I’m going to brew my first lager and only have 3 base malts to work with. What can I do with 2 row, pilsner malt, or maris otter? I have plenty of German hops and different crystal malts. I even have a smoked malt I bought to try. Any ideas welcome. Thanks. If I was to choose a couple of German styles I like they would probably be a doppelbock or schwarzbier.
I would grow up a slug of yeast with a small batch of a clean-ish ‘alt’ fermented in the low-mid 60’s with your MO and some specialty malts, then wash and use the cake to ferment a 100% pils malt german pilsner. If you want to make a schwarz for the 2nd beer, you will need to buy some dehusked black malt, for which I would recommend Breiss Blackprinz or maybe even Breiss midnight wheat.
Maestro Lenard, please make a better recommendationnnnnn now:
I second the German pils recommendation, although I love the style so much I’d just make a small batch of it to build up a starter for a larger batch! I also see no value in washing the yeast, but that’s up to you.
I brew kolsch a lot with 100% pilsner. How would I do a hop schedule for German pilsner and what should I expect for the flavor profile?
A German pils has more bite than a Bopils due to a higher mineral content in the water. I like to use Hallertauer Mittlefruh or Tettnang (German, not American) although Mt. Hood will work well to. I FWH with about an oz. per 5 gal. and shoot for maybe 40 IBU overall.
A German pils has more bite than a Bopils due to a higher mineral content in the water. I like to use Hallertauer Mittlefruh or Tettnang (German, not American) although Mt. Hood will work well to. I FWH with about an oz. per 5 gal. and shoot for maybe 40 IBU overall.[/quote]
Denny, do you do any other hop additions or just that FWH?
A German pils has more bite than a Bopils due to a higher mineral content in the water. I like to use Hallertauer Mittlefruh or Tettnang (German, not American) although Mt. Hood will work well to. I FWH with about an oz. per 5 gal. and shoot for maybe 40 IBU overall.[/quote]
Denny, do you do any other hop additions or just that FWH?[/quote]
I do FWH, 60 min. and flameout. An oz. per 5 gal. for FWH and flameout, then enough more at 60 to gt me to my IBU target. I count the IBU from FWH as a 20 min. addition.
ETA: fixed typo
How does a FWH not give you more than a 60 min bitterness charge? I thought the longer hops were boiled the more bitterness you receive.
When the FWH steep in the wort, they undergo chemical changes. That makes for less perception of bitterness, even though they measure higher.
Is there need for a 90 min boil? So to clarify Denny, a 5 gallon batch would have 1 oz FWH and FO? What do you do at 60? Also, is 100% pilsner good for the grist?
100% pils is great…
Here’s an example for the hops. Suppose my target is 45 IBU. Assume I get 15 IBU from the 1 oz. FWH counted as a 20 min. addition, and of course 0 IBU from the 1 oz. at flameout. I add enough hops at 60 min. (traditional bittering time) to get 30 IBU out of them and make my total 45 IBU. Make sense?
Sounds good! Do you have an IBU calculator you prefer? Thanks for the help. Oh and what’s the 90 min boil thing?
Sorry to answer for Denny, but my experience is every IBU calculator I’ve tried has resulted in different values, but close enough that different storage conditions for the hops make for just as much uncertainty in the results. As for the 90 minute boil, that is recommended when using Pilsner malt to reduce the chance of DMS in the beer. More highly kilned malts (like pale ale malt) get the precursors for DMS mostly burned out of them in the malting process.
I use Promash.
It’s thought that a low kilned malt, like pils, has a higher level of SMM, the precursor to DMS. Therefore, a longer boil will drive off more SMM and result in a lower level of DMS. While it’s not always the case that pils male needs a longer boil, it doesn’t hurt to be careful.
[quote=“Denny”]
I do FWH, 60 min. and flameout. An oz. per 5 gal. for FWH and flameout, then enough more at 0 to gt me to my IBU target. I count the IBU from FWH as a 20 min. addition.[/quote]
I’m assuming you meant to say “enough more at 60…” Right? Just to clarify.
[quote=“El Capitan”][quote=“Denny”]
I do FWH, 60 min. and flameout. An oz. per 5 gal. for FWH and flameout, then enough more at 0 to gt me to my IBU target. I count the IBU from FWH as a 20 min. addition.[/quote]
I’m assuming you meant to say “enough more at 60…” Right? Just to clarify.[/quote]
Yeah…sorry about the typo! My “6” key is sticky!
I also have some dry brewferm German lager yeast in the fridge. Going over some of my inventory i found some grain and D.M.E i need to use up . recently I have brewed a dopplebock , oatmeal stout. a scotch wee heavy and a marzen . Now i have 1lb vienna/5 lb munich/.5 carapils/ 1.5 caraamber/ .8 melanoidin/some chocolate wheat . 12.0 oz 80l 1.5 victory/ sazz hops and tettnanger hops
Do any of you masters have an idea what i might brew up using some or all of the ingerdients :?:
[quote=“oldsmellydrew”]I also have some dry brewferm German lager yeast in the fridge. Going over some of my inventory i found some grain and D.M.E i need to use up . recently I have brewed a dopplebock , oatmeal stout. a scotch wee heavy and a marzen . Now i have 1lb vienna/5 lb munich/.5 carapils/ 1.5 caraamber/ .8 melanoidin/some chocolate wheat . 12.0 oz 80l 1.5 victory/ sazz hops and tettnanger hops
Do any of you masters have an idea what i might brew up using some or all of the ingerdients :?: [/quote]
Sounds like you have most of the ingredients for a good octoberfest; just need to add some pils malt. You won’t use everything listed (no cara-malts, chocolate wheat or victory), but now is the traditional time to brew that beer and then lager it till September.
octoberfest yes but i was hoping to expand on this and to a hybrid . May be order something to work this into a german dark lager any idea i have an octoberfest in the keg awaiting for a taste i really dont want to have two going :?
