Modern Homebrew Recipes (35 page)

32°F (0°C) lager 14 weeks

Sensory description:
Toast and caramel malt backbone with moderate bitterness and a slightly sweet corn adjunct character. Clean fermentation profile with a little malty sweetness in the finish and a light hop character.

Formulation notes:
There isn’t much information about this beer on the brewery’s web site, except that it’s a 5.9% beer and uses Styrian Goldings hops. The base malt and maize are traditional for adjunct beers. I could taste a richer flavor than just those alone, yet it isn’t as malt-rich as beers with all continental ingredients. I can taste the toasty malt, caramel, and corn, and the yeast profile reminds me of a Corona, so I chose ingredients accordingly.

Variations:
If you want to make a more upscale version of this beer, substitute more flavorful malts for the US varieties (German Pilsner malt for US two-row, Caramunich II for US C-40, UK Extra Dark Crystal for the US C-120). To get a beer more in the center of the International Amber Lager style, reduce the strength and bitterness to 5% and 18 IBUs.

CZECH DARK LAGER

Czech Dark Lager is like a hoppier Munich
dunkel,
often with a sweeter finish. Many different versions exist, so we’ll start off with a recipe for a traditional 12° beer. Czech beers are normally referred to by their strength (starting gravity in degrees Plato, so a 12°P beer is 1.048) and their color. So this beer is a 12°
tmavý ležák
(dark lager) beer.

Style:
Czech Dark Lager (New BJCP Style)

Description:
This version of Czech Dark Lager relies on more highly kilned base malts with some caramelly and chocolatey specialty malts. It has the sweet balance of the older traditional versions.

Ingredients:

Water treatment:

RO water treated with ¼ tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons

1 tsp CaCl
₂
in mash

Mash technique:

Step mash, mashout, dark grains added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

131°F (55°C) 15 minutes

147°F (64°C) 30 minutes

158°F (70°C) 30 minutes

170°F (77°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

7 gallons (26 L)

Boil length:

60 minutes

Final volume:

5.5 gallons (21 L)

Fermentation temp:

50°F (10°C) 2weeks

32°F (0°C) 12 weeks

Sensory description:
Malty, rich, toasty, and bready with mild caramel and light roast flavor, somewhat sweet tasting in the balance due to moderately low bitterness. Medium-full body. Restrained but noticeable spicy hop aroma and flavor.

Formulation notes:
When using fully-modified malts, a step mash works as a substitute (although most Czech brewers still use the traditional decoction mash). The base malts should provide a toasty and rich malty base with the specialty malts adding some caramel and chocolate flavors. The floor-malted Bohemian Pilsner malt from Weyermann can be used instead of the Vienna malt, particularly if a decoction mash is used. Saaz hops are traditional, so try to use those. Sterling would be a good US-produced substitute.

Variations:
Can be made in various strengths; if modifying, choose strength based on whole numbers when expressed in degrees Plato (1.044, 1.048, 1.052, 1.057, etc.). The balance can be adjusted to suit tastes; if you want to adjust caramel flavors, change the amount of Caramunich. If you want more malty richness, increase the dark Munich. If you want to make this as a decoction mashed beer, you can use the a single decoction
hochkurz
style at the same rest temperatures, pulling the decoction while resting at 145°F (63°C). This version represents the more traditional balance of the style, with a more sweet impression. Modern examples are often drier, have a higher bitterness (to give a somewhat bittersweet flavor), and more late hops. To brew one of these, increase the IBUs to around 30, and double the last hop addition.

HERE’S LOOKING AT U

U Flek
is the best known Czech Dark Lager. This recipe is based on the general parameters of that beer as well as notes taken from brewery visits. It’s offered as a contrast to the other Czech Dark Lager recipe to help illustrate the range of the style; it’s a 13°P beer, which would be called a
tmavé speciální pivo
(special dark beer, or simply a special) in the Czech Republic.

Style:
Czech Dark Lager (New BJCP Style)

Description:
This version is stronger than the previous example, and has a Pils malt base with some darker grains for color. It uses a double decoction mash and has more bitterness. Smooth palate with a creamy texture, rich bready and caramelly flavors with a mild, clean roasted character.
Balanced bitterness with a spicy fresh hop flavor and aroma that blends well with the deep malt character.

Ingredients:

Water treatment:

RO water treated with ¼ tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons

1 tsp CaCl
₂
in mash

Mash technique:

Hybrid step and double decoction, mashout, dark grains added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

99°F (37°C) 10 minutes

127°F (53°C) 15 minutes

Pull decoction, rest at 145°F (63°C) for 15 minutes, 163°F (73°C) for 15 minutes, boil 15 minutes, remix

145°F (63°C) 15 minutes

Pull decoction, rest at 163°F (73°C) for 15 minutes, boil 15 minutes, remix

163°F (73°C) 15 minutes

170°F (77°C) 20 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil length:

90 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

50°F (10°C) 2 weeks

32°F (0°C) 13 weeks

Sensory description:
Rich base malt with an impression of sweetness, malt lingering into finish. Medium body, lightly creamy, with a balanced bitterness. Mild spicy-peppery hop flavor and aroma.

Formulation notes:
Try the Weyermann floor-malted bohemian pilsner malt if you can’t find undermodified Czech pilsner malt. I haven’t tried the Weyermann Carabohemian malt yet, but I’m curious to see how it would work as a replacement for the Caramunich III. The first low-temperature rest can be omitted if fully modified malt is used. Use a thin mash to reduce the changes of scorching.

Variations:
Stronger version can be made; I’m fond of the 14°P (1.057) version. To scale up this recipe, add more Munich malt to make up the gravity differences. It’s OK to go up to 1:1 in Pils:Munich if you’d like. Scale up the bittering hops to keep the same IBUs. For a slightly roasted version, use the normal Carafa malt, not the dehusked special.

DUNKEL

This recipe won best of show in a local competition. When I asked the brewer, Darren Link, for the recipe, he laughed and reminded me that I had helped him formulate it a year earlier. I had given him some general advice on key ingredients, and he took it the rest of the way. Darren has since become a professional craft brewer, so I think his innate brewing skill had something to do with it, too. This is my version of Darren’s recipe using a different mash schedule. I’ll have to see if he’s rebrewed his so we can compare them side-by-side.

Style:
Munich Dunkel (Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
Rich malty intensity in a dark brown lager from Munich.

Ingredients:

Water treatment:

RO water treated with ¼ tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons

1 tsp CaCl
₂
in mash

Mash technique:

Step mash with decoction, mashout, dark grains added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

133°F (56°C) 5 minutes

147°F (64°C) 20 minutes

158°F (70°C) 30 minutes

Pull off most of the thin liquid and save; bring to a boil slowly, stirring constantly; boil the thick part of the mash gently for 30 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the thin part of the mash back in and remix.

166°F (75°C) 20 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil length:

90 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

50°F (10°C) for 2 weeks, then lager at 32°F (0°C) for 6 weeks.

Sensory description:
Rich maltiness with dark toasted bread flavor. Smooth lager character with gently supporting bitterness. Clean fermentation profile with a strongly malty aftertaste. Alcohol not noticeable.

Formulation notes:
This beer takes a few special ingredients. I love the dark Munich malt (Weyermann Munich II) in this recipe, since it has the rich bread crust flavor the style needs. I bump up the maltiness with Melanoidin malt, and adjust the color with Carafa Special II. The yeast is from Ayinger, and has a richly malty profile with low sulfur. Alternative yeasts are Wyeast 2124 or Saflager 34/70. The decoction mash adds to the malty smoothness, and it lagers sufficiently to sand off any sharp edges.