Czech Pale Lager Vienna Saazage

[EDF713]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

Wyeast Labs #2124 - Bohemian Lager

Yeast Starter

2L

Batch Size (Gallons)

5.25

Original Gravity

1.037

Final Gravity

1.011

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

22

Color

5.2 SRM

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

5 days @52'F

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

5 days @65'F

Additional Fermentation

10 days @35'F

After reading Brulosophy's exbeeriment about using all Vienna or all Munich in a lager, and in my quest to make a lower calorie beer with craft beer flavor, I decided to do a Vienna Saaz SMASH. My family all tease me about how many Vienna Sausages I ate as a small child, though I find them disgusting now. Vienna Saaz SMASH named Vienna Saazage? Too easy. The beer was pretty easy to make, tastes great, and met my goal of a tasty beer with the calories and alcohol content of a light beer. I picked Czech Pale Lager based only on the style matches and the use of Saaz hops. I also fined with gelatin, and now wonder why I waited so long to try it!

Vienna Saazage
Czech Pale Lager (3 A)
Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 5.97 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 5.47 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 5.00 gal
Fermentation: Lager

Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8 lbs Vienna Malt (4.0 SRM) Grain 1 100.0 %
0.50 oz Saaz [6.11 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 2 12.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Saaz [6.11 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 3 9.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Saaz [6.11 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 4 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Bohemian Lager (Wyeast Labs #2124) [124.21 ml] Yeast 5 -
Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color
Est Original Gravity: 1.038 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.8 %
Bitterness: 22.0 IBUs
Est Color: 5.2 SRM
Measured Original Gravity: 1.037 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 3.4 %
Calories: 121.9 kcal/12oz
Mash Profile
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 26.22 qt of water at 157.3 F 150.0 F 75 min

I ended up mashing a little higher so my finishing gravity was higher than Beersmith's prediction, and my gravity was a touch lower since I didn't boil off as much as expected due to using a new kettle.

For water chemistry I used Bru'n water and adjusted RO water to Yellow Balanced, using 3 grams of gypsum, 2 grams of Calcium Chloride, and 3ml of lactic acid.

If you make this you will also want to check what Vienna Malt you have available. My LHBS sells Avangard, and it was 4.0 SRM, lower than any recipe builder had. The color is a fantastic gold.

I've attached a pic. Enjoy the picture, because this tasty low ABV beer won't last long!

 

[deadwolfbones]

+1 for the pun

 

[JohnSand]

Looks good.

 

[Beer666]

I brewed one of these a few months ago. The only difference was i used magnum for bittering and it was 5%. One of the best lagers i have made so far.

 

[Miraculix]

I did recently a similar smash with an ale yeast. Was also really nice, I am a big fan of this malt and this hop. I'll bet I'd like the lager version as well.

 

[EDF713]

I brewed one of these a few months ago. The only difference was i used magnum for bittering and it was 5%. One of the best lagers i have made so far.

Cool, if I brewed enough I’d always bitter with magnum, but this works as a smash when you find saaz with higher alphas.

 

[EDF713]

I did recently a similar smash with an ale yeast. Was also really nice, I am a big fan of this malt and this hop. I'll bet I'd like the lager version as well.

I’ve thought this would work with an ale yeast, it’s hard to go wrong with any yeast, Vienna, and saaz!

Lagering isn’t too bad if you have a fermentation fridge and can make a starter, and Wyeast 2124/WL830 is very forgiving.

 

[Miraculix]

I’ve thought this would work with an ale yeast, it’s hard to go wrong with any yeast, Vienna, and saaz!

Lagering isn’t too bad if you have a fermentation fridge and can make a starter, and Wyeast 2124/WL830 is very forgiving.

I usually skip those steps and brew warm lagers using mangrove Jack's California lager at room temperature. As clean as possible, flocculant as well and really easy to handle as it is dry yeast... Oh and it is quite cheap as well.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Pretty "punny".

A little background info for your reader's enjoyment: The German word for Vienna is "Wien" (veen). "Something" (masculine gender) from the Vienna area adds an "er" suffix, hence "Wiener". A hot dog (wiener) being a close cousin. Any "something" (feminine gender) from the Wien area would be called a "Wienerine".

