Vienna Lager Revvy's Vienna Lager

[Revvy]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

Saflager s-23 or favorite

Yeast Starter

n/a for dry

Batch Size (Gallons)

5

Original Gravity

1.051

Final Gravity

1.010

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

23.5

Color

12.7

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

30 @ 55F

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

30 @ 35F

Tasting Notes

Tastes great.

This Vienna netted me an honorable mention in the Bjcp sponsored Michigan Renaissance Festival's "Beer Baron's Brew Brawl, 2009."

Grain

Amount Item Type % or IBU
8 lbs Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 84.21 %
1 lbs Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 10.53 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 5.26 %

Hops
38.30 gm Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 23.5 IBU

Yeast
1 Pkgs SafLager West European Lager (DCL Yeast #S-23) Yeast-Lager
(Or use your favorite lager yeast)

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 9.50 lb

Mash @ 154.0 F/60 minutes (Add 11.88 qt of water at 165.9.)

Sparge Water@ 168 (4.42 gal)

Primary Fermentation: 30 Days @ 55F
(D-rest 72 hours before switching to secondary and lagering)
Secondary Fermentation: 30 Days @ 35F

(But lager how you normally prefer)


Info


Measured Original Gravity: 1.051 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.37 %
Bitterness: 23.5 IBU
Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 12.7 SRM

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Looks nice! What's the ferment temp and how long did you lager it (and at what temperature)?

 

[Revvy]

Looks nice! What's the ferment temp and how long did you lager it (and at what temperature)?

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 30 Days @ 55F
(D-rest 72 hours before switching to secondary and lagering)
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 30 Days @ 35F

(But lager how you normally prefer)

Thanks, It's pretty tasty. I'm going to be brewing a 10 gallon batch with a buddy in the next couple weeks, we were both given sacks of vienna at "Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day." So it seemed perfect to dig this up.

The recipe was created while listening to this Basic Brewing episode;

December 29, 2005 - Vienna Lagers
We talk to Chris Colby of Brew Your Own magazine about Vienna Lagers, a style favored south of the border. Chris takes us through the style and how to make great Vienna lagers at home.

Click to listen-MP3

There's also some good articles as well.

http://www.byo.com/component/resource/article/1935-vienna-lager-tips-from-the-pros

http://www.byo.com/component/resource/article/1597-vienna-lager-in-exile

 

[Pappers_]

Hey friend. Do you have a temp controlled fermentation chiller or how do you control the temps for fermentation? Thanks,

 

[Revvy]

Hey friend. Do you have a temp controlled fermentation chiller or how do you control the temps for fermentation? Thanks,

No, I just "ghetto lagered" this. I fermented it in the storage cupboard of my loft's garage, then lagered it at a friends for a month.

 

[Pappers_]

No, I just "ghetto lagered" this. I fermented it in the storage cupboard of my loft's garage, then lagered it at a friends for a month.

Yeah, I've not done lagers because my temp control is similar - based on the basement, garage or swamp cooler. Hmmm the garage might be ok, but at this time of year it might be dropping down to the lower range of the lager yeast . . . . will need to explore this.

Thanks!

 

[Revvy]

Yeah, I've not done lagers because my temp control is similar - based on the basement, garage or swamp cooler. Hmmm the garage might be ok, but at this time of year it might be dropping down to the lower range of the lager yeast . . . . will need to explore this.

Thanks!

I just sort of discovered last winter that my garage storage area was actually pretty cool to downright cold as the winter progressed, So I actually did a bunch of lagers after this where I didn't bother taking it to a friend's fridge to lager. I just racked them to secondary and put them back in there, it wasn't in the 30's but more like 40's, dipping deeper at night. And they all turned out great.

There is a good thread about that here' https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/lagering-outside-134652/

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Ya know, I skimmed the recipe twice and still didn't see the lager temps so I asked. Right there in front of me the whole time. DOH!

 

[Revvy]

Ya know, I skimmed the recipe twice and still didn't see the lager temps so I asked. Right there in front of me the whole time. DOH!

It's been awhile since I added a recipe to the database, and it seems to me the fields have changed in the last couple years. So I wasn't sure I typed it in to begin with.

 

[skyzo]

Hey Revvy, I've been dying to make a lager, but haven't had the chance for the last few months, so this coming weekend I'll finally have some time to brew something and this looks awesome. But the only thing, I'm not set up for AG just quite yet (soon), and wanted to brew this. So I threw together an extract recipe based on some ingredients I already have, and I think it looks alright, but what do you think?

5lb Extra Light DME
.5lb caravienne
.5lb crystal 60l
1.3oz Tettanger (60 min)
and some S-23.

Also, did you just pitch one packet of the dry yeast in the cooled wort?
Thanks

 

[hopdawg]

Hey Revvy,
I'm cookin up your Vienna Lager as we speak. I only had a Nottinghams yeast so it will be a suedo lager. I'll ferment at the low end and live with the less than ideal results (par for the course when you live in the boonies).
I listened to the pod cast by Chris Colby, a good listen for sure. Can you shed some light on a comment he made about racking off of the primary yeast at the precise time. Up to now I've parked my lagers in my cold box at 50ishF for 30 days then lagered. How do I judge/measure this precise time he spoke of?

 

[impatient]

Calories: 43 cal/pint

Is that correct???

 

[Revvy]

Is that correct???

