Since last update, I’ve been doing a ton of brewing–nearly a batch every week! Perhaps the most satisfying thing, though, was reorganizing my brewing space. It had been close to a year since the last major cleaning and reorganization, and it sorely needed some attention. I tossed out trash, reorganized my malts, put some brewing salts into jars, and so on. Organization is only temporary, of course, but it’s a nice kind of temporary.
Stygimoloch Bock
Beer Batch Updates
My Christmas Warmer has been conditioning for about a month now, and with another week or two should be ready to drink.
I kegged the session stout on 22 November, and started the carbonation with corn sugar. It finished up carbonation from the CO2 tank, and is now on tap.
The rebrew of Tremonia Lager just got kegged tonight. It’s happily lagering at 33° now, and will go on tap after the Pfriem Pils clone. So, it should get a good stretch of time to condition out!
On 21 November, I brewed a clone of Avery Brewing’s Maharaja IPA (“Mahajanga IPA”). This was my first super high gravity batch on the Foundry, and I definitely missed my numbers by a bit. I aimed for 1.088, and hit 1.077–after adding a pound of DME. This works out to about 59% mash efficiency. With the experience, though, I have a better idea of the efficiencies I can expect to achieve on the system, so future high gravity recipes will hopefully be more predictable. I’ll be kegging it in the next few days, with some dry hops.
On 5 December, I brewed “Aspiration Ale,” a clone of the 90 Shilling Ale from Odell Brewing. I had been wanting a red ale of sorts, and this take will definitely be in that realm. It smelled amazing on the mash–I hope this bodes well for the final product! Incidentally, this is also the first brew on the Anvil Foundry where I felt like I had a good handle on the whole process from start to finish. Practice makes perfect! I hit 68% mash efficiency, right where I want to be for a no-sparge brew.
What’s On Tap?
Stygimoloch Bock is drinking super nicely right now. It’s such an amazing fall/winter beer, and I’m pretty happy with the latest iteration of the recipe. I have a feeling that this keg won’t last very long.
“See See IPA” just went on tap (an homage to the song “See See Rider”, and a bad pun on the two “C” hops–Chinook and Cascade–that I used in the dry hop phase). It’s a modified rebrew of the Wildfire IPA I did earlier this year, mostly just adjusting the hops varieties. The beer started fairly hazy, but dropped reasonably clear after a few days. The flavor is pretty great, too. It’s a classic “Old School” West Coast IPA. For this batch, the dry hops are floating loose in the keg, and I threw a hop screen on the intake tube for my ClearBeer draft setup.
My session stout went on tap today, and is really, really nice. It’s beautifully clear, has robust malt character, and goes down pretty easy. It’s exactly what I want in a winter-season session beer, and the batch clocks in just shy of 3% abv by my calculations!
What’s Coming Up?
This coming weekend, I’m doing a half-batch (~3 gallons) of a Houblon Chouffe clone. It is another high gravity recipe, but learning from my past experience I feel like I’ve got a better shot of hitting my targets on this version! The beer is a Belgian IPA, which is a fairly new style and one I don’t think I’ve ever done before. I have fond memories of drinking it on tap at a local Belgian beer taphouse (in the Before Times), so want to give a try for my own version.
I have a fair bit of beer on-hand, and don’t really need to brew more. But, I need the relaxation that a Saturday morning brew provides. I think I’ll probably be doing some half-size batches, which scratch the itch and give me an opportunity to experiment a bit with reduced risk.
Other Notes
I’ve cycled through base malts fairly quickly as of late, and had to restock from my local homebrew shop. They’ve been carrying some of the Viking malts lately, and I got a 2-row pale malt as well as a pilsner malt, just to try something different. I also snagged a sack of Crisp’s Maris Otter malt, so put in some English-style batches in the next few months.
After considering a multitude of factors, I recently decided to check out an electric brewing system. I wanted the ability to more easily do step mashes, as well as the ability to recirculate my mash for better clarity. Finally, I was ready to be done with propane refills (especially during the days of coronavirus, with the possibility of variable supplies and variable masking behavior out “in the wild”).
Following a week or two of research, I settled on the Anvil Foundry 10.5 gallon brewing system. First, the cost (<$500 for the version with pump) seemed fairly reasonable, and the reviews for quality and reliability were solid. The heating element was particularly well rated, and had high marks for excellent heating plus minimal risk of scorching. The ability to switch between 120 and 240 voltage was also a plus in the long-term. Even though I’m limited to 120 for the time being, I like the idea of having the option open. The final selling point for me was that the controls are supposed to be dead-simple and all on-board the unit, rather than hiding behind a Bluetooth-connected Android app. I want a system that will still work after I upgrade my phone, or when my wifi is down, or if the unit’s software is “helpfully” updated.
