#64 Dortmunder Lager

Brew date: Sept. 12, 2017

I have loved Dortmunder lagers for years -- ever since first trying Berghoff's Dortwunder -- but only now am I getting around to brewing one. They are the perfect balance between Pilsner crispness and and Munich maltiness.

Appearance: Pale straw gold color. Very very clear -- as clean as you can get a lager without filtering. Champagne bubble cascading up the glass. A white foamy head that quickly evaporates to a thin rim around the glass. White lacing remains throughout quaffing. Perhaps add a touch of dextrin malt to help with head retention, but not so much as to add more body.

Aroma: Sweet, spicy aroma. Bread, biscuit with honey, Mandarin citrus, and very slight sulfur. Perfect.

Taste: Dry, sweet bread transforms to crisp sulfur-lager flavor. Some spiciness from the hops comes through but only just a hint. Overall, malt dominates (as it should). Light body. Effervescent bubbles.

Final Thoughts: Really happy with how this turned out! Feels, looks, smells, and tastes like a Dortmunder should. This would be a great summer thirst-quencher. As it is, it's a great change of pace from hot weather IPAs and a refreshing transition before the late fall/winter onslaught of roasty beers. I love how the Bohemian lager yeast helped keep everything in proportion. I also think the Hallertauer/Saphir hop mix was really nice -- just the right spicy citrus. Water profile seemed pretty much spot on.

Next Time: Consider adding a touch of dextrin malt to help with head retention, but be restrained to keep body light. Would be interesting to try a little sourdough malt too. No need to go hoppier or have a higher ABV.

RECIPE TARGET

BATCH SIZE	TIME	OG	FG	ABV	IBU	EFFICIENCY	SRM
6.5 gal	60 min	1.053	1.013	5.23%	25	75%	4.37

ACTUAL

BATCH SIZE	TIME	OG	FG	ABV	IBU	EFFICIENCY	SRM
6.5 gal	60 min	1.067	1.017	6.61%	82	75%	10.75

FERMENTABLES

NAME	AMOUNT	%	BRAND
Pilsner malt	12 lbs	91%	Avangard
Munich 10L	10 oz	4.7%	Briess
Vienna	6 oz	2.8 %	Avangard
Acidulated	3 oz	1.4%	Best Malz

HOPS

NAME	AMOUNT	TIME	USE	FORM	ALPHA %	OTHER
Hallertauer	1 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	3.8%	YCH
Saphir	1 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	2.4%	YCH
Hallertauer	1 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	3.8%	YCH
Saphir	1 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	2.4%	YCH

OTHER ADDITIONS

NAME	AMOUNT	TIME	USE	FORM	OTHER
Irish moss	2 t	15 min	Boil
Yeast nutrient	0.5 t	10 min	Boil

YEAST

NAME	LAB	AMOUNT	ATTENUATION	TEMPERATURE	OTHER
2124 Bohemian Lager	Wyeast	2 L	73-77%	50 F	Starter

WATER

Profile link: https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=9YX6VMW

NAME	AMOUNT	TIMING	OTHER
RO Water	7.5 gal	83-17 Mash/Sparge
Filtered Water	1.5 gal	17-83 Mash/Sparge
Gypsum	1 g	Mash
Calcium Chloride	2 g	Mash

SCHEDULE

STEP	TEMPERATURE	TIME	NOTES
Mash in	156 F	10 min	6 gal
Saccrification rest	148 F	60 min
Batch sparge	168 F	10 min	3 gal
Boil	212 F	60 min
Chill	50 F	15 min
Fermentation	48 F	7 days
Fermentation	52 F	3 days
Fermentation	66 F	3 days	Allow to free rise
Chill	60 F	11 days
Lager	36 F	14 days

"Sour Saturday" Kraemer-Yakowicz Gueuze Lambic [#60]

Brew date: May 20, 2017
Batch size: 9 gal

Ingredients:
11.25 lb Pilsner malt (Dingemans)
5.25 lb Wheat malt (Avangard)
2 lb Flaked wheat (Briess)

*1 oz Cascade (6%) (KB) (30) - Aired 0.75 oz for ~3 months)
Yeast nutrient (10)

Batch #1:
WLP 655 Belgian sour mix one
1.5 L Door County Brewing saison yeast starter
Bottle dregs:

• Gueuze Girardin
• New Glarus Brewing Wild Bitter 32661
• O'so Blood of the Cherry (Added on 5/28)
• O'so Arbre Qui Donne (Added on 5/28)

Batch #2:

WLP 677 Lactobacillus delbrueckii

1 pk Safale US-05 Ale dry yeast

Bottle dregs:

• Epic Brewing Elder Brett
• Almanac Barrel Aged Sour IPA
• Oud Beersel Framboise
• New Holland Incorrigible Reserve White Sour Ale
• Hof ten Dormaal Kriek
• Boulevard Love Child Sour Ale No. 7

Water:

Profile - https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=XNRXXPS

12 gal - 5 gal RO, 7 gal filtered

2 g Gypsum

1 g Calcium Chloride

Add 1.5 gal filtered water at end of boil.