 

[Miraculix]

Pretty "punny".

A little background info for your reader's enjoyment: The German word for Vienna is "Wien" (veen). "Something" (masculine gender) from the Vienna area adds an "er" suffix, hence "Wiener". A hot dog (wiener) being a close cousin. Any "something" (feminine gender) from the Wien area would be called a "Wienerine".

It would be either Wiener ( which is either a person living in Vienna or the name of a particular sausage, hence the word wiener for penis in English) or Wienerin which means female person from or living in Vienna.

 

[EDF713]

I usually skip those steps and brew warm lagers using mangrove Jack's California lager at room temperature. As clean as possible, flocculant as well and really easy to handle as it is dry yeast... Oh and it is quite cheap as well.

I may try that, thanks for the tip. I’ve been doing lagers lately and making starters is a hassle if I have to travel during the week. My LHBS carries all the Mangrove Jacks dried yeasts. You say room temp, what would that be? Here in Houston room temp is mid to upper 70s most of the year, probably too warm for anything but a saison.

 

[Miraculix]

I may try that, thanks for the tip. I’ve been doing lagers lately and making starters is a hassle if I have to travel during the week. My LHBS carries all the Mangrove Jacks dried yeasts. You say room temp, what would that be? Here in Houston room temp is mid to upper 70s most of the year, probably too warm for anything but a saison.

Should work fine at that temperature. I did mine around 20C to 25 C, jumping up and down during day and night. One batch was fermenting during an unreasonable hot week here in the UK and the main fermentation period temperature must have been around 24C and I got not even a hint of an off flavour.

The only thing I am missing with this MJ strain is this slight sulfur impact that some lager yeast gives you..... but otherwise this yeast is pretty impressive. It floccs well, it does not care about high temperatures and is the most neutral yeast I had up until today (without temperature control).

 

[EDF713]

Should work fine at that temperature. I did mine around 20C to 25 C, jumping up and down during day and night. One batch was fermenting during an unreasonable hot week here in the UK and the main fermentation period temperature must have been around 24C and I got not even a hint of an off flavour.

The only thing I am missing with this MJ strain is this slight sulfur impact that some lager yeast gives you..... but otherwise this yeast is pretty impressive. It floccs well, it does not care about high temperatures and is the most neutral yeast I had up until today (without temperature control).

UK summer is awesome. I went to London once in June, temps where what I am used to in October or November, and it didn’t get dark until 11! I’ll keep our winters, though.

 

[homebrewer_99]

It would be either Wiener ( which is either a person living in Vienna or the name of a particular sausage, hence the word wiener for penis in English) or Wienerin which means female person from or living in Vienna.

My bad on the added "e" (English). Thanks for correcting me.

Not only a person, but anything from the area (gebiet)...that's why I sad "something"...be it a dog, car, beer, fashion-style or paint...would be a Wiener...

SIDEBAR: Speaking of dogs, I've also been to the town of Rotweil (rOt-vile)...Rotweiler, as well as Apolda, the home of the Dobermann breed. (For no particular reason since I'm not even a dog person).

 

[Miraculix]

My bad on the added "e" (English). Thanks for correcting me.

Not only a person, but anything from the area (gebiet)...that's why I sad "something"...be it a dog, car, beer, fashion-style or paint...would be a Wiener...

SIDEBAR: Speaking of dogs, I've also been to the town of Rotweil (rOt-vile)...Rotweiler, as well as Apolda, the home of the Dobermann breed. (For no particular reason since I'm not even a dog person).

"Wiener" as a noun stands for a person or a sausage, not for generally everything from that area. It would be the adjective which can describe everything coming from Vienna, which looks almost the same, written "wiener", only difference is the capital w at the beginning of the noun.

I guess we do not have the saying "deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache“ for nothing

 

[homebrewer_99]

I guess we do not have the saying "deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache“ for nothing

Funny. I never thought German was difficult. Afterall, English is a Germanic language.