Luckily, I managed to buy direct from Anvil on a 10% discount sale, and they had free shipping! It took about two weeks for the setup to arrive, and I eagerly unboxed it as soon as it hit my doorstep.
In terms of options, I got the recirculation pump kit, along with the small-batch adapter. I normally work with 5 gallon batches, and don’t see that changing in the future, but I do occasionally want to brew 2.5 or 3 gallon batches. The steel insert to adapt for small batches is supposed to improve efficiency in that case, by preventing recirculated mash runnings from just flowing over the top of the grain bed, rather than through it.
Hands-On Review
At this writing, I’ve brewed seven batches with the system. This includes 5 gallon batches of a German pils, American IPA, Dortmunder Export, Scottish export ale, and stout, as well as a 3 gallon batch each of a moderate-strength winter ale and an imperial IPA. This review will be based on that experience, with the caveat that I’m still learning the system.
Unboxing
That’s one big box.
This system is a snap to unbox and set up. The packaging was super sturdy, but also easy to open up. I didn’t do it all in one sitting, but I would estimate it took about an hour to pull out all of the pieces, do the minor bits of assembly, and clean the equipment prior to brewing. I filled up the rig with PBW and ran a test of the pump, followed by a quick rinse with hot water. The goal was to clean off any manufacturing oil, and have it all ready for brew day.
Foundry in Action
For my first brew on the Foundry, I went with a German pils using a step mash. I figured this would help me to explore some of the features of the system, while also producing a tasty beer!
This recipe required around 7 gallons of water. My usual procedure is to use hot tap water, to save on time and energy. Starting at around 115°, it took about 30 minutes to reach my strike temperature of 146° and a mash temperature of 142°. After a 60 minute mash at this temperature, I then raised the mash to a temperature of 158°, which took around 20 minutes. I started off with 75% power, but realized I should just up it to 100% to move things along more quickly. I then notched in back to 75% when the temperature was achieved. Finally, it took about seven minutes at 100% power to get up to the mash-out temperature of 168°. This is in the ballpark of roughly a minute per degree of temperature increase that I’ve seen cited elsewhere.
Recirculation was pretty easy and intuitive. The pump worked well, and I didn’t have any clogging issues. The one minor change I made is that I decided not to use the perforated metal disk that’s supposed to cascade the returning mash runnings across the top of the mash. That just seems like a recipe for hot-side aeration. Now, I’m not a low-oxygen zealot, but I do try to minimize splashing. 45 to 60 minutes of continual splashing is a risk I didn’t want to take. So, I ran a length of tubing from the return pipe directly onto the top of the mash. I had minor concerns about channeling, but I figured that the slow rate of return on the liquid minimized that risk. For my latest batch, I added a nylon t-junction to spit the wort out in two different directions (see picture towards the end of this post). I’m going to keep playing with this aspect of the system, because I do think the factory standard metal plate is a bit overly complicated. I suspect that as long as you’re not shooting a jet of runnings straight into the grain bed, you’re probably going to avoid channeling.
After removing the mashed grains, it took 50 minutes to bring the kettle to a boil at 100 percent power. I noted that it was boiling before the panel actually showed 212 degrees. As I read up on this online, it seems to be a known “quirk” of the Foundry that the thermometer is calibrated well for mash temperatures, but not at the limits of boiling. This isn’t a huge issue in my book, but good to know.
I recirculated during chilling, both to speed up the process as well as to sanitize the pump for transfer to the fermenter. As before, I used a silicone hose to return the wort below the surface of the liquid, preventing aeration. As many have done before me, I am going to replace the hoses on the chiller–they’re a bit flimsy, and don’t do well if they get too hot.
Transfer to the fermenter is a cinch using the pump. One thing I learned is to plan to throw out the first cup or two of wort, because it often will have a ton of trub. After that, it ran pretty clear.
Cleaning isn’t too bad, and I have honed my process after a few batches. First, I have to get rid of the dregs of the wort–unfortunately, this most easily involves picking up the unit and tipping it into the sink. Thankfully it’s not too heavy. I do a quick rinse next, and then fill up the kettle with PBW and hot water. I put in all of the equipment bits I want to clean, including the grain basket, and then recirculate with the pump. I pump the solution out, spray things down with hot water and pump that out too, and the repeat the hot water rinse. Done and done on the cleaning!
