55 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

It's warm and sunny here and now you guys are making me thirsty. I was up drinking with some buds until 2:30 last night (this morning?) but now I hear the taps calling me because of all this talk of fresh beer! Cheers.

[Slainte]

I'm working from home today and drinking some bohemian pilsner and dunkel.

[No Party JKor]

I'm working from home today and drinking some bohemian pilsner and dunkel.

[No Party JKor]

My gravity is at 1.022 tonight. I pitched at 1.057 on Sunday morning, so it's been a good ferment, .035 drop in 5.5 days. I started ramping the temp for the D-rest. I'm planning to let it rise to 58°F, how's that sound to you d-resters out there?The sulfur aroma seems like it has died down a bit, and now the breadiness is coming through nicely. I've never appreciated what people meant when they called a beer "bready" or, as Jamil often says, has the aroma of fresh baked bread. Even in the Ayinger and Ettaler Dunkels I didn't really get it, I got some, but this beer is really intensely bready. It's like I took a loaf of fresh baked bread, ripped it open and stuck my nose in it. It's crazy.

[Big Nake]

What is your strain again? Your schedule looks good... allow the beer's temp to come up just a little bit so the yeast will continue to work and burn off some of the sulphur/diacetyl/other stuff. When my lager primary is almost all the way done, I usually bring it out of the cooler spots and just let it sit at room temp (basement temp) for a day or 2 just to make sure that gravity is down. Yeah, some of these lager strains do give off some nice, bready notes and that's one of the reasons I like to say that you just can't duplicate these flavors with ale yeast. There are characteristics that lager yeasts create that you just don't get unless you use a nice, high-quality lager yeast. Cheers & good luck with the beer JK.

[No Party JKor]

I'm using WLP830 that I built up from a slant.

[MolBasser]

Some lager ferments are way sulfur stinky.Your VDK rest temp looks ok. Might go a degree higher or so, but no biggie. Let it clean up for 3-4 days before crashing it.MolBasser

[Big Nake]

I'm using WLP830 that I built up from a slant.

Oh, right. Yeah, really nice lager strain. Some claim that 2124 and 830 are the same and maybe they are. I have used both many times and I seem to get slight differences in them. But over the summer, I really like making light gold lagers with either of them. Some good pilsner malt, maybe some Vienna or a small amount of Munich, maybe some carapils or carafoam and then good German hops like Hallertau, Tettnanger, Mittelfruh or Hersbrucker along with 830 or 2124. There is something very distinct about the fresh yeast aroma you get in the glass of beer. When I have a beer on tap that was made with 830 or 2124, I like to tap a glass and then just take a big whiff of the beer... delicious! Whoops, I'm thirsty again and it's only 8:20 in the morning!

[Slainte]

My gravity is at 1.022 tonight. I pitched at 1.057 on Sunday morning, so it's been a good ferment, .035 drop in 5.5 days. I started ramping the temp for the D-rest. I'm planning to let it rise to 58°F, how's that sound to you d-resters out there?The sulfur aroma seems like it has died down a bit, and now the breadiness is coming through nicely. I've never appreciated what people meant when they called a beer "bready" or, as Jamil often says, has the aroma of fresh baked bread. Even in the Ayinger and Ettaler Dunkels I didn't really get it, I got some, but this beer is really intensely bready. It's like I took a loaf of fresh baked bread, ripped it open and stuck my nose in it. It's crazy.

That temp sounds good. I usually go between 55 and 58 for the d-rest.As for the aroma of fresh baked bread not being in the Ayinger and Attaler Dunkels, that's because they aren't fresh. A lot of German imports we get here are old and oxidized to some degree. Fresh Dunkel, over there or homebrewed, is a wonderful thing, and can't compare to the bottles that travel overseas.

[No Party JKor]

That temp sounds good. I usually go between 55 and 58 for the d-rest.As for the aroma of fresh baked bread not being in the Ayinger and Attaler Dunkels, that's because they aren't fresh. A lot of German imports we get here are old and oxidized to some degree. Fresh Dunkel, over there or homebrewed, is a wonderful thing, and can't compare to the bottles that travel overseas.

Yeah, I discount most of the bad/lackluster experiences I have with imports based on the fact that they've probably had a hard life. It's unfortunate we can't get the fresh version without going overseas.How do you guys handle your temp rise for your d-rest? Let it free rise right to the d-rest temp or bump up a degree a two per day?

[MolBasser]

Let it free rise.It should get there quickly if you left enough residual sugar in the primary ferment.MolBasser

[No Party JKor]

It's come up from 50 to 56 in a little over 12 hours. Should be at 58 by this afternoon. I'd imagine it's going to finish up pretty quick after that. I'll probably let it sit for the week at 58, then chill it to the mid 30s (I'm going to make my first attempt at cold crashing in my fermentation chamber). I think I'll try gelling one keg and leaving the other to lager on the yeast and see what differences I can taste.

[MolBasser]

I would rack before chilling. And get it to at least 32.MolBasser

[No Party JKor]

The idea being to get it off the trub/dead yeast prior to chilling?Is there a big benefit chilling it to 32 vs. 35?

[drewseslu]

Let it free rise.It should get there quickly if you left enough residual sugar in the primary ferment.MolBasser

Yup.

[No Party JKor]

It's at 1.015 tonight. The recipe had a predicted gravity of 1.014, but this one is still tasting a little sweet to me at 1015. Hopefully it makes its way down to 1012 or so.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

It's at 1.015 tonight. The recipe had a predicted gravity of 1.014, but this one is still tasting a little sweet to me at 1015. Hopefully it makes its way down to 1012 or so.

You think 1.015 tastes sweet? Mine finished at 1.017 and I was pretty happy with it and I'm not a huge fan of sweet beers. How many IBUs did the beer have?

[No Party JKor]

You think 1.015 tastes sweet? Mine finished at 1.017 and I was pretty happy with it and I'm not a huge fan of sweet beers. How many IBUs did the beer have?

About 22 IBU. I'm using the '08 Mittefruh, so maybe the bitterness has fallen off a bit. It definitely tastes like it isn't fully attenuated.

[Slainte]

What was the recipe?

[No Party JKor]

12 gallons21.2 lbs Munich ~8°L.63 lbs Carafa Special II 430°L2.5 oz. Hal Mit (3.9%AA), 60 min1.0 oz. Hal Mit (3.9%AA), 20 minMash at 154°F for ~65 minutes.WLP830 German Lager @ 50F