Your opinion on this Dusseldorf alt partial mash recipe?

[redzeker]

I'm not new to brewing, but I've primarily done partial mash kits. One day I'll get to AG, but that day is not today

I had a local altbier and really liked it, so I wanted to try my hand at making up a recipe on my own. I've read other alt recipes and decided I'd like to go more in the direction of Düsseldorf than Northern German or California Common.

So below is what I have so far. The bitterness and color should be in line with the style, though the ABV is a little high. I actually wouldn't mind a little higher IBU if you have suggestions for hops to substitute, but what's there is also fine as far as I'm concerned.

Method: Partial Mash
Style: Düsseldorf Altbier
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons
Boil Size: 3 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.095
Efficiency: 60%

YEAST
Danstar Nottingham @ 65F (with starter)

STATS
OG: 1.052
FG: 1.012
ABV (standard): 5.24%
IBU (tinseth): 43.9
SRM (morey): 15.8

FERMENTABLES
6lbs Munich LME
1lb Amber DME
1lb CaraMunich II
8oz Carapils / Dextrin Malt
2oz Carafa III (dehusked)

HOPS
1oz Perle (German) @ 60 min
1oz Perle (German) @ 45 min
1oz Hersbrucker @ 15 min

MASH GUIDELINES
3qt infusion @ 155F for 30 min, mini-mash in separate pot
3qt sparge @ 170F into kettle

 

[joyceman]

I don't partial mash, but don't you need some base malt in with your grains for conversion? Maybe add a lb of pils?

I'm not a fan of 45 minute additions, I'd split that ounce and add half at 60 for IBUs & the rest late for flavor. I'd also consider hallertaur, tettnang or saaz as a late addition, just personal preference.

 

[BigFloyd]

Your extract (not mini-mash) recipe looks OK (a bit more hoppy than usual), but can you get your ferment temps lower? At 65*F, you'll be bumping the upper of the acceptable range for Notty. If the beer temp gets into the 68*F+ zone during active fermentation, you probably get some funky off-flavors that would be very out-of-place in an Alt.

Nottingham in an Altbier is great, but you'll need to ferment it at or below 60*F (beer temp, not air), preferably in the 56-58*F range, to get a nice, crisp, clean flavor. I did one last fall, pitched it at 55, started fermenting at 57. After it slowed down, I slowly raised it up to 65 to finish. It was tasty (hopped with spalt).

If you can, lager it for a month or so in the mid 30's.

Since you're steeping and not really doing a partial mash of any base grains, you don't have to worry about maintaining 155*F for 30 min. Just run it up to 160*F (you can add the grain bag as it's heating), turn off the heat, cover with a lid and let it sit.

 

[redzeker]

Okay, I noobed that up a bit. I didn't realize there was a difference between what I'm doing (extract base and specialty grains) and mini/partial mash. I thought they were the same thing

Is steeping (in a separate pot with cooler water that's warming up) appropriate for the grains I'm using? I've actually never steeped like that before...the past 7 brews that I've done (which is ALL I've ever done), I've added the grains to a nylon bag and put them in the boil kettle, maintaining something around 150-160F for ~30 minutes. Seems to me to be about the same thing, but I imagine there could be some chemistry in there that makes it different.

I've had good luck keeping the temp around 60F with the carboy in a Rubbermaid full of water and swapping out frozen gallon bottles twice a day, so yes, I think I could do that. The lagering will be more difficult, but I have a friend with a modified chest freezer, so I'll talk with him about putting the carboy in there from the beginning (so I'll get lower fermentation and lagering temps).

I'll look into the other Noble hops and see what my LHBS store has in stock when I get this together. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[joyceman]

You can steep those grains at those temps.