# German lager Grain Bill



## scooterism (26/7/16)

Post your best German Lager grain bill, 

Why do you think this is the best?

Did it win any awards?

How did you mash it?

Any other comments?

Cheers

GO!


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## Vini2ton (26/7/16)

Are you German by any chance Scooter?


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## scooterism (26/7/16)

Vini2ton said:


> Are you German by any chance Scooter?



My folks are/were..

So, kinda I guess.


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## droid (26/7/16)

You say "drop your shorts!"
I ask "why?"


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## scooterism (26/7/16)

droid said:


> You say "drop your shorts!"
> I ask "why?"


You're loosing me here..


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## droid (26/7/16)

Well I read it as " what's your award winning German Lager recipe?"
What's your idea of a German Lager?


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## Camo1234 (26/7/16)

If anyone has a Lowenbrau recipe that would be awesome!


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## TheWiggman (26/7/16)

At risking of re-railing this thread, a good German lager doesn't need a complicated grain bill. I find Best malz pilsner to be a very tidy malt, 100% with some noble hops in the boil and nothing else but love, care and yeast. 
Mash-wise look up the Hockertz schedule for a traditional process, but personally I normally go 
56°C for 10 mins
63°C for 60 (for high attenuation)
72°C for 15 mins
Mash out and sparge with 80°C water ensuring your water is appropriately soft. 

The addition of a decoction makes for a more toasty beer but depends on what you're after. A grain bill however is a small part of a good lager, the water, fermentation and yeast health are the biggest contributors to a good beer.


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## Danscraftbeer (26/7/16)

I am not qualified to post on this but I have a go anyway.

Pils: =
92% Weyermen Pilsner,
6% Cara-Pils,
2% Acidulated. 
Too simple? I understand this to be a beer that's quite hard to get right. Even when done really simple. I trust that to be by judges standards. Its always a good beer to me with German noble hops eg. Hallertau. I cant break the habit of heavy handed late hops though for my preference but that is wrong to style.

Why do you think this is the best? Its a basic basis. Acidulated malt gets the mash at PH 5.2.

Did it win any awards? Not yet. Not experienced with comps.

How did you mash it? Single Infusion ~ 62 to 67c for 90 minutes at least. Then decoction for mash out at 75c. Batch Sparge with 75c water of pH~6.

Any other comments? Only when this next one is on tap. The last one was very easy to drink. It really does get nicer if left sit cold.
But patience failing its still good to drink when young. mine can be on tap as young as 3 weeks from grain to brain but is better with longer conditioning and lagering. Crisper, cleaner but even with slight diacetle when young it has a honey note that's not bad. The honey note does disappear with longer storage and lagering.


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## scooterism (26/7/16)

TheWiggman said:


> At risking of re-railing this thread, a good German lager doesn't need a complicated grain bill. I find Best malz pilsner to be a very tidy malt, 100% with some noble hops in the boil and nothing else but love, care and yeast.
> Mash-wise look up the Hockertz schedule for a traditional process, but personally I normally go
> 56°C for 10 mins
> 63°C for 60 (for high attenuation)
> ...



Thanks for you reply,

I'm just looking for something a little different.


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## scooterism (26/7/16)

Danscraftbeer said:


> I am not qualified to post on this but I have a go anyway.
> 
> Pils: =
> 92% Weyermen Pilsner,
> ...


 :super:


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## Rocker1986 (26/7/16)

My latest one, which is currently on tap, contained this grain bill:

91.5% Bohemian Pilsner (Weyermann, and because it's the only pils malt I have on hand)
6.7% Munich II (Wey)
1.6% Acid Malt (Wey)
0.2% Black Patent (just to darken it slightly)

It was hopped with Hersbrucker (FWH), a small amount of Magnum @60, and some home grown Hallertau flowers (40g) late in the boil. Fermented with Wy2001 Urquell lager yeast starting at 10C and using the quick lager method.

Easily my best German style lager, although I don't brew many of them as I prefer Bo Pils. I like the simplicity of the grain bill and the flavours that it gives to the beer.

It wasn't entered into a comp so that's a no to that question.

Mash was a Hochkurz type schedule; 63C for 40 mins, 71/72C for 30 mins, then mash out at 78C for 10 mins.

Other comments, not really, as above it was quite nice when initially kegged, but it has improved with about 6 weeks sitting cold in the kegerator.


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## Reman (26/7/16)

100% Weyermann Vienna
Mashed at 64c
Magnum at 60 for 22.5ibu
Hallertau Mitt at 10 for 7.8ibu
Wy2206 Bavarian fermented at 12c

Tastes delicious and has a nice hoppy flavour. Reminds me of a Lowenbrau

Will be entered in the NSWs if I can bottle it properly as a German Pilsner I think even though it's a Vienna Lager.


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## Black n Tan (26/7/16)

Reman said:


> 100% Weyermann Vienna
> Mashed at 64c
> Magnum at 60 for 22.5ibu
> Hallertau Mitt at 10 for 7.8ibu
> ...


Too much malt and not enough hops and bitterness to be a German Pils. Might do better as a Veinna lager.


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## Weizguy (26/7/16)

Protz and Wheeler - Brew Classic European Beers at Home has a recipe for Lowenbrau Special Export (o.g. - 1.052).

