Quinoa Lager

Quinoa is a wonderful little seed. It's flavor is very unique, being earthy, nutty and slightly sweet. I thought it would make an interesting addition in a pale lager. Its presence may act like other adjuncts and lighten this beer to a purely dangerous level of drinkability.

For this unique beer, the majority of the grist will consist of pale lager malts. Pilsner, Munich, and Carapils. Then at almost 20%, a blend of organic golden and red quinoa. Ancient Harvest Red Quinoa is by far the best I've ever had, and it is certified organic. Visit there site for cool photos and more info, especially on its interesting nutrition facts. The high protein content doesn't concern me, and its moderately high fat content might offer a silky effect much like oats do. Other than lightening the flavor of this lager, I'm hoping the grain taste will be and clean, nutty, with a mild grainy sweetness.

The quinoa is precooked in a rice cooker as the strike water is heaed. The barley mash will begin while the temperature of the quinoa is adjusted (with hot water/microwave) to match the mash temperature. Then it gets stirred into the main mash.

The hopping will be kept to a minimum. The overall style is somewhere between a Helles and a Vienna lager. Hop bitterness will come in at about 21. Because the malts are super light, I didn't want a lot of bitterness, nor any imposing late aromatic additions.

Quinoa Lager

Grains
5.50 lbs. German Pilsner
1.75 lbs. Golden & Red Quinoa
1.00 lbs. Munich Dark
0.37 lbs. CaraPils
0.25 lbs. Acid Malt

Hops
.75 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%, pellets, 60min
.40 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%, pellets, 40min
.30 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%, pellets, 20min

Yeast
Wyeast Bavarian Lager
Wort poured over a 2nd generation yeast cake

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 2/15/08
Racked: lowered temp in primary, and bottles/keg
Bottled: 3/13/08

Water Adjustment:
1 gram Gypsum/gallon, 2 gal Distilled (Mashout & 2nd sparge),
¼tsp. acid blend in mash & 2nd sparge

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.5qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.7 (5.5 w/ acid blend)
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 153°F/75min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 164°F/10min
1st Batch SG: 1.049

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 3.5gal/170°F
2nd Batch SG: 1.020

Pre-Boil Vol: 7 gallons perfect
Pre-Boil SG: 1.037
Boil Time: 90min
Post-Boil Vol: 5.5 gallons
Mash Efficiency: 83.4% (input "rice" for quinoa)

OG: 1.050 1 point above target
IBU: approx. 21
Color/SRM: Straw-yellow/4-5
Ferment Temp: 46-48°F

FG: 1.014
ABW: 3.78%
ABV: 4.7%

Cost: $18.77, .35¢/12oz, $2.09/6-pack

Notes
1. Brewday wrapped up by 12noon.
2. Planned for .75 lb Carapils, but didn't find it until later. OG would have been higher if it was in the grain bill.
3. Lautering went smooth and vorlaufed slightly hazy.
4. Fermenting within 2 hours.
5. Fermentation doesn't seem to be as vigorous, with less foam, and much more particulate, but the temp is a couple degrees lower.
6. Just dropped the temp while in primary for a about a week.
7. No extended secondary lagering, but will drop temp after bottle/keg carbonation.

Tasting Notes & Photo
coming in 2 months

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

Rauch Bock

Now for a beer style I've been longing one year to make. As you may already know, I love a deep smoke flavor in certain beers. Originally this was going to be a pale smoked lager with almost 50% rauchmalt. Then I massaged the recipe several times, and it became much bigger, and much darker. I had a good recipe going, and it was dipping into the bock category. While re-assuring myself with some recipes in Smoked Beers, I noticed it wasn't far from one listed in the book. So for this one, I've decided to simplify, and stay close to their recipe.

The all-grain mash will be a stepped infusion, with a protein rest to break up some proteins in the dark wheat. This rest, and the CaraFoam addition should provide the beer with a striking dense foam head. The saccharification rest will be held at 153°F. Unfortunately, we used the sacch-water (1.825 gal) at the beginning for the first protein rest infusion, and ended up with a thick dough-like ball. So we added hot liquor to finally end up with a thinner consistency at the high end of the protein rest range. In the end, we attained adequate temps for both rests. As you can see, in the picture we're raising our glasses (last bottle of 1 year Munich Dunkel) to celebrate the mash's end, and progression to a full wort boil. Thank you Matt for all your help.

