IDEA
The first time I tried a schwarzbier was a few years ago at a beer festival. There were booths where they served Köstritzer. I really liked the beer, but in Hungary they are the only widely available brand of schwarzbier so I never really had the chance to experience other brands. When I started homebrewing, I bought the Mashmaker from Michael Dawson, in this book resides today's recipe. This is my first time brewing this style of beer, so I was very excited to get my hands dirty.
Recipe
There are two things I changed in the recipe. First of all this is not a real lager, I will use Skare Kveik to achieve lager like properties without the fuss, also the book does not provide a water profile.
Stats:
Est. OG: 1.052
Est. FG: 1.014
ABV 5%
Color: 23.8 SRM
IBU: 29.1
Est. Brewhouse Efficiency: 82%
Boil-Time: 75 minutes
Water Profile: Munich, Germany
| Name | Temperature (Metric) | Temperature (US) | Time (minute) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protein Rest | 51C | 123.8F | 25 | |||||||
| Mash In | 67C | 152.6F | 60 | |||||||
| Mash Out | 75.6C | 168.08F | 10 | |||||||
| Boil | 100C | 212F | 75 |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | Percentage | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weyermann Munich I | 2.3 kg | 5.07 lb | 57.5% | |||||||
| Weyermann Pilsner | 1.4 kg | 3.09 lb | 35% | |||||||
| Weyermann Carafa III | 0.2 kg | 0.44 lb | 5% | |||||||
| Weyermann Caraaroma | 0.1 kg | 0.22 lb | 2.5% |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | IBU | Alpha Acid | Time (minute) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hallertau Mittlefrüh | 45g | 1.59 oz | 23.2 | 4.1% | 60 | |||||
| Hallertau Mittlefrüh | 20g | 0.71 oz | 5.1 | 4.1% | 15 |
| Name | Producer | Type | Style | Dry Alternatives | Liquid Alternatives | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skare | YeasterBunny | Dry | Skare Kveik | - | Escarpmentlabs - Krispy |
| Strike Water (Metric) | Strike Water (US) | Sparge Water (Metric) | Sparge Water (US) | Ca | Mg | Na | SO4 | Cl | HCO3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.19L | 3.75 gal | 14.82L | 3.92 gal | 75 ppm | 20 ppm | 10 ppm | 10 ppm | 2 ppm | 200 ppm |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | Time (minute) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeast Nutrient | 2g | 0.07 oz | 15 | |||||||
| Supermoss | 4g | 0.14 oz | 15 | |||||||
| L-Ascorbic Acid | 3g | 0.11 oz | 60 |
Brewday
Since I already collected the RO water yesterday, I only needed to crush the malts to begin the brewday.
I've added the crushed malts and the L-Ascorbic Acid to the kettle. While doing this, I stirred the water to avoid clumping and dry spots.
Fifteen minutes into the protein rest, I measured the PH of the wort. The meter showed a value of 5.67, so I added 5.7ml of 80% lactic acid.
After the acid addition, the PH went below the recommended range to a value of 5.16.
The pre-boil gravity was 1.042, which is 0.001 below the predicted 1.043, so I continued the brewday with no correction.
While the wort was heating up, I prepared the hops.
When the wort reached boil, I added the bittering addition and at 15 minutes, it was time to add the flavoring hops and the adjuncts.
After the boil was done I cooled down the wort to 30C (86F) and measured the OG. The hydrometer showed a gravity of 1.048 which is 1.051 with temperature correction.
This was the first time I used the Skare strain and even though this is a fast fermenting strain, I gave it plenty of time to eat all the sugars it can. During these 14 days, the temperature was between 24.8C (76.64F) - 31C (87.8F), with an average of 26.3C (79.34F).
Please note that the gravity readings by my iSpindel are used for the tracking of the fermentation and should not be taken as specific gravity.
The final gravity came out at 1.011 (1.012 with correction), which is slightly below the predicted 1.014.
Tasting
First week: The beer had a strong dark chocolate, cocoa like aroma with a pleasant flavor that carries these notes and complements it with malty sweetness. The uniqueness of this style of beer is that there is no trace of any burnt flavor. The mouthfeel was very smooth, but refreshing.
Later on: With time the beer smoothened out and became a well rounded, slightly sweet chocolatey beverage which is pleasant to drink any time the year.
Conclusion
This was my first time brewing a Schwarzbier and the first time using the Skare strain of yeast. I think the beer turned out exceptionally, thanks to Michael Dawson, the original author of this recipe. As for Skare, I think it’s a great yeast, however resembles more like a German Ale type of strain, than a German Lager. I will definitely test its capabilities in other recipes. I will also brew a schwarzbier in the near future based on this recipe, with some roasted barley and smoked malt.