The “Like List”
The controls are dead-simple, and pretty intuitive. After the first batch, I had all of that under control!
This unit seems solidly built, but it’s not overly bulky. When empty, it’s pretty easy to move around.
The pump kit makes transfer and recirculation a snap. I really, really, really, advise getting the mash recirculation kit with pump, or else rig up your own equivalent.
Along the same lines, the pump itself is simple to disassemble and clean.
This unit is pretty easy to clean, especially if you have a stock of PBW. If you do a lot of brewing, I highly recommend getting a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff!
It’s really nice to be able to do step mashes with little extra effort.
As I get into the rhythm of a single kettle brewing system, I’m really enjoying the simplicity. There’s still stuff to do, of course, but it has been nice to pare back things like the mash tun, propane burner, etc.
I used the delay timer to heat up the water for my most recent batch, and quite like it.
The “Caution List”
The gasket on the lid comes off super easy, and is a big pain to get into place. Because I’m not distilling with this unit, I have just left the gasket off.
It’s easy to tiptoe to the edge of danger if the hardware on the out port isn’t fully tightened (or is overtightened). The various nuts and gaskets should be checked carefully before every brew session.
The temperature readout is not terribly accurate when you’re out of mash temperature range (as noted above). Also, when you’re not recirculating, the temperature reading may not match well what is going on in the rest of the mash.
Don’t press down on the grain basket (e.g., to squeeze the grains) when you have it resting on the kettle insert. The insert will come loose pretty easily under excess pressure, so if you need to squeeze you should just put the grain basket into a separate container. After the main drain is done, I put it in one of my old brew kettles for the final drain (and squeeze if necessary).
The default hoses on the chiller are fairly cheap vinyl, and will warp really easily if you’re not careful around the hot kettle. I’m swapping mine out, because I already had to cut and reattach the factory standard ones when they got a little too close to the kettle during a small batch brew.
I wish the switch on the pump was just a little farther from the motor itself. From a safety standpoint, the switch is prone to sitting on the floor, and thus sitting in any spilled liquids.
5 gallon batches of high gravity beer are not a great match for this system, unless you use extract, reiterated mashes, or some other process. That said, this is a non-issue for me, because A) I rarely brew beers over 1.065 starting gravity; and B) when I do, it’s typically in 2 or 3 gallon batch sizes.
Andy’s Anvil Hacks, Tips, and Tricks
My bagged hop technique
How to handle hops? I’ve tried a few methods already, and settled on using a big bag setting in the kettle (see photo). I drape it over the side, and it is easy enough to open up and toss more hops in without handling boiling liquids. Loose pellet hops work okay if you have a relatively small rate of hopping, but I won’t even try it with whole cones. They’re just too likely to clog the outlet and/or pump. Individual bagged hop doses thrown into the kettle work okay also, but you absolutely have to remove them before chilling / hop whirlpooling with pump / transfer to fermenter, because once again they tend to clog up the out port. I decided against a hop spider, because mine isn’t quite tall enough to work well with most batches, and because it would be a pain to deal with when putting the chiller into the relatively narrow kettle.
This “hack” isn’t mine by any means, but I do recommend using a good fine-mesh brew bag inside the malt pipe during the mash. It makes clean-up of the pipe soooo much easier, and the bag itself is a snap to clean, too. This also means you can crush finer, and get correspondingly better efficiencies. Binder clips will effectively hold it in place against the brew pot.
To save heating time, I use hot water out of the tap, rather than heating from ground temperature. Your mileage may vary, depending on the quality of water out of your heater, but it can shave off a fair bit of time.
GFCI, GFCI, GFCI! Because we’re talking about lots of liquids moving around near power cords, with various points of leakage and failure, it’s critical to have your electrical safety in hand. If you don’t have a GFCI outlet (quite possible in some older garages and homes), either get one wired in by a competent electrician or else get one of the in-line GFCI cords.
I am getting one of those stainless steel food service trays to hold the pump when it’s in use during brew day. There tends to be a bit of leakage of wort when disconnecting the hoses (up to a cup or so, if I’m not careful), which makes a mess on the floor.
I’m going to put some clear silicone sealant around the edges of the control panel, as recommended by multiple people to prevent accidental moisture incursion. I waited for a few batches (just in case there was any immediate reason that I needed to send back the unit, before I go adding caulk).
