Is there anything you guys would change in this recipe when it comes to the hop additions? I typically use Northern Brewer kits where the directions are specifically for 2.5 gallon boils but these directions are pretty vague when it comes to the boil volume. I have a 5 gallon kettle and always start with 3 gallons of distilled water.
Also, I have never fermented this style so any suggestions on the lagering and the diacetyl rest are much appreciated. I have a fridge and temperature control for fermentation.
Based on this line, I’d say you can continue with your normal process of starting with 3 gallons, the hop additions in the recipe seem fine:
Steeping Grains: Place
your crushed grains in the
muslin bag and steep in
at least 1 1/2– 2 Gallons
of water) or your full boil
volume, up to 6 gallons) at
155°F for 15–30 minutes.
You can find many topics in this forum regarding lager fermentation temps. Here are some of the most recent:
What’s the AA on those Mount Hood hops? 3 oz seems like a lot for a 5 gal batch…
My 10 gal doppelbock recipe gets 1 oz of german magnum, 14% AA, for about 18 IBU then I do a very light flavor/aroma later in the boil as well.
A doppelbock in my opinion is all about the malt.
I’d ferment it 50-52 or as low as your yeast suggests, raise for a D rest after 7-8 days then lager as close to freezing as you can for as long as you can stand to wait…haha…longer the better wtih a stronger beer. If you can keep some around that will be awesome in a year or 2.
I was just checking, 3-7% AA… If its on the low side, 3 oz would work… I think I would use all 3 oz… not a strong bittering hop… As far as fermenting… I have been starting lagers bit warmer, us 60… Then as it gets rolling, crank it down to 50- 53… When the blow off hose/air locker has slowed to a burp every 5 minutes, there about… Bring it up to room temp… start checking gravity after 5 days… Do enjoy the samples… You can rack to a secondary now, or leave it in the fermenter and crash to 32… Since I keg, once its quite clear… into a keg, kept cold as long as you can handle it… Not long here! Sneezles61
I’m sorry for the late reply… Busy couple of days. The AA on the Mt. Hood is 4.6%. On the website for the kit it says the average IBU is 49… Seems pretty high for a malt forward beer doesn’t it? Is there a relationship between IBU and ABV? The OG for this kit is 1.091.