BIAB - Vienna Lager

[Chris79]

I'm looking to brew a BIAB Vienna Lager soon.

From the recipes I've found so far, here and on BYO and Beersmith I thinking something like the attachment.

Any comments about the grains selected? Does anyone use something other than Carafa I or II get the colour there after, such as Dark Munich or something else?

Cheers
Chris

View attachment vienna.pdf

 

[husky]

Personally I use 1.5% of carafa 3 for colour generally in my Viennas, any more and I can taste it(not a big problem unless you're entering comps). I also only throw it in right at the end of the mash(I don't think it makes much difference though). I have never tried anything else for colour so interested to see also what others have tried. I do love a nice dark vienna and my current kegged batch has 3% carafa 3 to see how dark I could get it which has awesome colour but is out of spec technically roasty, still a great beer though. Next batch will be back to 1.5%.
Southern German Lager yeast is also my fav so far in viennas.

edit: re grain bill - I have never felt the need to add munich. My preference is a 50/50 vienna/pils however a 100% vienna also turned out great. Ferment at lager temps with enough yeast and it's hard to stuff a vienna up.

 

[Chris79]

Thanks Husky.

Do you only use Carafa 3? Have you used Carafa 2 and got the desired colour?

So you'd drop the Munich, and just use Vienna and Pilsner malt?

I was going to use WLP833, as I'd heard good things about that. But, my local home brew shop love (The Brew Shop) WLP838 too! I'll have it in my Kegerator (I only use it for fermenting at the moment), I'll aim for 12-14 degrees.

Cheers

 

[husky]

Just checked my database and I have been using carafa 2 recently, will be trying 3 again next time. Use what you have and adjust next time if required, keep adding more until you can taste it then back it off a bit.
Vienna for me is showcasing the vienna malt and a low bitternes(low 20s IBU). I would drop the munich but that's just me. I would make it with out this time then add it next time and see which you prefer, either way you will make beer and if fermented well, good beer!
My last recipe attached, bitterness was lower than stated as the hops were pretty old!). Turned out nice and the colour was awesome but can taste the roast from carafa which I don't like. Next one will be carafa 3 @ 1.5%. My missus demands I always have a keg of this on hand, I tweak it from brew to brew but as long as its malty and fermented well she loves them.
I fermented this one @ 11 deg. Will be trying S189 next time just for something different.

 

[technobabble66]

Thanks for posting your recipe, husky.
V keen to see/hear how the S-189 goes as a comparison. Fermenting at 11-14*c or test out the high temps ~17-18*c?

 

[husky]

Not sure yet, likely 13 degrees which is at the low end of their recommended ideal temp to maintain reasonable pitch rate of 80-120g/hl . Would like to find a dry yeast for this so I can brew on a whim if the opportunity arises without the need for a starter.

 

[razz]

34/70 for all my recent bottom fermented brews Husky, I pitch 1g/lt and it goes well at 15-17 degrees. Last brew hit TG in 72 hours.

 

[husky]

There he is! The reason I'm hooked on Vienna lagers!
Have you done it with S189?

 

[Nurple]

Brewed a BIAB Vienna lager a few weeks back and its been sitting in the fermenter for almost 2 weeks now. Yeast wasn't too happy for first 48 hours but after that the airlock was going nuts for over a week at 10 degrees.

Pacific Vienna Lager
Method: BIAB
Style: Vienna Lager
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 42 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 51 liters
Efficiency: 85% (brew house)


OG: 1.052
Expected FG: 1.011
ABV: 5.38%
IBU (tinseth): 29
SRM (morey): 12.49

Fermentables
8 kg Gladfield Vienna - 96.4%
0.13 kg Carafa I - 1.6%
0.17 kg Gladfield Pale Chocolate - 2%


Hops
20 g Pacific Jade Pellet - 60 min
15 g Pacific Jade Pellet - 20 min
15 g Pacific Jade Pellet - 10 min



Mash at 66c
Mash out 78c

Pitch two dry packets of MJ's Bavarian Lager M76

 

[shacked]

Thanks Husky.

Do you only use Carafa 3? Have you used Carafa 2 and got the desired colour?

So you'd drop the Munich, and just use Vienna and Pilsner malt?

I was going to use WLP833, as I'd heard good things about that. But, my local home brew shop love (The Brew Shop) WLP838 too! I'll have it in my Kegerator (I only use it for fermenting at the moment), I'll aim for 12-14 degrees.

Cheers

I did one that was bestmalz vienna malt with 100g of Carafa Sp. 1 and some acid malt. I used hallertau mit and WLP833 at 10C. It turned out great, with a nice redish colour.

I also did a munich dunkel of sorts that was 70% munich, 30% vienna with 150g of Carafa Sp. 3. It turned out closer to a schwarzbier in colour (pretty much black). If using the Carafa 3, I'd use less rather than more.

 

[razz]

There he is! The reason I'm hooked on Vienna lagers!
Have you done it with S189?

