schwarzbier recipe

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j_narbrew

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here is a schwarzbier recipe i am working on. i'm hoping to brew it soon and was looking for input. i'm still an amateur, but i've come up with a couple decent recipes. i don't have the ability to lager, so i'm using german ale/kolsch yeast since it is supposed to be a clean fermenting yeast. any feedback would be helpful

The German Assassin:
batch size:5 gal

Original Gravity: 1.058 (1.046 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 - 1.016)
Color: 25.57 (17.0 - 30.0)
Alcohol: 5.67% (4.4% - 5.4%)
Bitterness: 32.2 (22.0 - 32.0)

Ingredients:

.5 lb Carafa Special® TYPE III
1.0 lb Caramel Vienne 20L Malt
3.3 lb Liquid Light Extract
3.3 lb Liquid Dark Extract
.5 lb Light Brown Sugar
1.0 oz Tettnanger 60 min
1.0 oz Tettnanger 30 min
.5 oz Spalt Spalter 10 min
.5 oz Spalt Spalter 5 min
White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch

i was also thinking about adding german dark munich/and or german dark crystal. thoughts? :ban:
 
The brown sugar would be a bit unusual and 1/4 lb of Carafa III is probably enough.

A 1/2 lb of C90L wouldn't be out of place and Munch is a better choice than Vienne, but a pound of each is okay.
 
I don't think I have ever used dark LME before, so I may not know what I'm talking about here... Anyway, would the dark LME bring a roast flavor to the beer that you might not be looking for? Some people like schwarzbier because it looks like a stout but tastes like a pilsner. If that is what you are going for, maybe drop the dark LME and keep the carafa III at .5#. If you looking for a roasty flavor, then definitely keep the dark LME. I personally like schwarzbier both ways, I'm just offering something to consider.
 
thanks for the input. i've already eliminated the brown sugar. i'm not even sure why i had it in there to be honest (i've been working on a bunch of different recipes at once).
while i do like roasty beers, i don't want this to be roasty. does anyone else have input about the dark malt extract? will that give it a roasty flavor? i've never used it. i think i will switch to all light extract instead. i've also replaced the vienne with dark munich and dark german crystal.
 
so here is the recipe i think i'm going to brew:
The German Assassin
4-C Schwarzbier (Black Beer)

Size: 5.0 gal
Calories: 181.06 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.054 (1.046 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 - 1.016)
Color: 24.07 (17.0 - 30.0)
Alcohol: 5.35% (4.4% - 5.4%)
Bitterness: 33.6 (22.0 - 32.0)

Ingredients:
1 lb German Dark Munich
.5 lb Carafa Special® TYPE III
1 lb German Dark Crystal
6.0 lb Liquid Light Extract

1.0 oz Tettnanger (4.7%) 60 min
1 oz Tettnanger (4.7%) 30.0 min
.5 oz Spalt Spalter (3%) 10 min
.5 oz Spalt Spalter (3%) 5.0 min

1.0 ea White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch

any thoughts on how long to ferment? since i'm not actually using lager yeast, should i still try to age it in the secondary? or after bottling?
 
Not trying to hijack the thread but are there any good commercial Schwarzbiers here in the U.S.? I've brewed 2 of my own schwarzbiers but have never actually drank one other than my own. Just interested to see how close I'm getting to the style. Thanks.
 
I like the Light LME/DME only choice. I have no idea what goes into the "Amber" or "Dark" extracts and would prefer to stay away from that. The "Light" one I can assume is mostly 2 row with some crystal since the color is darker than straight 2 row.

You can treat Kolsch ale yeast like lager yeast, so doing a secondary is not a bad idea.

If you're not aware... the Munich is a base malt not a specialty malt so you must mash it. If you have two pots then you can do this like DeathBrewer's guide shows you how to do (Partial Mash technique).

I haven't yet tried this, but I started with Jamil's recipe and lowered some of the roasted malts. This is what I brewed, hopefully I can try it in a week or two:

5 Gallon
5lb Pilsner
3lbs Munich 10L
8oz Caramunich III (~46L)
8oz Chocolate Malt (350L)
4oz Carafa II (412L)

2oz Hallertauer 60min
0.75oz Hallertauer 20min
0.50oz Hallertauer 0min (~3%AA)

Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager
28IBU / 27SRM
OG 1050 @ 75%
 
For commercial examples, believe it or not, Sam Adams Black Lager. This is probably my favorite.

Also have had Port Brewing's Moonlight Sessions Lager... thought that sucked. Too roasty; seemed like a stout with lager yeast. Magic Hat Howl is pretty good, but a bit thin compared to the Sam Adams. Not overboard with the roasted malts that Port did. Haven't had Monschorf, but that would be the easiest to find Schwarzbier from Germany. I've also heard Sprecher (sp?) makes a good one, but I don't get them here.
 
i guess i forgot to add that i'm doing a mini-mash with the grains and some 2-row via http://***********/component/resource/article/511-countertop-partial-mashing

everyone always says you're not supposed to use roasty malts like chocolate or black patent, but i see so many recipes with them in it. anyway, how long in the secondary?

in response to the other thread, saranac has black forest lager which is also pretty good. and if you can ever get your hands on kostritzer schwarzbier, do it. i had one a while ago at a bar but they haven't had it in stock since. it's one of the originals i think, and very good
 
and if you can ever get your hands on kostritzer schwarzbier, do it.

Seconded. I had this when I was 16 in Germany and it became my favorite, now I'm nearly twice that age and it still I look for it every time I visit a liquor store. It's tough to find in the US, but if you do it's totally worth it.
 
Seconded. I had this when I was 16 in Germany and it became my favorite, now I'm nearly twice that age and it still I look for it every time I visit a liquor store. It's tough to find in the US, but if you do it's totally worth it.

I really want to try one of these....I have had the Monschoff 'world classic' shwarzbier several times, and really like it, so I'd like to compare the two....I'll be making a shwarzbier as soon as I can get the pilsner yeast I have built into a large starter....

last night I blended a little of the kolsch I've been sucking down steadily and a fuggle porter (milder british style porter...MMmmm) I just kegged last week, and the combination was very shwarzbier like...and delicious! maybe I should use kolsch yeast as well....
 
Good luck with the schwarzbier. And +3 on the Kostritzer swarz, it is terrific.
 
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