Well I just cut and pasted my recipe from beersmith. Honestly I don't know....

 

[teach]

According to my calculations, a beer that starts at 1.051 and ends at 1.010 ought to be 167 calories per 12 fl. ounces, or 222 calories per (16-ounce) pint.

 

[Hotspur]

Well I just cut and pasted my recipe from beersmith. Honestly I don't know....

Beersmith sets the default measured OG to 1.010 and FG to 1.005, and it calculates the caloric content from measured values, not expected. It drove me nuts for a while until I figured it out, so I just fix that by hand when I'm done with the grain bill, and update it after each measurement. It'd be nice if it defaulted to the expected, but having it be different reminds you to fill it in, I suppose.

 

[CaliBrewin]

how are you getting an OG of 1.051? brewers friend says that with that grain bill you need to be getting 85% or better efficiency.

 

[Revvy]

how are you getting an OG of 1.051? brewers friend says that with that grain bill you need to be getting 85% or better efficiency.

My beersmith is set for 75% efficiency for my recipes.

 

[waldoar15]

Sounds interesting. Did you only pitch one packet of yeast @55 degrees?

 

[BrewThruYou]

Took 2nd place in Amber Lager with this at a local homebrew comp. Thanks Revvy.

 

[Revvy]

Took 2nd place in Amber Lager with this at a local homebrew comp. Thanks Revvy.

I'm like a proud poppa!

 

[BucksPA]

i think im going to brew this as a decoction this weekend. it will be my first decoction attempt.

 

[Revvy]

Let me know how it goes with the decoction.... I was thinking about brewing it tomorrow at "Teach a friend" but I'm not ready for ghetto lagering yet this season.

 

[Airborneguy]

Hey Revvy, have you ever made this without the caramel malt? I'm looking to change my recipe (look at the name btw in my sig, its a tribute to you) to an all- or at least close to all-Vienna version and I'm not sure if I'd like the caramel in there.

As a matter of fact, I wonder how this would be with only vienna and a good decoction mash.

 

[Revvy]

Hey Revvy, have you ever made this without the caramel malt? I'm looking to change my recipe (look at the name btw in my sig, its a tribute to you) to an all- or at least close to all-Vienna version and I'm not sure if I'd like the caramel in there.

As a matter of fact, I wonder how this would be with only vienna and a good decoction mash.

No, I've based this on Chris Colby's research in the bYO and Basic Brewing pieces, and he says a tiny bit of caramel in the recipe is ok....

The only sub I've ever done was doing a 10 gallon batch where we were short like 2 pounds of vienna in our grainbill and we had cleaned out 2 stores...so we just went with two pounds of two row. It was still a good beer.

 

[Airborneguy]

How you seen Jamil's recipe? I don't think it even comes close after having brewed it. It's a mix of munich, vienna and pilsner. Yours is much closer than that. I'm thinking yours without the caramel and a single or double decoction for my next attempt.

 

[BucksPA]

Let me know how it goes with the decoction.... I was thinking about brewing it tomorrow at "Teach a friend" but I'm not ready for ghetto lagering yet this season.

That "detroitish" area isn't cold enough yet for some ghetto lagering? In southeast PA we aren't ready yet, luckily for me I have a Johnson Control in my chest freezer as well as a heater. The only thing that is hurting me is that I will have to observe the weather and switch between heat and cool manually. This weekend is chilly and next weekend is warm. My garage fluctuates a lot at this time of year.

 

[BucksPA]

so i brewed it up single infusion...was planning on d-coc but had to invest in a 5 gallon kettle and didnt feel like rushing that purchase. anyway, held 154 for the mash, ended up putting too much runnings into the boil kettle, so i boiled away for a few minutes longer before starting my 60 minute hop addition and ended up at 1.055 and 11.25 gallons into fermenters instead of 1.052 and 11.5 gallons in the fermenter. i'll consider it a success.

My question though, being that I've never used S-23, is this. Is 30 days in the primary a bit too long? It's been 26 hours in the primary at 53 degrees in my chest freezer and already at high krausen, bubbling away. I think on the short side this will ferment out in 1-2 weeks, 3 on the low side. I was planning on doing a Diacetyl rest to be safe, but am told to do that when fermentation is >75% finished. So if it's at 1.020 in a week, pull it out for 48 hours, rack to secondary and lager????? What are your thoughts about a short primary ferment and then maintaining a 30 day period of lagering versus holding to 30 days in the primary and then lagering, both ways after a 2 day diacetyl rest?

danke

 

[Akavango]

Revvy,

Quick question, I brewed this recipe this week end. You recommend to ferment at a temp and then do a second fermentation at a second temp.

I remember having a discussion with you about second fermentation. You stated that it wasn't necessary to change bucket and that you could have a better result while keeping it in the same bucket until bottling..

Is the second fermentation just about the change of temperature or should i consider changing bucket too?

Thanks
if this one is as good as the leffe, i can't wait to taste it.

 

[Revvy]

That's not a real seconday fermentation, that's just how Beersmith lists the lagering step. Your letting the beer mellow in the cold to clean up. I still leave my beer in primary for a month, then do a d-rest, rack it to a secondary and then let it lager in the cold for a few weeks.

 

[Homercidal]

I was planning on making this for my first decoction, but sadly I am out of Vienna.

I'll double check, but I think I used it all up and almost out of munich as well.