With just one a ounce, 90min addition, the hop bitterness in the Smoked Scottish Ale 2 is just about perfect. It balanced the malts and higher FG, but it doesn't linger anywhere in the aftertaste. So for this smoky bock, I'll stick with a similar IBU level, and just give it a kiss of hop flavor in the finish. Vanguard is a US cross breed similar to Hallertau Mittlefruh.

Rauch Bock

Grains
6.50 lbs. German Pilsner Malt
3.75 lbs. German Dark Wheat 7.5L
3.00 lbs. German Rauchmalt
1.50 lbs. German CaraFoam
0.75 lbs. German CaraMunich 57L
0.31 lbs. German Roasted Wheat 413L

Hops
1.8 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%aa, pellet, 90min
.20 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%aa, pellet, 15min

Yeast
Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager: Yeast cake

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 1/27/08
Racked: 2/15/08
Bottled: 3/6/08

Water Adjustment: 1 tsp CaCl to mash waters

Protein Rest Temp/Time: 130°F/20min

H2O/Grain Ratio: approx. 1.27
Mash Ph: 5.6
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 151°F/1hr
Mash Out Temp/Time: 160°F/10min
1st Batch SG: 1.074

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 3.75gal/198°F
2nd Batch Temp/Time: 171°F/15min
2nd Batch SG: n/a

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.5 gallons
Pre-Boil SG: 1.066
Boil Time: 1.5 hours
Post-Boil Vol: 5.85
Mash Efficiency: approx. 77%

OG: approx. 1.077
IBU: 28
Color/SRM: Rich Brown & Orange/21-25
Ferment Temp: 150°F

FG: 1.021
ABW: 5.9%
ABV: 7.35%

Cost: $34, .64¢/12oz., $3.84/6-pack

Tasting Notes & Photo
check back 2-3 months from post date

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

Copper Lager 2

Lets kick start the new year with a batch of beer...shall we? Not just any beer, but the first lager this winter season. Not just any old lager, it's Copper Lager 2. Last year's was a throw-it-together beer that turned out to be one of my all time bests. This time I'm brewing a full batch, and keeping it copper and true, without any secondary flavor additions.

I think it will become an annual tradition, where I use up old ingredients to make my special "Copper Lager." The main goal is to keep it a deep golden color with orange highlights that make it look copper or slightly amber. Along side color, the other goal is to make it totally balanced with malt sweetness and a perfect hop bitterness. I really like 2-row pale malt as the base, and wheat to increase texture and head retention. Other than that, I think any sweet/color malts can easily be altered, given what is left over at year's end.

Hops are chosen by what is left over. The hops used in last year's batch was literally remnant pellets from various batches (Tettnanger, Challenger, Willamette, Hallertau). This year a blend of Yakima Goldings and Sterling may give it a brighter taste.

Copper Lager 2

Grains
8.0 lbs. Organic 2-Row Pale Malt
2.0 lbs. Munich 10L
.65 lbs. Torrified Wheat
.45 lbs. Crystal 60L
.20 lbs. Melanoidin Malt

Hops
.90 oz. Sterling, 5.3%aa, pellet, 60+min
.20 oz. Sterling, 5.3%aa, pellet, 30min
.15 oz. Yakima Goldings, 4.6%aa, whole, 30min
.25 oz. Sterling, 5.3%aa, pellet, 15min
.15 oz. Yakima Goldings, 4.6%aa, whole, 15min

Yeast
Wyeast 2208: Bavarian Lager (decanted, 2 step, 1.5qt starter)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 1/9/08
Racked: 1/27/08
Bottled: around end of Feb.

