Some sort of European lager?

[AlexKay]

I’m brainstorming to get ideas. I have time to brew tomorrow, plenty of ingredients, and a garage cold enough for lager yeast.

I was going to do 2:1 Haná to Vienna. Single decoction for flavor. Shooting for an OG around 1.045, 20-25 IBU. I have Saaz, Tettnang, Spalt, and Hallertau, plus some noble-adjacent hops like Saphir, Bobek, and Lubelski.

Plenty of other hops, plenty of other malts. Stuck with 34/70.

Looking for a sessionable European lager. Ideally something out of the ordinary. Open to all suggestions.

 

[VikeMan]

Given the Haná malt, why not do a Czech Pils, a smallish version (BJCP "Czech Pale Lager"). That would just about fit the gravity and IBUs you have in mind. 2:1 grain bill would be fine. Saaz hops. 34/70 wouldn't be my first choice for a czech pils, but it's serviceable. I'd say the "out of the ordinary" would come from the heritage malt. I don't know if it would taste a whole lot different than a regular continental pils, but I wouldn't consider it "ordinary."

 

[AlexKay]

Given the Haná malt, why not do a Czech Pils, a smallish version (BJCP "Czech Pale Lager"). That would just about fit the gravity and IBUs you have in mind. 2:1 grain bill would be fine. Saaz hops. 34/70 wouldn't be my first choice for a czech pils, but it's serviceable. I'd say the "out of the ordinary" would come from the heritage malt. I don't know if it would taste a whole lot different than a regular continental pils, but I wouldn't consider it "ordinary."

Totally right on! I forgot to mention I have a Czech Pils (with 100% Haná) fermenting right now …

I could do another, and have side-by-side comparisons, but I’d ideally like to mix it up a little.

 

[Jack Arandir]

Brew what you want to drink! Do you like pils, helles, vienna lager, festbier? With those ingredients, I'd brew my absolute favorite beer -- Schönramer Pils. In fact, I just brewed one last month and I'm eagerly awaiting the end of lagering to taste it.

 

[AlexKay]

Brew what you want to drink! Do you like pils, helles, vienna lager, festbier? With those ingredients, I'd brew my absolute favorite beer -- Schönramer Pils. In fact, I just brewed one last month and I'm eagerly awaiting the end of lagering to taste it.

I do brew what I like to drink, but sometimes it's nice to get suggestions for other things I don't know I like yet!

Thanks for the link. That's a complicated hopping schedule (though if you relegate the early additions to "bittering," it's just Tettnang and Mittelfruh) and quite bitter. I will think about upping my IBUs.

 

[Hopalong]

I’m brainstorming to get ideas. I have time to brew tomorrow, plenty of ingredients, and a garage cold enough for lager yeast.

I was going to do 2:1 Haná to Vienna. Single decoction for flavor. Shooting for an OG around 1.045, 20-25 IBU. I have Saaz, Tettnang, Spalt, and Hallertau, plus some noble-adjacent hops like Saphir, Bobek, and Lubelski.

Plenty of other hops, plenty of other malts. Stuck with 34/70.

Looking for a sessionable European lager. Ideally something out of the ordinary. Open to all suggestions.

GREAT INGREDIENTS!!! Yuengling uses single decoction. To add interest step mash the decoction. Put some of the malt while it is dry in a boiler and place the rest of the malt in the mash tun. To preserve enzymes in both mashes, start out with water at a temperature slightly below the temperature at which the enzymes fully activate, 95F is a good temperature to rest the mash at. The main mash has to rest at a low temperature to preserve Alpha while you are working with the 1st decoction. Depending on the protein content an albuminous rest can be used in the decoction at 120-122F for 10 minutes. After the albuminous rest the decoction can be raised to 155F for 20 to 30 minutes. Use boiling water to reach temperatures quickly. The rest at 155F will produce enough sweet sugar for the entire batch, but as a brewer you have carte blanche with decoction temperatures. Make sure mash pH is below 5.5 before boiling the decoction. Bring the decoction to boiling and boil for at least one hour making sure the mash doesn't burn. The decoction will darken but as it boils you will notice it gets darker at the sides of the boiler that is Maillard. Sometimes it takes longer than an hour of boiling for Maillard Reaction to occur. Skim off some of the hot break that forms when the decoction is boiling. Mash viscosity will reduce making fly sparging easier because the mash won't stick unless sparge water is ripped through the grain bed. Add the boiling decoction back into the main mash to increase the temperature to conversion temperature 140 to 145F, at 140F rest the main mash for 40 minutes at 145F 20 minutes. Alpha is active as well releasing simple sugar, glucose, which Beta converts into fermentable, complex types of sugar. Then, boiling water should be used but a 2nd decoction is better because extra water doesn't need to be figured in for reaching a higher dextrinization temperature. The beer will be richer when it is made with the Hochkurz method. When conversion takes place, secondary fermentation occurs. It would be best to move the beer off trub and autolyzed yeast as soon as primary fermentation ends and transfer the beer into a secondary fermenter. At that time yeast will convert the fermentable, complex sugar that forms during mash conversion back into glucose and the gravity will fall closer to expected final gravity. The 34/70 yeast is strong yeast, and you probably won't need to add krausen during secondary fermentation. I would transfer the beer after secondary fermentation into a corny keg without adding priming sugar or CO2 and every so often check for carbonation by lifting the relief valve. Make sure the gaskets do not leak before allowing the beer to naturally carbonate. Natural carbonation is much finer than the soda pop fizz from artificial carbonation. Also, don't waste time on a diacetyl rest unless you are going to krausen.
When mash boils complex starch amylopectin, which is heat resistant rapidly enters into the mash liquid. Alpha liquefies the complex starch and dextrinization, and gelatinization takes place. Amylopectin contains A and B limit dextrin which are tasteless, nonfermenting types of sugar that are part of body and mouthfeel.
In the decoction method Alpha has to do a lot of work that is why it is best to use under modified, malt. Under modified, low protein, malt contains more enzymes and sugar than high modified, malt and because of that the malt is more expensive. Always use the malt spec sheet that comes with every bag of malt before buying malt. The spec sheet for Hana malt uses the info from the IOB and they use SNR (soluble nitrogen ratio) for determining level of modification. The SNR is 37 which is pretty good because most home brew malt is above 42. The higher the modification the less suitable the malt is for producing ale and lager. Gladfield and Weyermann produce under modified, malt. Weyermann uses data from the EBC and they use Kolbach Index for determining level of modification. Malt Kolbach Index 40 and lower is under modified, malt. Malt should contain 10% and less protein.