Ha ha, thanks for that. No, I haven't used S189. Last time at KK they were out of the 500g brick of S189 so I grabbed another 34/70. Hard to go past as an all around lager yeast.

 

[razz]

Stupid IPad

 

[Bribie G]

I've done a few Viennas lately, BIAB, since grabbing a whole sack of Wey Vienna. I generally just do a sort of SMASH with Vienna and a hop but sometimes a bit of BB pale (half a kilo max) to dry it out a bit.

I find that the Wey Vienna gives a lovely colour in its own right, but if you are looking to go more coppery, adding other dark grains can alter the flavour profile a bit .. the hero of a Vienna lager is the Vienna Malt.

Here's a trick from Bronzed Brews (and one that's been used by home brewers in Australia for a century).

A couple of teaspoons of this will add a nice copper colour without any perceptible flavour. You can actually tint your mash water right at the beginning, to make sure you don't go OTT with colour.

Recommend.

I've been using Mangrove Jack's Czech Lager, and for the hop I'm really into Aurora that comes from Slovenia - the major hop growing area that supplied Vienna brewers back in the Austro Hungarian times when Vienna Lager was the quaff of the day. Works well as a single only addition.

 

[TidalPete]

I'm really into Aurora that comes from Slovenia - the major hop growing area that supplied Vienna brewers back in the Austro Hungarian times when Vienna Lager was the quaff of the day.

Thanks for that Bribie. Very informative as usual.

Must get myself some of that Aurora. Pellets I presume?

To keep on-topic I've done a few 100% Vienna Lagers that have turned out nicely. Used Pacifica flowers from one of our sponsors in the last couple.

 

[Chris79]

Just checked my database and I have been using carafa 2 recently, will be trying 3 again next time. Use what you have and adjust next time if required, keep adding more until you can taste it then back it off a bit.
Vienna for me is showcasing the vienna malt and a low bitternes(low 20s IBU). I would drop the munich but that's just me. I would make it with out this time then add it next time and see which you prefer, either way you will make beer and if fermented well, good beer!
My last recipe attached, bitterness was lower than stated as the hops were pretty old!). Turned out nice and the colour was awesome but can taste the roast from carafa which I don't like. Next one will be carafa 3 @ 1.5%. My missus demands I always have a keg of this on hand, I tweak it from brew to brew but as long as its malty and fermented well she loves them.
I fermented this one @ 11 deg. Will be trying S189 next time just for something different.

Recipe.JPG

Good stuff Husky. Will keep in mind you used Carafa 2 (I've got that in my Beersmith recipe), and keeping the IBU's low.

Brewed a BIAB Vienna lager a few weeks back and its been sitting in the fermenter for almost 2 weeks now. Yeast wasn't too happy for first 48 hours but after that the airlock was going nuts for over a week at 10 degrees.

Pacific Vienna Lager
Method: BIAB
Style: Vienna Lager
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 42 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 51 liters
Efficiency: 85% (brew house)


OG: 1.052
Expected FG: 1.011
ABV: 5.38%
IBU (tinseth): 29
SRM (morey): 12.49

Fermentables
8 kg Gladfield Vienna - 96.4%
0.13 kg Carafa I - 1.6%
0.17 kg Gladfield Pale Chocolate - 2%


Hops
20 g Pacific Jade Pellet - 60 min
15 g Pacific Jade Pellet - 20 min
15 g Pacific Jade Pellet - 10 min



Mash at 66c
Mash out 78c

Pitch two dry packets of MJ's Bavarian Lager M76

Thanks Nurple, looks good recipe

I did one that was bestmalz vienna malt with 100g of Carafa Sp. 1 and some acid malt. I used hallertau mit and WLP833 at 10C. It turned out great, with a nice redish colour.

I also did a munich dunkel of sorts that was 70% munich, 30% vienna with 150g of Carafa Sp. 3. It turned out closer to a schwarzbier in colour (pretty much black). If using the Carafa 3, I'd use less rather than more.

really like the simplistic of your first recipe Shacked.

I've done a few Viennas lately, BIAB, since grabbing a whole sack of Wey Vienna. I generally just do a sort of SMASH with Vienna and a hop but sometimes a bit of BB pale (half a kilo max) to dry it out a bit.

I find that the Wey Vienna gives a lovely colour in its own right, but if you are looking to go more coppery, adding other dark grains can alter the flavour profile a bit .. the hero of a Vienna lager is the Vienna Malt.

Here's a trick from Bronzed Brews (and one that's been used by home brewers in Australia for a century).

A couple of teaspoons of this will add a nice copper colour without any perceptible flavour. You can actually tint your mash water right at the beginning, to make sure you don't go OTT with colour.

Recommend.

I've been using Mangrove Jack's Czech Lager, and for the hop I'm really into Aurora that comes from Slovenia - the major hop growing area that supplied Vienna brewers back in the Austro Hungarian times when Vienna Lager was the quaff of the day. Works well as a single only addition.

Bribie the essences idea sounds cool. I haven't tried Aurora hops before, will keep that in mind. Think I'll keep the Vienna malt at or above 80%

Cheers everyone.