Water Adjustment: 1 tsp CaCl & ¾ tsp Gypsum in strike water

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.25qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.6
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 152-153°F/50min
Mash Out Water Vol/Temp: 1.53gal/212°F
Mash Out Temp/Time: 165°F/10min
1st Batch SG: 1.064

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 3.625gal/182°F
2nd Batch Mash Temp: 170°F
2nd Batch SG: 1.034

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.25 gallons
Pre-Boil SG: 1.046
Boil Time: Kettle-A 90min & Kettle-B 120min.
Post-Boil Vol: 5.8 gallons
Mash Efficiency: 78%

OG: 1.056 on target
IBU: approx. 27
Color/SRM: Deep gold/Orange/8-10
Ferment Temp: 50°F

FG: Around 1.014
ABW: 4.4%
ABV: 5.5%

Cost: $25.25, .43¢/12oz., $2.58/6-pack

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Pours beautiful deep golden and clear with a good white head.
Aroma: Clean, with minimal scent, a faint malt sweetness, and hops present but embedded in the flavor regions without much fragrance
Taste: Very balanced all the way through, upfront hop bitterness and a malt smoothness, then some hop flavor, then some toasted malt flavor, clean
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation
Aftertaste: Some bitterness, and finishes pretty dry
Drinkability: Superb, definitely has continental lager written all over it, will stand up to most meals light to heavy
Alterations: Wouldn't change much at all. It's become an annual tradition, with a somewhat flexible recipe. It uses up old ingredients, but I think Tettnanger hops throughout might be nice.

I wanted to enter this into the AHA competition, but held out because I wasn't quite sure what category to put it into. It reminds me of the Bavarian Lager put out by Capital Brewery in WI.

Czech Pilsner - Final Results

This beer was lot of fun to make. Tons of Saaz hops. All German malts. Czech yeast. Steady fermentation temperatures. Good long lagering in the ice box.

I had expectations, but only based on commercial examples and the descriptions from various recipes and books. I've never used any of the ingredients before. So I guess I was venturing into the unknown. In the end, I'm very pleased I did it. I love the flavor of Saaz hops. The Wyeast 2278 Czech Pilsner yeast strain, though very sulfuric during fermentation, performed very well with great attenuation and malt flavor. I think the German malts helped give it the right kind of flavors.

First signs of fermentation appeared at around 20 hours after pitching the yeast. Pitching temp was around 52*F, the temp dropped to around 48-50 over night, then the temp rose to around 53-54 withing 24 hours. Fermentation went smoothly over a 2 week period. I was very surprised by the intense odor of sulfur during primary fermentation. It was more intense than the Munich strain and filled the whole porch with its rotten egg stench.

-Photo- coming soon

Finished Results

OG = 1.056
FG = 1.013
SRM = 4
ABV = 5.5%
IBU = 45

Appearance: Beautiful pale yellow/straw color. Very clear considering that it was unusually hazy all the way through fermentation, lagering and bottling, and no Irish moss. Slight haze especially at colder temps. 1 inch white foam head forms, and slowly diminishes to a small rind of bubbles around the glass edge.

Aroma: Hoppy, sweet maltiness, floral.

Taste: Bold and bright hop presence from both solid bittering and flavor/aroma additions. The hops carry a full flavor with mild citrus and spiciness. Malts do balance the hop assertiveness, and has a smooth & clean sweet taste. There is defintiely a "crisp" character to this beer. Attenuation was very good, and the residual sweetness is not too low nor high. There is also a nice dryness in the aftertaste. I'm quite pleased to sense a slight presence diacetyl (buttery taste) because I think it adds more character/complexity to this light colored beer with bold flavors. Diacetyl is also acceptable and noticeable in many commercial examples.

After-taste: A definite mild 2%AA Saaz hop bitterness lingers long on the tongue. There also seems to be a small alcoholic presence.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, soft, attenuated, very good carbonation (on the lower side).

Drinkability: Even though it has a bold taste, the smoothness in the malts and lighter carbonation make this lager very drinkable. After one pint, I found myself wanting another one right away.

Overall Impression: An all-around attractive beer. It has great color, aroma, taste and mouthfeel. It is a little over the top with hop presence, but that's what my intentions were. I get a sense of pride drinking this beer and rank it as one of my finest.

