Alstadt Altbier 2.2

Posted on by

I love it when I have honed a house recipe, and altbier is one of my annual favorites. This is largely similar to what I made previously; the 2024 version is my fifth brew of the recipe! Compared to last year, I altered the CaraMunich addition to include a blend of Caramel Munich 60L (Briess) and Caramunich II, versus just Caramunich I as I did last year. Because the 2023 version was a bit harsh on bitterness, I swapped out the Magnum hops and went with Spalt alone for the hop additions. Finally, I used a blend of K-97 and Köln dry yeasts; sadly, Köln’s days are numbered in my brewery, because it has been discontinued by Lallemand.

Alstadt Alt 2.2

  • 6.5 lb. pilsner malt (Rahr)
  • 1.5 lb. Munich I malt (Weyermann)
  • 1.5 lb. Vienna malt (Weyermann)
  • 0.5 lb. Caramel Munich 60L (Briess)
  • 0.5 lb. Caramunich II malt (Weyermann)
  • 2 oz. Carafa Special I malt (Weyermann)
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, added to mash
  • 2.0 oz. Spalt Spalter hop pellets (4.3% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1.0 oz. Spalt Spalter hop pellets (4.3% alpha), 5 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1 pkg. Köln Kölsch Style Ale Yeast (Lallemand)
  • 1 pkg. SafAle German Ale yeast K-97 (Fermentis)

Target Parameters

  • 1.048 s.g., 1.011 f.g., 4.9% abv, 35 IBU, 14 SRM
  • 60 minute infusion mash, full volume, 152°
  • Claremont tap water treated with Campden tablet

Procedure

  • I mashed in with 7.5 gallons of water at 157°, to hit a mash temperature of 152°. I added 4 mL of 88% lactic acid and held the mash here (with recirculation) for 60 minutes, before raising to 168° for the 10 minute mash-out.
  • After removing the grain basket, I had 6.5 gallons of wort with a gravity of 1.043, for an efficiency of 71%.
  • I brought the runnings to a boil, adding malt and finings per the recipe. After the 60 minute boil, I chilled to 80° and transferred to the fermenter. I let it chill a bit down to 60° in the fermentation chamber, before pitching the yeast and setting the fermentation temperature to 64°. I ended up using a mix of yeast, because the K-97 was a year past expiration.
  • I brewed the beer on 11 August 2024, and it had a starting gravity of 1.051.
  • I let the beer free-rise to 66° on 22 August 2024, when I started fermenting a pale ale. Finally, I let the beer finish at ambient on 22 August, around 75° to 80°.
  • I kegged the beer on 23 August 2024, and it had a final gravity of 1.011. This works out to 5.3% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Deep copper color, very clear, with a fine and reasonably persistent ivory colored head.
  • Aroma
    • Bread crust malt aroma at the front, along with dark caramel. A slight touch of spicy hop aroma.
  • Flavor
    • Relatively bitter beer; malt flavor is of dark breadcrest and rich mattiness. I pick up some dried fruit character, from the malt/yeast interplay.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium body, medium carbonation, slightly dry finish.
  • Would I brew this again?
    • This remains a wonderful althier recipe, despite slight tweaks over the years. It took a bit of time to clear, but is now fantastic! I love this beer!
  • Overall
    • 10/10

2 thoughts on “Alstadt Altbier 2.2”

  1. Looks mighty tasty! Have you ever tried using Cologne malt as replacement for some of the Pilsner? Friend in my club, coincidently named Andy also, swears by it in his Altbiers and killed it on the comp circuit with in back in the days before going pro. It adds a little more depth of flavor supposedly.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I will need to try that sometime! I used Schill’s Kölsch malt once, and it was pretty tasty (although a bit much for the kölsch style if I used it 100%!). Definitely had some flavor — I remember it as like 2-row pale malt on steroids. An altbier would be an excellent home for that kind of malt!

    Like

Comments are closed.