Top off to 9 gal.

Schedule:

Mash in 7,75 gal @ 169F

Sac rest @ 158F (60)

Batch spage 4 gal

Boil (60)

Chill to 68F

Target:

OG 1.054

FG 1.009

SRM 3.4

ABV 5.8%

IBU 9

Notes:

5 gal RO + 2 gal filtered water

1st run - 4 gal @ 1.082

Preboil - 8 gal @ 1.065

End boil - 8 gal @ 1.084

Add 1 gal filtered water

OG 1.075

Batch #1 - 6 gal @ 1.063

Batch #2 - 2.5 gal @ ?

Added ~0.5 gal filtered water to Batch #2 to top off.

Summit West-London Style Ale Clone | English Golden Ale [#59]

Brew date: April 17, 2017
Batch size: 6.25 gal

Ingredients:
11.3 lb Maris otter (Muntons)
4 oz Acidulated (Best Malz)

1.6 oz Cascade (6%) (KB) (60)
0.25 oz Fuggle (4.5%) (KB) (10)
0.5 oz Fuggle (5.3%) (10)
1 oz Motueka (6.5%) (10)
2 t Irish moss (15)
Yeast nutrient (10)
1.5L Wyeast 1098 British ale starter

Water:
Profile: https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=L26DJXC
9 gal - 5 gal RO, 4 gal filtered
4 g Gypsum
2 g Calcium chloride

Schedule:
Mash in 6 gal @ 159F
Sac rest @ 151F (60)
Heat to 166F
Batch sparge 3 gal
Boil (60)
Chill to 66F

Target:
OG 1.051
FG 1.013
SRM 5.3
ABV 5%
IBU 40

Notes:
1st run - 4 gal @ 1.065
Mid boil - 7 gal @ 1.055
End boil - 1.065, add 1 gal filtered water
OG 1.052, add 0.5 gal filtered water

4/30/17 - FG 1.012, fermenting at 69F for about a week. Crash cold to 50F

"Lil' Poutin' Stout" American Stout [#58]

Brew date: Feb. 19, 2017
Batch size: 6.25 gal

Ingredients:
7 lb Maris otter (Muntons)
5 lb 2-row (Briess)
12 oz Flaked barley (Briess)
8 oz Caramel 60L (Briess)
3 oz Acidulated (Meussdoerffer)

Cold steeped in 2 qts filtered water day before brewing:
10 oz Roasted barley (Briess)
9 oz Debittered black malt (Dingemans)
7 oz Chocolate malt (Briess)
3 oz Black malt (Briess)

2.35 oz Cascade (6%) (KB) (60)
1.5 t Irish moss (15)
Yeast nutrient (10)
1.7 L Wyeast 1056 American ale starter

Water:
10 gal - 50% RO, 50% filtered
7 g Gypsum
3 g Calcium chloride
1 g Epsom salt

Target:
OG 1.063
FG 1.016
ABV 6.24%
IBU 42
SRM 75%
Efficiency 75%

Notes:
Separate cold-steeped wort from grains and add grain to mash.
1st run - 4 gal @ 1.069
Preboil - 1.058 (Only added ~3 gal of sparge water to grain)
OG 1071, ~5.75 gal
Add 1 qt filtered water to top off to 6 gal
Ferment @ 66F
Added cold steeped wort at 10 min before knockout

3/9/17 - Keg and bottle, FG 1.018/1.020
Bottling: 0.7 oz corn sugar + 6 oz filtered water to bottle 1 gal.