 

[Jack Arandir]

Holy wall of text Batman!

 

[Protos]

Totally right on! I forgot to mention I have a Czech Pils (with 100% Haná) fermenting right now …

I could do another, and have side-by-side comparisons, but I’d ideally like to mix it up a little.

Then, make yourself a full range of Bohemian Hana-based beers: a Pilsner (you have made one already), a Bernsteinbier (aka Polotmave or Halbdunkles or Amber) and a Dark Czech (in the style of U Fleku).

When I'm able to get me some Czech Malt (which happens not every year) I always make those three styles together.
Having the full Czech Collection at the tap feels immensely good (not less than having a full Belgian set in four pieces, from Enkel up to Quadrupel).

 

[AlexKay]

Then, make yourself a full range of Bohemian Hana-based beers: a Pilsner (you have made one already), a Bernsteinbier (aka Polotmave or Halbdunkles or Amber) and a Dark Czech (in the style of U Fleku).

When I'm able to get me some Czech Malt (which happens not every year) I always make those three styles together.
Having the full Czech Collection at the tap feels immensely good (not less than having a full Belgian set in four pieces, from Enkel up to Quadrupel).

Got recipes to recommend for the amber and dark versions? I mean, I could just start with a Pils and then load them up with American caramel malts…

I’m making single-liter batches, so I won’t have these on tap, but I guess I could plan a Czech drinking night where I open all 3 bottles.

 

[Jack Arandir]

My last Czech Amber turned out very delicious. Has a malty, märzen flavor with some interesting farmhouse flavors from the Czech malt. The Bohemian Dark can be substituted with Munich malt. Here's the recipe. Czech brewers love decoctions, so I did a double decoction at 126, 145, 162.

 

[Jack Arandir]

Also, here's a Czech dark that turned out very good. It had a woodsy, Christmas spice flavor a bit like wintergreen. My buddy loved it so much he asked for the entire keg.

 

[Protos]

Got recipes to recommend for the amber and dark versions? I mean, I could just start with a Pils and then load them up with American caramel malts…

Will lovely share the recipes for Czech Amber and Czech Dark I brewed this winter.
I have no Czech malts this season, so I used Weyermann's as a decent (although not entirely authentic) substitute.
It's not the first time I brew "The Bohemian Triade", and I take different recipes each year. This year, I took my recipe for Amber from the Czech Lagers: History, Brewing, Judging presentation by Bob Hall and Randy Scorby. (Last year it was a great recipe by Gordon Strong in the "Best of the BYO" series). So here's the recipe for the Amber I brewed:

BÖHMISCHES BERNSTEINBIER
OG=1.050
FG=1.013
ABV=4.9%
IBU=29

84% Vienna Malt
12% Carabohemian
4% Melanoidin

Saazer 14 IBU @ First wort hopping
Saazer 12 IBU @30'
Saazer 3 IBU @5'
Boil 90'

The presentation recommends the next double decoction schedule:
- mash 10' @55°C / 131°F
- pull decoction, mash 10' @62°C/144°F, mash 5' @70°C/158°F, boil 5'
- return decoction, mash 30' @62°C/144°F
- pull decoction, mash 5' @70°C/158°F, boil 5'
- return decoction, mash 10' @70°C/158°F


Now, the Czech Dark. It's the closest of the existing approximations to the famous U Fleku from The Secrets of Master Brewers by Alworth. The grist (as much as U Fleku were willing to share, although they weren't willing too much) and the mashing schedule are taken directly from the horse's mouth.

