IDEA
The first grodziskie I tried was the magnificent Dëwla from Pänel Brewery. Although it was a grodziskie, it was hardly a traditional beer with its dry hop addition. Hyped up on this new experience, I decided to brew one myself, but there was a minor issue: originally grodziskie requires polish hops and a specific yeast. Neither of these is available in Hungarian homebrew shops.
Recipe
The yeast can be substituted with any German Ale strain, but I used Skare based on my previous experiences (also because I had a fresh harvest in my fridge). Regarding the hops, I used German and Czech varieties.
Stats:
Est. OG: 1.030
Est. FG: 1.008
ABV 2.8%
Color: 2.9 SRM
IBU: 30.3
Est. Brewhouse Efficiency: 82%
Boil-Time: 60 minutes
Water Profile: Grodziskie
| 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 | 60 |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | Percentage | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weyermann Oak Smoked Wheat Malt | 2.3 kg | 5.07 lb | 85.2% | |||||||
| Rice Hulls | 0.4 kg | 0.88 lb | 14.8% |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | IBU | Alpha Acid | Time (minute) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnum | 11.5g | 0.41 oz | 21.8 | 12.5% | 60 | |||||
| Hallertau Tradition | 17g | 0.71 oz | 4.4 | 4.7% | 10 | |||||
| Saaz | 20g | 0.60 oz | 4.1 | 3.75% | 10 |
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.04L | 5.82 gal | 5L | 1.32 gal | 55 ppm | 25 ppm | 32 ppm | 145 ppm | 67 ppm | 80 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
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. The aroma of the smoked wheat malt immediately filled the room, which was amazing.
After the protein rest, while heating to mash temperature, I measured the PH of the wort. It was well above the optimal range, with a value of 5.73, to lower the PH, I added 5.5ml (0.19 fl oz) of 80% lactic acid.
The pre-boil gravity was 1.025, which is 0.001 below the predicted 1.026, so I continued the brewday with no correction.
I measured the hop additions, while heating up the wort to boil.
At the start of the boil, I added the magnum hops to the kettle. After 50 minutes, it was time for the saaz and tradition hops to join the pool with the adjuncts.
After the boil was done, I cooled down the wort to 30C (86F) and measured the OG. The measured gravity was 0.002 points below the predicted 1.030 (with temperature adjustment).
The yeast chewed through this light beer, and after 6 days I kegged it. While fermenting, the temperature was between 25C (77F) - 30.6C (87.08F), with an average of 27.3C (81.14F).
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 1.004 (1.006 with correction), which is marginally below the predicted 1.008.
Tasting
First week: In its smell beer had a distinct smoked aroma, which is expected from such a grain bill. The taste was very subtle and refreshing, dominated by the smoked malt, with slight citrusy/herbal notes from the hops.
Later on: The smoky notes mellowed out, but still remained dominant. Other than that, there was no actual change in its taste in the last two months.
Conclusion
I don’t know how close is this brew to an original Grodziskie. What I know is that I will brew this beer many times more in the future. The taste is unique (it’s not like a rauchbier) and refreshing, a perfect summer crusher, but has enough complexity for the winter too. If you love smoked food or have a fondness for rauchbier, then I can’t recommend enough this style.