"It's a Tuber, Not a Tumor" Sweet Potato Bock [#57]

Brew date: Jan. 2, 2017
6.25 gal

Ingredients:
8.5 lb Pilsner (Avangard)
6 lb Munich (Avangard)
12 oz Cara 45 (Dingemans)
4 oz Midnight wheat (Briess)
4 oz Dark chocolate malt (Briess)
3 oz Acidulated malt (Meussdoerffer)
~2 lb Roasted sweet potato

3 oz Hallertau (2.5%) (60)
*0.25 oz Styrian Celeia (3.7%) (60) (Only had 0.10 oz)
1.5 t Irish moss (15)
Yeast nutrient (10)

2 L Wyeast 2206 Bavarian lager starter

Water:
Profile - https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=DKQ9T4P
10 gal water - 75% RO, 25% filtered
4 g Calcium chloride
2 g Gypsum

Schedule:
Mash in 6 gal @ 130F
Protein rest @ 122F (20)
Sac rest @ 154F (50)
Heat to 168F (15)
Boil (60)
Chill to 50F
Ferment @ 48F

Target:
OG 1.069
FG 1.017
SRM 21
ABV 6.8%
IBU 25

Results:
1st run - 2.75 gal @ 1.087 - very slow lauter
Preboil - 7.5 gal
OG 6.25 gal @ 1.075

Notes:
1/23/17 - Gravity @ 1.022/1.020, raise ferm temp to 51F
1/29/17 - Gravity @ 1.020, diacetyl rest @ 60/62F for past 3-4 days, flavor cleaning up, lager soon. Cut out gypsum entirely next time. Heating to 65F for 24 hrs, then cold crash to lager.

Smokey Scottish Ale

Brew date: Dec. 21, 2016
#56 - 6.25 gal

Don't use more than 1 oz of peated malt next time... Now that I have your attention, let me explain.

This started out as a beer for a co-worker, Elizabeth. She won my company's raffle for a beer I donated, and asked for a malty Scotch ale. Perfect!, I thought. I had been wanting to brew one for quite a while, and was recently inspired by Great Divide Brewing's Claymore Scotch Ale.

The grain bill was a bit too traditional, I should have gone more American-ized. Including adding some caramel malt 60-80L and goning warmer on the mash temp -- maybe 157 F.

In addition, I opted to add a little smoked malt for depth of flavor. Turns out 3 oz in roughly 20 lbs of grain was too much for my taste. While I had a lot of compliments on the beer, I thought it was just too smokey.

Ingredients:
15.75 lb Maris Otter - Muntons
1 lb Melanoidin malt - Best Malz
8 oz Cara 45 - Dingemans
6 oz Cara 20 Belgian Caravienne - Dingemans
4 oz Chocolate malt - Briess
3 oz Roasted Barley - Briess
3 oz Peated malt - Thomas Fawcett
4 oz Acidulated malt - Meussdoerffer

1.25 oz Cascade (6%) (KB leaf) (60)
1 t Irish moss (15)
Yeast nutrient
1.7 L Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale Starter

Water:
10 gal - 50/50 RO & filtered
3 g Gypsum
4 g Calcium Chloride
1 g Epsom

Schedule:
Mash in 6 gal @ 168F
Sac rest @ 155F (60)
Heat to mash out
B. Sparge 4 gal
Boil (60)
Chill to 57F
Ferment at 57F

Target:
OG: 1.080
FG: 1.024
SRM: 19
IBU: 23
ABV: 7.4%
Efficiency: 77%
Attenuation: 70%

Results:
1st run: 3.5 gal @ 1.097
Preboil: 7.5 gal @ 1.073
OG: 1.085
Add ~1/2 gal filtered water to reduce to 1.080 and 6 gal

"Mental Health" Oatmeal Porter

Brew date: Nov. 7, 2016
#55 - 6.25 gal

Part two of a two-brew day. Inspired by a delicious oatmeal porter from Zipline Brewing out of Nebraska that I tried the last time I was in Denver (thanks, Jim!). Don't think I quite hit the mark, but pretty close.

Ingredients:
11.75 lb Briess 2-row
1 lb Flaked oats - Briess
10 oz Caramel 60L - Briess
9 oz Chocolate malt - Briess
9 oz Blackprinz - Briess
8 oz Black malt - Briess
4 oz Acidulated - Meussdoerffer

1.5 oz Cascade (KB leaf) (60)
1 oz Fuggle (KB leaf) (15)
1 t Irish moss (15)
Yeast nutrient
2 pks Wyeast 1056 American Ale

Water
9.25 gal (5 gal RO & 4.25 gal filtered)
6 g Gypsum
1 g Epsom
3 g Calcium Chloride

Schedule:
Mash in 6 gal @ 165F
Sac rest @ 154F (60)
Mash out to 168F
B. Sparge 3 gal
Boil (60)
Chill to 65F

Target:
OG: 1.065
FG: 1.016
ABV: 6.4%
IBU: 33
SRM: 30.5

Results:
1st run: 4 gal @ 1.067
OG: 1.070

Note:
- Fermentation peaked at 72F
- Keg on 11/21/16
- Very vigorous fermentation!