Vienna lager is one of my favorite beers. @mattnaik shared this recipe with me or in a thread a few years ago. I’ve brewed it many times since and it’s changed very little. Probably changed the hops a few times experimenting but the grain bill has stayed pretty much the same and it’s a consistent favorite around here. Paying it forward and posting the recipe below.
I brewed it most recently in late February. I used wy2001 urquell yeast slurry I had available and it took a few days for fermentation to start. I played with temps and got it going. Lagered for a few months and put a keg on tap in June. Wasn’t a big fan. It was kind of ale like. Decent red ale. Not the vienna I was going for but it was consumed.
Before Thanksgiving I put the second keg on tap. So it had been lagering for over 6 months at that point. First pint was crystal clear, nice color, great head, lingering foam and great lacing. Malty but clean, enough bittering to balance it and just dry enough to make you want to drink another. This is the vienna lager i was going for.
I just racked off wy2206 bavarian lager slurry which is what I’ve mostly used for this recipe. I could split that fresh yeast cake for 10 gals of vienna so I think I’ll brew it tomorrow.
I always bitter with german magnum and I like FWH or 20 minute hops for flavor in this style. I really like hersbrucker for this recipe. They have some spiciness to them that I enjoy over the solid malt backbone of this beer. I’ve used Tettnanger, halertau, tradition, saaz and probably others. All good but I like hersbrucker or saaz the best.
I’ve done this with straight distilled, cut well water with distilled and straight well treated to Vienna profile in brunwater. Last 4-5 times I’ve just used my well water. No discernible difference to me. YMMV
I mashed this last batch at 151, 5.4pH, sparged for preboil volume and acidified to 5.2 kettle pH. I think the lower mash temp made it more fermentable than past batches mashed hotter. Boiled it for 60 and chilled to well water temp of 54f for pitching. I usually ferment 50-52 in swamp coolers until the krauesen begins to fall then let them rise naturally to room temp, keg after 3 weeks or so, lager as long as I can wait.
10 lbs Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 1 54.8 %
5 lbs Pilsner (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 27.4 %
3 lbs Munich Dark (15.0 SRM) Grain 3 16.4 %
4.0 oz Carafa Special II (Weyermann) (415.0 SRM Grain 4 1.4 %
1.00 oz German Magnum [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 23.1 IBUs
2.00 oz Hersbrucker [2.80 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 6 6.0 IBUs
1.00 Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 7 -
1/2 cake Bavarian Lager (Wyeast Labs #2206)
Slainte and thanks again @mattnaik !!
Sneezles61
Sneezles61
