Dusseldorf Altbier Recipe Check

[Bribie G]

Necro Alert



I'm exploring my sack of Vienna, have given away lagers for a while so checking out hitherto unvisited ales styles, and wonder if half and half Vienna and Pils would make a good base for an Alt?
Ross now has 1007 back in stock so I'm keen to give an Alt a go.

How did DrS get on with the lower mash?

I'm thinking of bittering with Magnum and finishing with Hallertau Aroma or Saphir??

 

[manticle]

My experience of alts (HB only, never tried an authentic one) suggests your grain bill will make a decent basis for one. Can add a bit of choc or carafa for colour.

I'm a noble hop only kind of guy when it comes to these styles and I also favour step mashing/hochkurz regime. 62 for 10, 68 for 45, 72 for 10 gave me an alt that got to the Nats recently. I used tettnanger and styrian goldings but all tett, all hall, all spalt or a combo of any would work well. Grain bill was vienna, pils and a touch of choc.

This is the one: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...amp;recipe=1441

 

[neonmeate]

i'm with manticle there, a bit of choc would be nice with vienna and pils. with 1007 though you might be tempted to put a small amount of caramunich or carahell in too, as it will finish dry. if you use 1338 it finishes a lot sweeter and wouldn't need any extra help with the body side of things.

 

[drsmurto]

Necro Alert

View attachment 50651

I'm exploring my sack of Vienna, have given away lagers for a while so checking out hitherto unvisited ales styles, and wonder if half and half Vienna and Pils would make a good base for an Alt?
Ross now has 1007 back in stock so I'm keen to give an Alt a go.

How did DrS get on with the lower mash?

I'm thinking of bittering with Magnum and finishing with Hallertau Aroma or Saphir??

Funny you should bring this thread up Bribie as I am currently supping on a pint of Dusseldorf Alt. :icon_cheers:

The recipe is here although i ran out of melanoidin so none in this version. I used the white labs equivalent of WY1007 on this one (WLP036). Bittered with magnum and spalt, also added spalt at 20 and 0 at 1g/L and the subtle spice is very nice.

Beersmith tells me i mashed this at 64C for 90 mins. Finished at 1.010 so with 50 IBU the bitterness is assertive but the munich base seems to support it well. The first time Butters tasted this beer he was surprised it was 50 IBU.

It's right on the upper limits of the style as far as BJCP are concerned.

I brew this a few times a year (at least) :icon_cheers:

 

[raven19]

I prefer all Spalter on the hops side of things if possible Bribie.

I have DrS' yeast cake ready to roll on another one of these this week :drinks:

 

[emnpaul]

Has anyone tried WLP011 European Ale in an Alt? Whitelabs' yeast chart claims suitability for style but I'm after a bit of feedback before I comit.

 

[neonmeate]

Has anyone tried WLP011 European Ale in an Alt? Whitelabs' yeast chart claims suitability for style but I'm after a bit of feedback before I comit.

often used for alts. i have used it a few times - the maltiest and sweetest yeast out there, apart from english yeasts. finishes fairly high FG so don't use too much caramunich with it. but can give you a nice smooth malty beer.

 

[eamonnfoley]

often used for alts. i have used it a few times - the maltiest and sweetest yeast out there, apart from english yeasts. finishes fairly high FG so don't use too much caramunich with it. but can give you a nice smooth malty beer.

Mash low. No higher than 65C.

 

[Tony]

I entered an alt to competition last year and all the comments came back as not bitter enough.

1.050, 48 IBU ???

I think my problem was actually it was too malty. I used lots of munich 2 and some pils.

I think vienna and Pils 50/50 would make a great base, I like to use Weyermann Choc Wheat to darken, its just so nice, and bitter it up with one masive bittering addition of noble hops at 40 min.

Keep it simple

........... and save the melanoiden for a Munich Dunkel!

 

[emnpaul]

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate your feedback.

 

[eamonnfoley]

I entered an alt to competition last year and all the comments came back as not bitter enough.

1.050, 48 IBU ???

I think my problem was actually it was too malty. I used lots of munich 2 and some pils.

I think vienna and Pils 50/50 would make a great base, I like to use Weyermann Choc Wheat to darken, its just so nice, and bitter it up with one masive bittering addition of noble hops at 40 min.

Keep it simple

........... and save the melanoiden for a Munich Dunkel!

The judges probably don't know what an alt tastes like. They are not all 50 IBU beers. Actually only one Dusseldorf Alt is (Uerige). And it doesn't taste like 50IBU. More like 35 because of the maltiness. Yours was probably a great example.

They key is to produce a highly attenuative wort and use an attenuative yeast (1007). This way you can get it malty tasting but retain drinkability without being cloying. This is a session beer.

 

[Tony]

They key is to produce a highly attenuative wort and use an attenuative yeast (1007). This way you can get it malty tasting but retain drinkability without being cloying. This is a session beer.

I used noto and it went down to about 1.006 from memory....... but a big +1 on this!

Especially the session bit!

 

[emnpaul]

I can't get choc wheat where I am and I'm tempted to throw in a bit of Dingemann's biscuit just because I've been wanting to use some for a while but haven't found an excuse yet.

Here's what Ive come up with so far

Wey pils 46%
Vienna 46%
Biscuit 5%
CaraffaII 3%
WLP011

Mash 60mins @63
30mins @68
raise to mashout 30 mins

Would anybody like to hit me with a big stick re the biscuit or mash or whatever?

 

[manticle]

I put biscuit in the one I linked to above (actually probably briess victory). I think it works.

 

[emnpaul]

Sweet! Thanks for the reply.