Just started my first AG boil!

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Dunkelbrau

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I went down to the LHBS during the week and grabbed some grain, a bag and some hops to do a small batch while I get the cash to finish the bigger setup (already had the 20L pot).

I had my first boil over.. It nearly hit the dog! Thank god I'm outside though, the kitchen would have been a mess!

So my target OG is 1.054 and I've started the boil with 1.057, I would add more water but my pot isn't big enough, would there be any issues adding it in the fermenter?

Recipe is

2400g Pils
500g Vienna
150g Cara-Pils

Simcoe for the hops.
 
Well done, plenty of people dilute in the fermenter so I'm sure it will be fine. Get that big pot when you can and you won't look back. :)
 
I've got a couple of kegs, but I have to build a stand as the wont fit directly on the burner and get the ball valves/false bottom sorted.

It smells amazing so far!
 
Jurt said:
I've got a couple of kegs, but I have to build a stand as the wont fit directly on the burner and get the ball valves/false bottom sorted.
It smells amazing so far!
Welcome to the slippery slope Jurt!
 
Finally ready to clean up, just aerated and pitched S-04.. Was aiming at 10-11L ended up with 12.5L @ 1.052.

I think with a chiller/taps on the pots it would flow a lot better, but I'm glad I got it done without major issues.

Will see how she tastes in a couple of weeks, into the fermenting fridge it goes!
 
roverfj1200 said:
Sounds like you have it all under control.

cheers
I hope so, I'm sure I'll have issues, but I've spent the last 6 months reading on here and googling videos etc.

I'm aiming to try and make a Munich Dunkel and do the decoction mash in the future, I had some good dunkel in Germany!
 
Nice one.
Hard to beat a tasty brew you've made yourself from scratch.
 
I get where you're going with s-04 and simcoe - with a noble hop choice and s23 or 34/70 that could easily have made a nice lager too! Either way it will be yum.

Last night I had Maltida Bay's Minimum Chips (what they call a golden lager, which I just interpret as a Vienna) and I imagine it to have a similar grain bill (with the addition of crystal). I'm loving the lager crispness, but with the maltiness and hop flavour/aroma more akin with an APA or golden ale. S-04 is fairly flocculant and neutral, so you should end up with a pretty easy drinking ale, albeit 5-6%. Nice one
 
I have a nice Munich Dunkel recipe that serves as a pretty foolproof base-line for further personalisation:

20L
60% or 2700g Munich II
30% or 1350g Vienna
8.4% or 380g Caramunich II
1.6% or 70g Carafa II (for colour mostly, but a bit of complexity)

Mittelfrueh 18.5IBU at 60mins and 3.5IBU at 15mins

Wyeast Hella bock or Whitelabs German Bock are my yeasts of choice.
 
I got the recipe from the brew shop, he is always VERY helpful, and he recommended an ale, while i was tempted to do a lager (i have the fridge set up to actually hit the temps), his reasoning made sense - i can taste it sooner! I'll definitely have to give some other yeasts a go, the only ones i've used other than the standard kit ones (which i ditched early on) are S-23 and S-04.

It was actually quite a good day, i had my dad helping me (just hanging around chatting about beer really), we both tasted the wort which was an interesting experience! I have some Amarillo in the freezer i was thinking of adding in but thought i should stick to the one hop and actually know it. The kitchen still smells awesome (i mashed in the oven to hold temp).

I'll throw that recipe into Beersmith (an invaluable tool for timing i might add)!
 
Never thought to mash in oven. My 20L pot would fit and sounds easier than wrapping in beach towels.
 
If you're not ready to get into liquid yeasts, two packets of 34/70 dried lager yeast will work well in a Dunkel (and other Bavarian/Munich lagers), it can just be a bit sensitive compared with ales, so you need to make sure you use yeast nutrient in the boil, airate the crap out of the wort immediately prior to pitching, rehydrate the yeast prior to pitching and start it cold and slowly build up temp.

I start it at 6c and raise 1c a day until it hits 12c, then a week later take a reading and if it's in the teens, raise it to 15c for 3 days, then lower the temp by 1c every day until you hit -1 (taking a reading at around 10c to make sure it has hit terminal gravity before chilling). (This is just my process, which you could easily simplify)

Anyway, 34/70 needs to sit really cold for at least 6 weeks to be at its best. If you taste a 34/70 lager that hasn't been treated to the above luxuries and you don't cold condition it for very long, it will have a whole lot of sulphur and some tannin and phenols making it difficult to enjoy, especially in a pale lager. Some people (ie a lot of my guests) can't even detect the above flaws, but my palate is a prick and I have tipped kegs other people said were "alright". Just a disclaimer in case someone feels like chiming in saying 34/70 is great after a week or something haha
 
Well, i just poured the first one from the keg. My god it is delicious!

Citrus, clean, refreshing, and way better than the hopped goo!
 

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