This beer tasting guide has been helpful...www.alabev.com/taste.htm

Notes for future brewing: It was very difficult getting the wort to boil after adding even half the hops. The total weight of hops was 13 ounces in 6 gallons of post boiled wort. I think Brian would agree that it was an armful stirring and chilling both pots. I question the hop utilization, and perhaps using higher Alpha hop pellets for bittering would help. Also, I would like to try bringing the OG to about 1.050 and scaling down the IBU's to about 38. I'd like to improve upon this beers already smooth flavor and make it a very balanced, more refined, and delicate.

Click here for earlier Czech Pilsner posts - Conception and Recipe & Brewday Stats

Czech Pilsner - Recipe & Brewday Stats

My good friend and long time brewing comrade, Brian Mateja, dropped by a little after 10 am. Everything was pretty much ready to go. Water was adjusted the night before and the infusion volumes were measured and preheating. While waiting for dough-in, we smelled and tasted the blend of malts. The Durst pilsner had a very mild aroma and taste, while the Vienna held a deeper smooth malt character (not nearly as aromatic as Munich malt). The CaraFoam is a very crunchy/hard malt with an interesting "nutty" taste. It's the first time I've used Acid malt, which has an intense sour bite.

We began with a thick protein rest at 131*F for 30 minutes. At 11:30 we added the second infusion of boiling water for the saccharification rest and hit our target of 153*F perfectly. Everything was going well...until...it was time to check the mash Ph and starch conversion at about 30 minutes in. So I went looking for the Ph papers and iodine. I looked and looked and looked...and couldn't find them anywhere. Knowing the PH would have informed me if the Acid malt in fact kept it low. So I got a little frustrated, but we had to move on.

Sparging revealed its true color, a very pale golden hue. After getting 7.5 gallons of wort to a boil, we got some great hot break material, and then the foam subsided. In went the first dose of bittering hops...3.25 ounces. A half hour later the second big dose of flavor hops...another 3.25 ounces. Fifteen more minutes go by and another dose of aroma hops...another 3.25 ounces. At this point we're thinking it's getting pretty thick and crazy. Now it was time to add the Irish Moss for added clarity in the finished beer, but misplaced it with the Ph papers. But then it was time to cut off the heat and start cooling the wort...and in went a last 3.25 ounces of fresh Saaz finishing hops. That's a total of 13 ounces! I've never done that before, and may never do that again. I thought we'd run into big problems pouring the cooled wort into the fermenter, but it was actually a bit easier than using a lot of pellets. No clogged funnel screen. As we pressed out all the liquid, we just had to make sure the huge pile of hops wouldn't avalanche all over the floor. Luckily, no mess.

After it was all over we checked the original gravity (OG). To my surprise, we hit it perfectly at 1.056. I gotta say that using all the brewing calculators on the Tastybrew site has been working out great. After tasting the gravity sample, I got the feeling that it will turn out to be a very good beer. I think it'll be very distinguished from all my prior beers.

Thank you Brian for all your help. I couldn't have gotten through it without you. I really appreciate you coming down so early on a Sunday morning. I usually have a brewday checklist, but now it's like second nature. In the very end I happened to find all the missing materials (Ph papaers, iodine, irish moss) in a bag with my all my equipment. The funny thing is that I actually searched in that bag a couple times earlier. As a result, some of the stats are missing, and the finished beer might end up being a little cloudy.

Czech Pilsner - Recipe

Grains:
8 lb. Durst Pilsner Malt
3 lb. Durst Vienna Malt
.5 lb. Weyermann CaraFoam
.5 lb. Weyerman Acidulated Malt

Hops (Whole Saaz - 2% AA):
3.25 oz. 60min.
3.25 oz. 30min.
3.25 oz. 15min.
3.25 oz. 1min.

