German lager Grain Bill

[scooterism]

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!

 

[Vini2ton]

Are you German by any chance Scooter?

 

[scooterism]

Are you German by any chance Scooter?

My folks are/were..

So, kinda I guess.

 

[droid]

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

 

[scooterism]

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

You're loosing me here..

 

[droid]

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

 

[Camo1234]

If anyone has a Lowenbrau recipe that would be awesome!

 

[TheWiggman]

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.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

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.

 

[scooterism]

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.

Thanks for you reply,

I'm just looking for something a little different.

 

[scooterism]

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

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

How did you mash it? Infusion then decoction for mash out

Any other comments? Only when the 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.

:super:

 

[Rocker1986]

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.

 

[Reman]

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.

 

[Black n Tan]

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.

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

 

[Weizguy]

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?

 

[Camo1234]

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

 

[Weizguy]

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

 

[scooterism]

Some nice posts comming thru..

 

[jimmy_jangles]

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

 

[Killer Brew]

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