U FLEKŮ
OG=1.052
FG=1.014
ABV=5%
IBU=29

74% Pilsner
11% Light Munich
11% Caramunich II (U Fleku use exactly Caramunich II - not Carabohemian or Caramunich I)
4% Carafa Spezial III

The original mashing schedule is, counterintuitively, not a decoction but a slow rise through the entire range of enzymatic rests. I implemented it like this:
Mash 30' @38°
Mash 15' @50°
Mash 15' @60°
Mash 15' @65°
Mash 15' @70°
Mash 15' @75°
Boil 120'

Saazer 15 IBU @ First wort hopping
Saazer 15 IBU @30'

That's the recipes.

I think I should also mention three very important notes for brewing Czech beers, which you probably know:
- for Czech beers, you need a really soft water, either for light or dark beers (I thoroughly recreate the water of Budweis Brewery which is exactly Ca 12, Mg 7, SO 9, Cl 5, HCO 23)
- for Czech beers, you need a slightly estery Czech yeast strain (Saflager S23 or MJ M84, not Bavarian strains like MJ M76 and not Danish/American-type strains like Saflager W34/70).
- for Czech beers, you need a really long Lagering period, like 3 months, it's an important part of the style.

I wish you good luck with brewing your Bohemian Triade!
Mine, it is happily lagering in the shed.

 

[Protos]

Well, just in case I'll also post here my third recipe from this year's Czech Collection, the one for Budweiser, an authentic recipe taken from the excellent 4-parts article on The Malt Miller:

BUWDEISER
OG=1.049
FG=1.012
ABV=4.8%
IBU=22

96% - Pilsner
2% - Carabohemian
2% - Sauermalz

The decoction is a variation of the double-kettle one, very traditional in Czech brewing:

Mashing Kettle (1/2 Grist + 30% Liquor):
Mash 20' @38°
Mash @50°

Decoction Vessel: (1/2 Grist+ 45% Liquor):
Mash 15' @38°
Mash 15' @65°
Mash 20' @75', boil 20'

Mashing Kettle:
- return decoction, mash 20' @65°
- pull decoction (1/2 of the whole mash, both thick and thin)

Decoction Vessel::
Mash 1/2 mash 10' @75°, boil 20'

Mashing Kettle:
- return decoction, mash 10' @75°

Sparge with the remaining 25% Liquor
Boil 90'

Saazer - 5 IBU @First Wort Hopping
Saazer - 8 IBU @45'
Saazer - 9 IBU @15'

 

[Pennine]

One of my all time favorites is an Italian pilsner from westbound and down. They use saphir, might be worth brewing one.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/beeran...ing-company-westbound-italian-pils-1613161129

 

[Pennine]

Well, just in case I'll also post here my third recipe from this year's Czech Collection, the one for Budweiser, an authentic recipe taken from the excellent 4-parts article on The Malt Miller:

BUWDEISER
OG=1.049
FG=1.012
ABV=4.8%
IBU=22

96% - Pilsner
2% - Carabohemian
2% - Sauermalz

The decoction is a variation of the double-kettle one, very traditional in Czech brewing:

Mashing Kettle (1/2 Grist + 30% Liquor):
Mash 20' @38°
Mash @50°

Decoction Vessel: (1/2 Grist+ 45% Liquor):
Mash 15' @38°
Mash 15' @65°
Mash 20' @75', boil 20'

Mashing Kettle:
- return decoction, mash 20' @65°
- pull decoction (1/2 of the whole mash, both thick and thin)

Decoction Vessel::
Mash 1/2 mash 10' @75°, boil 20'

Mashing Kettle:
- return decoction, mash 10' @75°

Sparge with the remaining 25% Liquor
Boil 90'

Saazer - 5 IBU @First Wort Hopping
Saazer - 8 IBU @45'
Saazer - 9 IBU @15'

Any chance you have a staropramen recipe?

 

[bwible]

How about a bock or doppelbock if you have some munich malt?

 

[Protos]

Any chance you have a staropramen recipe?

Unfortunately I don't have a recipe for Staropramen at the time.
I plan to brew it the next lagering season, so haven't researched it yet.

 

[AlexKay]

Thanks, all, for the input. I ended up going with the Haná/Vienna and Magnum/Saphir, with a single decoction. And I’m using my last super-small fermenter today for a weizenbock (I have somewhere warm to ferment it.) But the garage is going to be cold for a while, so I have lagers in my future. Czech amber and bock probably the next two up.

 

[Pennine]

Unfortunately I don't have a recipe for Staropramen at the time.
I plan to brew it the next lagering season, so haven't researched it yet.

I would be very interested to hear if you can find any information. I have not had any luck with Google other than what I can gather on the official website.

This is one of my all time favorite beers but I can't find them here in the US.