finer).

Look on various "marketplaces" and classifieds ads for people getting rid of theirs. There are many brands out there, but functionally they're all very similar.

With some patience, while keeping your eyes peeled, you may even find a used but good brewers' roller mill for a good price (~$100). There are some (significant) quality differences among those too, so familiarize yourself with the better brands.

I assume it needs to be a roller style, not burr / disc style?
 
I assume it needs to be a roller style, not burr / disc style?
Roller style mills can give you the most ideal (precise) crush, especially needed when fly sparging using a 3-kettle system.

That quality crush it's not really needed with brew-in-a-bag or mesh-basket type systems. A finer crush is actually better for those, increasing mash efficiency, while you don't have to worry about a stuck mash because the grain is being held in a voile bag or perforated basket, easing lautering.
 
I’m agreeing with others, that crush didn’t look good from here. Your recipe looked much better after the changes.
Keep an eye out for used brewing stuff on FB marketplace. But also be aware of what new retail prices are. You likely can pick up a used grain mill, kegs and other stuff really cheap. Getting a mill, even at full retail, will pay off in the long run. Also, look into water profiles and what you should be adding to your water. You may want to skip the bottling bucket and bottle right from your fermenter since it has a spout at the bottom. Transferring your beer to a bucket adds to the possibility of oxygen exposure and other contamination. Adding individual doses of sugar to bottles is a pain, but it’s really the better way to go. Also, next time sanitize the spout and put a sandwich bag over it, fasten with a twist tie, and that will help keep it clean. Your lager will be way better if you can store them cold for 6-8 weeks or longer after bottle conditioning. I make lagers in late winter in then store them in kegs in a cold basement, about 40 degrees, for several months before eventually putting them in the fridge in the spring and start drinking them.
 
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Alright. Here we are at 14 days fermentation at 65-67ºF. I took a gravity reading before putting it into our cold room (48-55ºF). It'll hang out in that room for another 14 days. Hoping it'll clear up a bit.

Gravity read 1.002. Compared to the OG of 1.032, we're hovering around 3.9% ABV. I was aiming for 4.3%, so I'm fine with this. I expected 3.4% when I saw my low efficiency.

Color is spot on, I think! As this is only my second brew, I am still surprised by the color, as it looks so much darker in the fermenter!

Bitterness might be higher than it should be for this style, but it's really nice. The Mittelfruh hops are lovely. On the tongue, you get some bread and buttery notes, which is just great!
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