Yeast:
Wyeast 2278 - Czech Pils (1 gallon starter)

Czech Pilsner - Brewday Stats:

Water Adjustment: 3 parts Distilled to 1 part Chicago (carbon filtered)

Protein Rest Temp/Duration: 131*F/30min.
H2O/Grain Ratio: 1qt/1lb

Sacch Rest Temp/Duration: 153*F/60min.
H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.5qt/1lb

Mash Ph: missed
Sparge Vol./Temp : 4.32gal/170* (had to add a bit more)

Pre-boil SG: missed
Length of boil: 1.5 hours
Post-boil OG: 1.056
Post-boil Ph: missed

Brewhouse Efficency: approx. 75%
Approx. IBU: 45

Please read on to the final results post...Czech Pilsner - Final Results

Also refer back to its conception...Czech Pilsner - Conception

Czech Pilsner - Conception

On Feb. 18, I'll be brewing the beer I wanted to make from the very beginning...a pale-gold hoppy Czech/Bohemian pilsner! I remember standing in front of all the malt extract kits over at the Brew & Grow a number of years ago. My attention was drawn to a can of pilsner extract. To be honest, back then I really didn't know the difference between ales and lagers. I think the people over there advised I stick with ales. Thinking about it now, I'm glad I went with their advice because it probably wouldn't have turned out any good.

I've been thinking of this beer for quite some time now. The recipe has gone through a few permutations. After a lot of reading and research, I settled on a recipe of my own. More than anything else, it has to be fairly authentic. Five main variables will help give it authenticity: 1. German malts, 2. Saaz hops, 3. Czech Pils yeast, 4. Soft water (3 parts distilled to 1 part Chicago water), 5. Long cold lager phase. Since I haven't found decoction mashing to be conclusively better, I'm sticking with double infusion mashing and fly sparging.

I usually buy my base ingredients from the Brew & Grow, but this time I wanted to get indiginous ingredients. A new brewing friend (Russ) suggested I give Northern Brewer a try. The selection and people over at NB are great, and it got here in two days. I'm glad I ordered a full pound of Czech Saaz hops, because the Alpha Acids are only 2%. After adjusting the recipe, it turns out I need 13 ounces! That's alotta hops!

This one is simply called "Czech Pilsner." I'm hoping for some classic taste and character. The hops are bit aggressive on the aroma/finish side, but I'm also going for a hoppy quality. Saaz hops are new to me so I'm looking forward to tasting and smelling their effects. Going with all imported grains (mostly pilsner) may give this beer a differentiated taste over all my previous beers. The mash temperature for starch converion will be held at about 150*F for a more fermentable wort and dryer finish. This one will be sealed in my converted cooler/icebox for a month and a half. Since there's a good IBU level, this one will be able to age a little longer than say...a Helles or Dunkel. Since this one is hopped well, lagered long, and brewed 4th out of 4 lagers this winter season, I expect to make it last into the warmer months for a nice cold, refreshing beverage.


Please read further into the progress post...Czech Pilsner - Recipe & Brewday Stats
See also the final results post...Czech Pilsner - Final Results

First Lager

Back in 2002, my good friend from HS enlisted in the army as an Intelligence Analyst. For about two years he was stationed outside a small town southeast of Munich called Bad Ibling. Naturally, drinking the finest German/Bavarian lagers was infused into nearly every social event. He enjoyed classic Munich Helles, Dunkels, Octoberfest, and local strong fest beers. I managed to visit him there, and pretty much marveled at his fortunate circumstances.

After I heard Brian returned home, we got back in touch. He was impressed by my new hobby of home brewing, and started helping out. So I asked him what style he would like to brew. Then he mentioned the beer he was so accustomed to drinking…the one and only Munich Helles (specifically...Augustiner Brau Lagerbier Hell). I said…I hadn’t brewed a lager before, but the pale lager style is what I wanted to brew in the very beginning (specifically a hoppy pilsner).

Since the brew date was scheduled for January 7th 2006, I thought…"the weather is cold enough, so why not?" So I quickly brainstormed how to regulate the primary and secondary fermentation temperatures. A space heater thermostat would keep a consistent primary temperature out in the porch. For maintaining lager temperatures, I thought about turning my ten gallon Rubbermaid mashtun into an icebox. I then fabricated a Styrofoam lid that fit perfectly around the neck of the secondary 5-gallon carboy. By weighing it down with books, it creates a tight insulated lid. Over the course of a week I slowly added more and more ice. It worked perfectly.

