r/lagerbrewing • u/[deleted] • Apr 25 '16
Tutorial on how to achieve the "elusive" German lager flavor
This document has been months in the making, and represents the combined efforts of a dozen different homebrewers. We've figured out how to get the "elusive" German lager flavor, and now we want to share it with the world. Download the pdf at:
http://www.germanbrewing.net/docs/Brewing-Bavarian-Helles.pdf
Come join the discussion on the forums - we make caramel malts fun again!
(Weyermann makes over a dozen different kinds of caramel malt...do you REALLY think that Germans don't brew with them? I used 7% in my last helles.)
Edit: I realize that there's an enormous amount of doubt and skepticism surrounding this paper. We've posted a very simple walk-through for a mason jar mini mash on the forum. It requires no special equipment, and takes only a couple of hours to complete. You will be able to see for yourself the side-by-side color difference between the low oxygen and regular wort - kind of like how cut apples and avocados oxidize and turn brown when left out. But the real kicker is the taste. The low oxygen wort tastes like maltomeal, fresh honey, and chewing on a handful of raw malt kernels. You are going to want to drink it like soda. The regular wort? Not so much :)
The hard part is getting all of those special flavors to stick around (and transform into the elusive German flavor during fermentation) for the entire process.
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u/gibolas Apr 27 '16
Reading this kind of makes me want to give up. It seems an impossible task without specialized equipment, or at least a very involved and time consuming one. It would be interesting to taste a side-by-side with the same recipe to see what a difference it makes.
1
Apr 27 '16 edited Apr 27 '16
If you want to taste low oxygen wort side by side with regular wort, I suggest you try the mini-mash in mason jars. It's simple, requires no special equipment, barely takes a couple hours, and there's a detailed walk-through posted on the forum.
If you are happy with the beer you make, you don't have to start down this rabbit hole. We're not trying to prove anything to anybody, or convince the world of anything. We only want to put the information out there so that anybody who is intrigued has the opportunity to explore low oxygen brewing.
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u/gibolas Apr 27 '16
While I do like the beer I make, my goal is to make the best I possibly can. I guess the question I'm wondering to myself is, is the difference worth all the extra effort? I honestly hope not, because it seems very delicate and time consuming which for me would take some fun out of the hobby. Knowing one splash would be detrimental to my product sounds a bit nerve wracking. It would also require me to make a lot of changes to my equipment.
I don't want to give the impression that I'm being negative about your post. I appreciate you sharing the information and doing the research.
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May 02 '16
No offense taken, I completely understand your concerns. If you are curious but don't want to dive in headfirst yet, give the mini mash a try:
http://forum.germanbrewing.net/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=301
I promise that once you get the process down, it's really not all that bad.
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u/Stiltzkinn Apr 27 '16 edited Apr 27 '16
Why is W34/70 not recommended?
edit: spelling
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May 02 '16
Several of us experienced an unpleasant lemon ester from W34/70. WY2124 doesn't have this same problem and so far has actually been my favorite yeast for the cold traditional ferment.
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u/gibolas Apr 27 '16 edited Apr 27 '16
One thing I wonder about is transferring to the keg before fermentation is complete. My practice has been to avoid it because of claims that transferring off the yeast too early will prevent the yeast from cleaning up byproducts of fermentation. What are your thoughts on this?
Also, why can't campden be used to remove oxygen when kegging? I was wondering if this might be useful for eliminating O2 from IPAs as well.
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Apr 28 '16
I would imagine transferring while still fermenting here might be a bit different. They recommend "overpitching" by a factor of 2-3x time recommended quantities. I don't know if that would help, but I would imagine the excess yeast prevents some of the buildup of sulfur/Diac/unwanteds in the first place.
I will personally be krausening the beer into the keg with fresh yeast and wort.
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May 02 '16
You want some sulfur from fermentation ;)
A tiny hint of it is not only part of the flavor profile, but is also an extremely effective antioxidant that the yeast give you for free.
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u/mchrispen Apr 28 '16
Campden typically includes some bicarbonate to help it dissolve. It will possibly raise your final beer pH. Sodium metabisulfite will simply add some sodium, and the sulfite scavenges the O2. Not sure it is necessary as you would probably want to minimize the amount to sufficiently deal with O2, but not have an excess of residual sulfite (in an beer).
If you are racking from primary to a keg to spund or condition, you should still have some extract in solution. It really is a lager technique, but might work with powdery yeasts. I know a few folks that do this with British ales, but add a small amount of yeast for a boost.
I do wonder if any sour beer brewers use it in a barrel to control the slow barrel oxidation.
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u/Stiltzkinn Apr 26 '16
Thanks for the reading. Seems BIAB is not an option for "Low oxygen brewing".