Is that of interest to you?


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## Camo1234 (27/7/16)

Mate if you have that recipe handy that would be great... I might have to get a copy of the book as well.


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## Weizguy (27/7/16)

Great book. Was one of my first brew books.
Reproduced, with some additions not affecting the outcome, and without permission, below:

Page 134 - *Löwenbräu Special Export*.
German Pilsner-style beer. Malt cobnut and lemon aromas.
Delicate refreshing palate, dry malty finish with some hop notes.

O.G. - 1.052 *25 litre batch size*
Boil time - 90 minutes

Pale malt (I assume German pils, as the book was written before all relevant malts were widely distributed) - 5.500 kg
Carapils / Carafoam - 0.290 kg

*Hops - Start of boil*
Northern Brewer - 15g
Hallertau - 15g
Tettnang - 20g

Last 15 minutes of boil
Irish moss/ Brew-Brite/ Carageenan - 10g

*Brewing Method *- Temperature- stepped infusion or double-decoction, Bottom-fermenting lager yeast.
*Mash Schedule*
50°C - 30 minutes
62°C - 40 minutes
72°C - 40 minutes

Racking Gravity (I assume f.g.) - 1.012
Alc content - 5.4% abv
Bitterness - 24 EBU/IBU
Colour - 11 EBC

Lager for 5 weeks after fermentation.

HTH. Les


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## scooterism (27/7/16)

Some nice posts comming thru..


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## jimmy_jangles (27/7/16)

Let us know what you go with mate and how it turns out!


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## Killer Brew (28/7/16)

Some of these look great! Opinions on best yeast for a German lager?


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## Rocker1986 (28/7/16)

Killer Brew said:


> Some of these look great! Opinions on best yeast for a German lager?


I've only ever used W34/70 and Wyeast 2001 Urquell lager yeasts, and out of the two I prefer the 2001. That's not to say it's the best yeast for it though, just my preference of the two I have used. B)


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## DJR (30/8/16)

Killer Brew said:


> Some of these look great! Opinions on best yeast for a German lager?


I like WLP833 (Ayinger strain i think). Marketed as a bock yeast, but it works well in "normal" alcohol beers, great profile and pretty tolerant. I've done a couple of Munich Helles with it and impressed with the results. Wyeast does a version of the same yeast too, Hella-Bock yeast a a PC seasonal yeast.


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## Bribie G (30/8/16)

For the recent NSW comp I did four lagers on various lager yeasts. I lagered three of them for several weeks in cornies with cut off dip tubes. They were crystal clear on bottling so I inoculated them with a small quantity of W34/70 and they carbed up fine.

The fourth lager was running a bit behind schedule so I just cold crashed it in the SS brewbucket and bottled as late as I could get away with.
Interestingly this lager was done on Wyeast 2278 Czech Pilsner. It dropped so firmly that I can pour an entire bottle right down to the dregs and it's completely bright in the glass.

This will be my go to for Euro lagers from now on, it outperformed my usual Danish Lager in fermentation, lagering, settling and bottle conditioning speeds.


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## chaositic (31/8/16)

> This will be my go to for Euro lagers from now on, it outperformed my usual Danish Lager in fermentation, lagering, settling and bottle conditioning speeds.


The Danish Lager yeast has a very definite Carlsberg thing going on, how's the Czech?


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## rude (31/8/16)

Bribie G said:


> For the recent NSW comp I did four lagers on various lager yeasts. I lagered three of them for several weeks in cornies with cut off dip tubes. They were crystal clear on bottling so I inoculated them with a small quantity of W34/70 and they carbed up fine.
> 
> The fourth lager was running a bit behind schedule so I just cold crashed it in the SS brewbucket and bottled as late as I could get away with.
> Interestingly this lager was done on Wyeast 2278 Czech Pilsner. It dropped so firmly that I can pour an entire bottle right down to the dregs and it's completely bright in the glass.
> ...


Glad Im not going up against ya Bribie sounds like you are on a winner keep us posted


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## dannymars (31/8/16)

German Pils

80% pils malt
17% vienna
3% carapils

25 IBU hallertau mittelfrueh @ 60mins
3g/l hallertau hersbrucker @ flameout

Wyeast Bavarian Lager 2206

11c for 5 days then ramp to 18c over 5 days, then D rest for another 5 days... then crash to 0c for about a month (or until crystal clear).

3rd in beerfest 2016 pale lager


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## droid (31/8/16)

^good onya!


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## razz (31/8/16)

dannymars said:


> German Pils
> 
> 80% pils malt
> 17% vienna
> ...


Hi Dan. Do you check the gravity prior to the D rest?


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## dannymars (1/9/16)

razz said:


> Hi Dan. Do you check the gravity prior to the D rest?


I should, but nah... I'm fairly the confident the main portion of the ferment is done by day 5... 


Never had diacetyl in a lager... but I do get it in US05 apas... so ******* annoying.


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## BKBrews (1/9/16)

> I should, but nah... I'm fairly the confident the main portion of the ferment is done by day 5...
> 
> 
> Never had diacetyl in a lager... but I do get it in US05 apas... so ******* annoying.


I thought one of US-05s main characteristics was low diacetyl?


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