Lilum
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- Sep 19, 2019
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So, as you can see by the title, this is going to be my first brew. I posted a long while ago here in the forums asking about the difference between batch sparging and decoction mashing (lol). I've since learned that one of these isn't a mashing process, but I digress.
ANYWAY, my first post here on the site is all the introduction necessary. This here's a recipe I've almost completely ripped from user @passedpawn shared back in 2012: The Ollie Alt. All my obsessive research on this topic has led me to this grain bill:
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Recipe Type: All Grain
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So yeah, that's the recipe. You'll spot two differences in the recipe. The first is that I'm using Carafa II instead of Chocolate Wheat, but this is more a cuz o' the circumstances choice as it's hard to find a website here in France that has what I'm looking for in stock, and crushable. I'm brewing on a budget here, waiting for parts to come in to build my Igloo Mash Tun. Sadly, homebrew stores in France, from what I've seen, are very few and far between.
Secondly, Saaz, Saaz, and more Saaz houblons. I'm somewhat torn on this one, and I'm very much open to a convincing argument as to why so much Saaz is not a good exclusive hop to use, but hear me out. MoreBeer's article on Brewing in Styles: Altbier lists somewhere in that article that Zatec (or Saaz hops) are occasionally used in alt recipes. Additionally, they mention that my All Time Favorite No. 1 Beer, Füchschen Alt, uses exclusively Saaz hops.
As it's a small brew batch, it won't be hard to hit the amount of Saaz necessary to act as bittering hops. Also, a lot of people have described this beer as having a strong dry, herbal, earthy, or minerally finish. Whether this is due to the Saaz or just a hearty helping of Magnum tossed into the wort is unknown to me, and whether they've changed it from when PassedPawn last visited the Brauerei is something I don't think I'll be able to find out very easily unless I go visit the brewers directly (ain't happening any time soon, that's for sure).
Here is where I'd like some help, however. I'm struggling to find a mash type that I wanna start out with, and I've kinda narrowed it down. I don't think I wanna do a double (or even a triple, for that matter) decoction quite yet, as this is my first brew. However, I'd also like to eek a liiiiittle bit of complexity into the brew day process just for the hell of it. This would be by either doing a step mash from acid rest directly to saccharification rest (I've heard poor things about protein rests and basic malts like Pils/Caramunichs) or doing this nifty method I found while browsing various alt recipes. Either way, I plan on vorlaufing but my choice between fly sparge and batch sparge is still torn.
That being said, I've plugged my strike/sparge numbers into a calculator and come up with this total amount of water needed. If it seems too thin, too thick, in between, lemme know!
I'll be using three 5 liter jugs of mineral water balanced at a PH of around 7.5-7.7, although if I can locate some spring water jugs with a lower PH (7.3ish range, like the stuff I use for my coffee brewing water cuz I'm a coffee nerd too), I'll probably go for those instead.
Looking forward to hearing feedback on this recipe! I'll probably be brewing late February as the ball valve + bazooka filter I ordered for the Igloo conversion are slated to arrive on the 20th, a couple weeks after everything else.
Cheers, Prost, happy brewing, and stay safe out there!
ANYWAY, my first post here on the site is all the introduction necessary. This here's a recipe I've almost completely ripped from user @passedpawn shared back in 2012: The Ollie Alt. All my obsessive research on this topic has led me to this grain bill:
--------------------------------------------
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Wyeast 1007 German Ale
Batch Size: 10 Liters
Estimated OG (According to Brewer's Friend Efficiency Calc): 1.050
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.013
Boiling Time: 60 Minutes
IBUs: 39
Color: 14 SRM
Primary Fermentation Time: 7-10 Days
Secondary Fermentation/Lagering Time: 3-5 Weeks
Grain Bill:
1.875 kg German Pilsner Malt (89.3%)
125 g Caramunich III Malt (6%)
50 g Carafa II Malt (2.4%)
50 g Acid Malt (2.4%)
Hop Schedule:
30 g Saaz Hops - ( 26.8% ) - IBUs 28.17
30 g Saaz Hops - ( 20.6% ) - IBUs 10.82
--------------------------------------------
So yeah, that's the recipe. You'll spot two differences in the recipe. The first is that I'm using Carafa II instead of Chocolate Wheat, but this is more a cuz o' the circumstances choice as it's hard to find a website here in France that has what I'm looking for in stock, and crushable. I'm brewing on a budget here, waiting for parts to come in to build my Igloo Mash Tun. Sadly, homebrew stores in France, from what I've seen, are very few and far between.
Secondly, Saaz, Saaz, and more Saaz houblons. I'm somewhat torn on this one, and I'm very much open to a convincing argument as to why so much Saaz is not a good exclusive hop to use, but hear me out. MoreBeer's article on Brewing in Styles: Altbier lists somewhere in that article that Zatec (or Saaz hops) are occasionally used in alt recipes. Additionally, they mention that my All Time Favorite No. 1 Beer, Füchschen Alt, uses exclusively Saaz hops.
As it's a small brew batch, it won't be hard to hit the amount of Saaz necessary to act as bittering hops. Also, a lot of people have described this beer as having a strong dry, herbal, earthy, or minerally finish. Whether this is due to the Saaz or just a hearty helping of Magnum tossed into the wort is unknown to me, and whether they've changed it from when PassedPawn last visited the Brauerei is something I don't think I'll be able to find out very easily unless I go visit the brewers directly (ain't happening any time soon, that's for sure).
Here is where I'd like some help, however. I'm struggling to find a mash type that I wanna start out with, and I've kinda narrowed it down. I don't think I wanna do a double (or even a triple, for that matter) decoction quite yet, as this is my first brew. However, I'd also like to eek a liiiiittle bit of complexity into the brew day process just for the hell of it. This would be by either doing a step mash from acid rest directly to saccharification rest (I've heard poor things about protein rests and basic malts like Pils/Caramunichs) or doing this nifty method I found while browsing various alt recipes. Either way, I plan on vorlaufing but my choice between fly sparge and batch sparge is still torn.
That being said, I've plugged my strike/sparge numbers into a calculator and come up with this total amount of water needed. If it seems too thin, too thick, in between, lemme know!
I'll be using three 5 liter jugs of mineral water balanced at a PH of around 7.5-7.7, although if I can locate some spring water jugs with a lower PH (7.3ish range, like the stuff I use for my coffee brewing water cuz I'm a coffee nerd too), I'll probably go for those instead.
Looking forward to hearing feedback on this recipe! I'll probably be brewing late February as the ball valve + bazooka filter I ordered for the Igloo conversion are slated to arrive on the 20th, a couple weeks after everything else.
Cheers, Prost, happy brewing, and stay safe out there!
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