My first attempt at a good clean pale Munch lager was a complete success. It’s still one of Brian's and my favorites. Unfortunately a whole year would pass until I could brew another one. Since then I’ve become much more attracted to tasting/drinking lagers. I feel like lagers provide just as much room for experimentation as does the brewing of ales. This winter season I am getting in about 19 gallons of lager beer. (Munich Dunkel, Schwartzbier, Bohemian/Czech Pilsner, and four 1 gallon experimentals)

Overall, brewing lager beers has been a rewarding experience. I totally recommend it. It doesn’t take a whole lot to maintain cold temperatures during the winter season (well...in the northern zones). And the end result is well worth the time and energy. It definitely provides a nice break/alternative to normally brewing ales throughout the rest of the year.

Munich Helles – 1st Lager
Brewed January 7 & Bottled March 5th 2006
Lagered 1.5 months at 32-35*F
Utilized a diacetyl rest

Grains:
10 lb. 2-row malt
.5 lb. Cara-Pils
.25 lb. Flaked Wheat

Hops:
.75 oz. Hallertau 60min
.50 oz. Hallertau 40min
.50 oz. Hallertau 20min

Yeast:
2308 - Munich Lager

Results:
Having never brewed a lager before, I didn't know what to expect. Brian said it tasted just like his favorite session beer back in Germany. It was a very clean tasting pale gold lager with good malt character and low subtle bitterness. It finished just a bit sweet. It's great head retention and carbonation helped create a sense of dryness. It was very clear and thrist quenching. Overall, we were quite impressed. The only regret is only brewing 5 gallons of it. I didn't take accurate measurements so...
Approx. OG = 1.046
Approx. FG = 1.012
Approx. ABV = 4.4%
Approx. IBU = 19

Base Lager & Experimental Secondaries

Well, on 1/30/07, I finally brewed an all-grain batch by myself. Oh, I did get a little help at the beginning of the boil from an unexpected visitor. It is true that Bruce Lee is a relatively small man, but he also puts out an enormous amount of chi-energy and physical endurance. Hey hey Bruce, you know, you could be a really good homebrewer! Oh, and I did put my mom to work on the syphoning while she was visiting, playing with Cadence and dropping off some awesome homemade soup. But for the most part, a solo act.

I'm in lager mode right now, and getting in 4 batches this Winter season. For this 4.5 gallon/1-pot batch, I made up a "base" wort that's a nice deep golden color with medium/low bitterness. The wort is fermenting nicely at about 50*F on the Schwartzbier's Bavarian yeast cake.

Base lager recipe: (OG 1.050)
7.00 lb. American Two-row Pale
1.00 lb. German Munich
0.25 lb. Flaked Wheat
0.13 lb. Belgian Aromatic
0.25 lb. American Crystal 80L

There were a variety of hop pellets left over from past batches, so I utilized all of them in this recipe. Approx. 22 IBU came out of these hops...

Hops: (22 IBU)
.50 oz. Tettnanger (90 min.)
.25 oz. Challenger (90 min.)
.13 oz. Willamette (30 min.)
.25 oz. Hallertau (30 min.)

After the bulk primary is finished, it will be divided into 4 experimental secondaries.

1. Base "Copper" Lager
2. Dry Hopped Lager
3. Ginger Peach Lager
4. Citrus Lager

I love reusing my Mom's & Grandma's 4 liter wine jugs. They make perfect test batch fermenters. They're also great as starter vessels and for making mead.

It's been a long time since brewing (9/2006) a light colored beer. The past four have been 16 SRM and up. So finally I get to see clearly into the action of fermentation. Watching lager yeast do it's thing is pretty cool. I like the way it smells right now (very clean with a nice bitterness).

Progress: The secondaries sat on the cracked windowsill with a light barrier and a styro-cubicle built around them to hold in the cold outside temperature. I didn't worry about temperature fluctuations. They conditioned for two weeks, and the weather stayed quite cold. They were bottled on 3/11/07. So far so good. Each one is very unique.