IDEA
Vienna Lager is one of my favorite type of lager, however I never brewed one. As Oktoberfest was inevitable coming I thought what better time to finally brew this style. To achive the classic flavor notes, I used melanoidin malt and a blend of base malts.
Recipe
Stats:
Est. OG: 1.050
Est. FG: 1.010
ABV 5.2%
Color: 9 SRM
IBU: 26
Est. Brewhouse Efficiency: 70%
Boil-Time: 75 minutes
Water Profile: Vienna, Austria
| Name | Temperature (Metric) | Temperature (US) | Time (minute) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protein Rest | 51℃ | 123.8℉ | 25 | |||||||
| Mash In | 67℃ | 152.6℉ | 60 | |||||||
| Mash Out | 75.6℃ | 168.08℉ | 10 | |||||||
| Boil | 100℃ | 212℉ | 75 |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | Percentage | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weyermann Vienna | 1.7 kg | 3.75 lb | 43.6% | |||||||
| Weyermann Munich I | 0.9 kg | 1.98 lb | 23.1% | |||||||
| Crisp Finest Maris Otter | 0.7 kg | 1.54 lb | 17.9% | |||||||
| Weyermann Melanoidin | 0.6 kg | 1.32 lb | 15.4% |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | IBU | Alpha Acid | Time (minute) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnum | 10g | 0.35 oz | 16.4 | 12.5% | 60 | |||||
| Hallertau Mittlefrüh | 20g | 0.71 oz | 6.5 | 4.1% | 20 | |||||
| Hallertau Tradition | 13.8g | 0.49 oz | 3.1 | 4.7% | 10 |
| Name | Producer | Type | Style | Dry Alternatives | Liquid Alternatives | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lutra | YeasterBunny | Dry | Lutra Kveik | Omega Yeast - Dried Lutra | Omega Yeast - Lutra |
| Strike Water (Metric) | Strike Water (US) | Sparge Water (Metric) | Sparge Water (US) | Ca | Mg | Na | SO4 | Cl | HCO3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.6L | 4.12 gal | 13.3L | 3.51 gal | 200 ppm | 60 ppm | 8 ppm | 125 ppm | 12 ppm | 120 ppm |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | Time (minute) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeast Nutrient | 1g | 0.04 oz | 15 | |||||||
| Supermoss | 4g | 0.14 oz | 15 | |||||||
| L-Ascorbic Acid | 3g | 0.11 oz | Strike Water before mash |
Brewday
In the morning I crushed the malts, as I already collected the RO water the day before.
While stirring the water, I added the crushed malts.
Ten minutes after the start of the mash, I checked the pH of the wort. The value was slightly higher than the optimal, so I added 0.3ml of 80% lactic acid.
This small amount of acid was enough to lower the pH to a more favorable value.
Before the end of the mash I made an iodine test, which showed that no starch left in the wort. I proceeded with the sparging and after that I measured the pre-boil gravity. The gravity was 0.001 point higher than the expected, so I started to heat the wort.
While the wort was heating, I measured the hop additions.
Because the boil time was 75 minutes, the first addition was added after 15 minutes. Then I added the rest of the hops at the stated times.
After the wort was chilled down to 32℃ (89.6℉), I measured the original gravity. The OG was 0.003 points higher than the expected 1.050.
The fermentation was done within 8 days. The temperature was between 23.6℃ (74.48℉) - 30.5℃ (86.9℉), with an average of 26℃ (78.8℉).
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 1.010, which is perfect.
Tasting
First week: The dominant aroma of the beer was full of bready and malt sweet notes, with the spiciness of hops at the background. The color was a bit more deeper, than an average vienna lager would look like and was more on the side of a Märzen. The taste was very much off, with too much sweetness and bitterness. The body was very hazy, which is expected from such a fresh beer.
Later on: As time passed the beer started too clear up (although not by much) and the herbal notes started to fade.
Conclusion
The beer had a good base, but was ruined with bad hop additions and too much melanoidin malt. The sweetness and the bitterness was chaotic, both tried to overpower the other. I can’t recommend this recipe, however in the future I will work on the recipe to achieve a good vienna lager. Sadly this beer does not released me from my abstinence.