1 Gallon Celebrator Clone attempt, need advice

[edin88]

Hi,

Just today I decided I’m going to start brewing 1 gallon batches to improve my brewing. The biggest benefit of this I think will be that I’ll be able to brew lagers because they can fit in my mini fridge. So I want to brew something like Ayinger’s Celebrator, because DAMN I love that beer.

AND because I’m doing this on my stove-top, I can do a triple decoction. I’ve also heard people saying it’s a 4 hour boil? Is that with the decoctions included because that seems like a crazy long boil. Has anyone brewed a successful Celebrator clone? Everything I could find on here was sort of old and I didn’t really hear from anyone who had brewed it and reviewed it.

Some questions: How long does one lager this and at what temps? Is a 1L starter overkill for this, should I just pitch one vial and call it a day? If I do a triple decoction and a 4 hour boil, can I afford to just use nothing but Munich malt and still get all the complex flavors and dark colors? I’ve never done anything more than an hour boil and have never done a lager or decoction but with a 1 gallon batch I feel safe experimenting.

I’ll probably think of some more questions along the way, as I see this being quite an undertaking.

-Edin

 

[TrickyDick]

Hi,

Just today I decided I’m going to start brewing 1 gallon batches to improve my brewing. The biggest benefit of this I think will be that I’ll be able to brew lagers because they can fit in my mini fridge. So I want to brew something like Ayinger’s Celebrator, because DAMN I love that beer.

AND because I’m doing this on my stove-top, I can do a triple decoction. I’ve also heard people saying it’s a 4 hour boil? Is that with the decoctions included because that seems like a crazy long boil. Has anyone brewed a successful Celebrator clone? Everything I could find on here was sort of old and I didn’t really hear from anyone who had brewed it and reviewed it.

Some questions: How long does one lager this and at what temps? Is a 1L starter overkill for this, should I just pitch one vial and call it a day? If I do a triple decoction and a 4 hour boil, can I afford to just use nothing but Munich malt and still get all the complex flavors and dark colors? I’ve never done anything more than an hour boil and have never done a lager or decoction but with a 1 gallon batch I feel safe experimenting.

I’ll probably think of some more questions along the way, as I see this being quite an undertaking.

-Edin

Over at braukaiser, there is a recipe for a dopplebock. I would model your recipe after that and try and modify grain bill and adjust for what the celebrator specs and grist call for. It should give you a good framework, and I think it mentions it is already pretty close to celebrator.

To calculate your yeast requirements, I would definitely use yeastcalc and figure out what it the recommend cell count. It's going to probably shock you what the pitch rate is.

I don't think its a four hour boil, but probably a four hour mash when you include all the decoctions and rests plus the boiling of the decoctions. With only 1 gallon you'll be lucky to have any beer left after four hours without adding additional water. Speaking of which, be sure to use some brewing software for this to get a good idea on your hop utilization and the boil volume so as not to end up overly bitter.

I did my first decoction a few weeks back and it was a lot of work but 10x size what you're planning. I'm not so sure I would go through all the effort for 1 gal and then use only one malt, even if it is Munich. Check out braukaiser recipe and see what you think.

Good luck

TD

 

[edin88]

Thanks, what is braukaiser can you send me a link?

 

[TrickyDick]

Thanks, what is braukaiser can you send me a link?

I believe it is just

Www.braukaiser.com

Forum member Kai I believe maintains the site.

TD