My Vienna lager is an easy recipe.
50% Weyermann Vienna
50% Weyermann pilsner
mash at 66.5 with 2.5 L of water per kg grain.
og 1.050 bitter to 25 IBU with tettnanger or hallertau.
Yeast, a good lager yeast, have made it with quite a number of yeasts and all have given good results.
Have also brewed the recipe with different manufacturers grains, but the Weyermann gave it crispness. The beer is worth brewing just to smell the aroma of the Vienna grain going through the mill.
Hops, you want really good low alpha German noble hops for bittering. You can fwh with about 30% of the bittering for smooth flavour. If you like, add some for flavour, but this beer is malt driven, and excess flavour or aroma will be marked out of style.
Water should be soft. I use rainwater and add small amounts of calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate and calcium chloride. Also, some sodium met is added to the mash (1.5gms for 45 litre batch size)
This style of beer has the hallmarks of elegance, softness, complexity and balance. It requires your absolute best brewing techniques. Pay attention to HSA in the mash, do not oversparge and use good quality ingredients. Any harshness will shine through.
My lagers usually stay in primary for up to four weeks at primary temperature, are then kegged or bottled, stay at fermentation temp for 2-3 weeks, then go outside in the cold for lagering as long as possible (at least 4 weeks) before consuming. My brewing methods do not have diacytel rests and the beers stay in primary for long lengths, however, just about all cold break and hot break is removed prior to fermenting and the beers stay for long lengths at primary fermenting temperature and I assume any diacytel is converted during this time.
My first attempt was 100% Weyermann Vienna grain, and was judged as a Marzen rather than Vienna. Was a very nice drop, just marked out of style.
This is a great style to brew. It has heaps of flavour but will not scare off drinkers used to standard megaswill. Beerdrinkers that like beers with flavour will thoroughly enjoy it. It was going to be my entry into the Paddy's Brewery Challenge, but the drought had stopped me brewing.