# Very close to VB



## thebigwilk (3/10/14)

After making a starter for euro lager using yweast 2124 lager, I fermented 4 litres at 18c. Tasting the starter I noticed a very familiar

flavour there was something very mega swill about it, six months had past and a mates bucks party is coming up he loves VB so I set

about trying my hardest to replicate the almighty VB. I used 2124 yeast and fermented it a 19c it was done in 4 days then filtered. It is

the closest thing to VB I have had on a home brew level, the combination of the yeast flavour and the pride of Ringwood smacks of VB heres the recipe if any body else is interested I have decided to call it VC (very Close). Cheers. :beerbang:

Original Gravity (OG): 1.043 (°P): 10.7
Final Gravity (FG): 1.009 (°P): 2.3
Alcohol (ABV): 4.41 %
Colour (SRM): 6.9 (EBC): 13.6
Bitterness (IBU): 28.2 (Average)
80.66% Pilsner
5.93% Dry Malt Extract - Light ( 3.5 litre starter wort)
4.74% Crystal 30
3.56% Cane Sugar
2.37% Crystal 60
2.37% Munich I
0.36% Roasted Barley
1 g/L Pride of Ringwood (8.3% Alpha) @ 90 Minutes (First Wort)

Single step Infusion at 65°C for 90 Minutes. Boil for 90 Minutes


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## BrosysBrews (3/10/14)

You are a bloody good friend wasting your valuable time and resources to make that


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## verysupple (3/10/14)

Yep, you're a good mate. But I get why people would do such things. I enjoy brewing but really enjoy other people enjoying my beer. If that means I'd have to brew a _VC_ then that's just an excuse to brew one more batch than I would normally consume.


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## dent (3/10/14)

It is worth the time to make a good Australian lager. Just because it is similar in style to VB doesn't mean it has to be similarly shit.

I have good success with a higher proportion of sugar (20% is good). I don't think the rest of those ingredients are required, just pils or pale malt all the way. Perhaps some acid malt to keep the pH down for such a pale beer.


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## TheWiggman (4/10/14)

18°C lager yeast? EIGHTEEN?! I'd planned 2124 for an upcoming brew so I might reculture some and give this a go on a small batch. I love a good 'speriment. And sometimes I have hard hard earned thir... I mean I have a thirst earned hard (c). VC, the best beer cold. 
Surprised to see roast barley in there. If I get around to making this ill report back.


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## dent (4/10/14)

Yeah I don't think a high ferment temp is doing it any favours.


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## thebigwilk (4/10/14)

dent said:


> It is worth the time to make a good Australian lager. Just because it is similar in style to VB doesn't mean it has to be similarly shit.
> 
> I have good success with a higher proportion of sugar (20% is good). I don't think the rest of those ingredients are required, just pils or pale malt all the way. Perhaps some acid malt to keep the pH down for such a pale beer.


I have made a brew with just pale malt and no crystal or roasted barley it was a good beer but not very VB like. VB has a very malty sweetness mid way through the flavour. 1009 final gravity on this brew is pretty dry, 20% sugar might be good ,for a cleaner lager not a VB though , it will change the flavour of this recipe a bit to much. The ferment temp is one of the most important parts of this brew with out that it will not taste much like VB, Pride of Ringwood hops and the fermenting temps are what makes this beer stand out from any other lager I have brewed its Very Close to the real thing.


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## StalkingWilbur (4/10/14)

thebigwilk said:


> VB has a very malty sweetness mid way through the flavour.


It does?


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## dent (4/10/14)

I kind of figured that effect was more due to their lack of bittering. I think you're being more generous with your POR than CUB.


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## thebigwilk (4/10/14)

Yeah it came out around 28 IBU, but I went that high to balance the crystal malt. For 4.4% beer its got a good balance.


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## mje1980 (4/10/14)

I always feel like a VB after I've wrestled a mallee bull, while smoking a Winnie red, or rounded up some cattle on horse back.


I'm an ale man but last year I did a xxxx gold clone. Pitched heaps of Danish lager yeast cold, and left for 6 weeks plus. Bloody hell it was a great beer. Crisp dry, and I struggled to have just one glass. Right time of year to re brew :0. Hope the brew club boys don't find out, I'll be shamed and scorn heaped upon me.


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## Markbeer (5/10/14)

Mark the IBUs have duly noted this post.

It shall be mentioned at Real Ale Fest. 



mje1980 said:


> I always feel like a VB after I've wrestled a mallee bull, while smoking a Winnie red, or rounded up some cattle on horse back.
> 
> 
> I'm an ale man but last year I did a xxxx gold clone. Pitched heaps of Danish lager yeast cold, and left for 6 weeks plus. Bloody hell it was a great beer. Crisp dry, and I struggled to have just one glass. Right time of year to re brew :0. Hope the brew club boys don't find out, I'll be shamed and scorn heaped upon me.


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## Bribie G (5/10/14)

TheWiggman said:


> 18°C lager yeast? EIGHTEEN?! I'd planned 2124 for an upcoming brew so I might reculture some and give this a go on a small batch. I love a good 'speriment. And sometimes I have hard hard earned thir... I mean I have a thirst earned hard (c). VC, the best beer cold.
> Surprised to see roast barley in there. If I get around to making this ill report back.


Bacchus Brewery did - or still do - a range of lagers using S-23 and S-189 (I think that was the other one) at 19 degrees and they turned out very clean indeed.

A very small amount of Roast Barley ( only about 12 grams) will impart some of the characteristics of the older amber coloured Australian classics such as Tooths KB or Reschs DA and Reschs Original Draught before everything became dumb and blonde.

edit: as posted elsewhere on several occasions, CUB pitch a close relation of Wyeast Danish at 13 degrees then after a few days allow to rise naturally to around 18, then when attenuated (I usually give it ten days) drop slowly over a few days to -1 degree and hold for a week. It would benefit from a couple of weeks. I'd guess the reason they can get away with a week to ten days conditioning is that they filter the guts out of it afterwards to get it perfectly bright then pasteurise it. At home, some extra lagering time will really clear the brew out.

I'm old enough to remember the QLD beer strike. The brewers weren't on strike, it was the storemen and packers and nothing got packaged or sent out for a couple of months. Meanwhile the brewery side just filled the conditioning tanks and went home.
After the strike when XXXX and Carlton came back (there were only two tap beers back then :blink: :blink: :blink: ) they were pure feckin nectar for the first week to ten days.


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## Doctormcbrewdle (11/2/18)

thebigwilk said:


> I have made a brew with just pale malt and no crystal or roasted barley it was a good beer but not very VB like. VB has a very malty sweetness mid way through the flavour. 1009 final gravity on this brew is pretty dry, 20% sugar might be good ,for a cleaner lager not a VB though , it will change the flavour of this recipe a bit to much. The ferment temp is one of the most important parts of this brew with out that it will not taste much like VB, Pride of Ringwood hops and the fermenting temps are what makes this beer stand out from any other lager I have brewed its Very Close to the real thing.



VB fg is 1.006 and BB ale malt w/sucrose


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## dibbz (11/2/18)

Minimum grain order from BB is 14 tonne and it's made to spec for CUB.

Would you add some light crystal?


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## DU99 (11/2/18)

few kilo of hops would help


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## koshari (11/2/18)

BrosysBrews said:


> You are a bloody good friend wasting your valuable time and resources to make that


bordering on prostitution me thinks.


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