The small batch adapter probably isn’t necessary for high gravity beers, where the grain still fills to a point well above the perforations on the grain basket. On my next high gravity small batch, I’m going to try without and see how things go, although I’m still going to use it on lower gravity small batches.
As mentioned above and shown in the photo below, I’ve modified the recirculation return system to reduce splashing.
If you are on Facebook, the Anvil Foundry All-Grain Group is pretty fantastic! I highly recommend joining if you are on that social media platform. Their Unofficial Anvil Foundry Bible is essential reading, and provides a ton of helpful tips, work-arounds, and mods.
My modified recirculation return, in place of the metal plate. A hose attaches to the steel return arm, and a t-junction sends the liquid in two different directions. When the kettle lid is in place, the t-junction is just below the top of the mash, removing the problem of excessive splashing.
Anvil Foundry versus my “Standard” System
Up to this point, my primary brewing setup used a 10 gallon cooler mash tun and batch sparging with a 10 gallon brew kettle on a propane burner. I feel like I can do fairly similar things on them, although the process is pretty different.
Somewhat surprisingly, the total brew time (from filling the kettle with water to finishing clean-up) is about the same for my two methods. The mash process feels a bit quicker and easier on the Foundry, because I don’t mess around with sparge water (although some people do, for the extra mash efficiency points). The Foundry might take a bit of extra time to heat to a boil, but I can also save some time on heating by filling the kettle the night before and having it at strike temperature when I wake up in the morning of brew day.
Because of the pump and stuff, as well as the depth of the Foundry kettle and the various nooks and crannies of the grain basket, cleaning is maybe a touch more work with this system versus my old one. I’ve got a rhythm down finally, and much of the extra time is just letting the cleaners do their thing. That said, spent grain cleanup is easier for me with the Foundry versus my mash tun cooler.
The biggest adjustment point for me has been mash efficiency. I pretty consistently hit 75% measured mash efficiency (as calculated in BeerSmith) on my old setup, and am now at around 68% mash efficiency on the Anvil. I’m okay with this (especially because I’m not sparging), although it took some iterations with grain crush and such to get here. My only real annoyance is that I’ll have to adjust all of my old recipes accordingly! But, that’s not the end of the world. I feel like I’m going to be able to more consistently hit efficiency expectations, too, because there are fewer steps in my new process.
A major point in favor of the Foundry is its simplicity. My “traditional” setup requires a propane burner, propane tank, mash tun, hot water pot, and boiling kettle, along with the other bits and pieces. The Foundry is just more compact! The entire process takes place in the main kettle, pump, and grain basket, more or less. As mentioned above, it’s nice to not have to worry about propane refills from both a cost and convenience standpoint.
Overall, I’m not going to ditch my old system, but the Foundry is going to be my primary brewing rig from this point on.
Overall Assessment
The Anvil Foundry 10.5 is a really nice piece of equipment. It’s well-built, the controls are intuitive, and the unit has a great price point. As with any specialized brew hardwear, there are a few minor quirks, but they truly are pretty minor and easily worked around. The compact nature of the system is nice, and has simplified my brew day. So far, I have no regrets for this purchase! If you’re looking to go electric, definitely check out the Foundry.
Although we weren’t getting together with friends and family for Thanksgiving this year, I still wanted to do a rebrew of my Stygimoloch Bock. For this edition, the malt bill is identical, although I swapped in Mt. Hood for Magnum hops and used the Octoberfest/Marzen lager yeast (WLP820) instead of a Bavarian lager yeast. Last year’s version turned out pretty great, and this iteration did also. The recipe is a keeper!
Logo by Charon Henning
Stygimoloch Bock 2020
9 lbs. Munich II malt (Weyermann)
5 lbs. Munich I malt (Weyermann)
8 oz. Caramel Munich 60L (Briess)
4 oz. melanoidin malt (Weyermann)
1 oz. Carfa Special III malt (Weyermann)
1.75 oz. Mt. Hood hop pellets (4.6% alpha), 60 minute boil
1 Whirlfloc tablet, 10 minute boil
1 tsp. Fermax yeast nutrient, 10 minute boil
1 pkg. Octoberfest/Marzen Lager yeast WLP820 (White Labs), repitched from Dog Days Pilsner
Target Parameters
60 minute infusion mash, 153°, batch sparge
1.070 o.g., 1.021 f.g., 6.5% abv, 23 IBU, 15 SRM
Claremont tap water, with carbonates knocked back by addition of 4.2 mL 88% lactic acid
Procedure
I neutralized the carbonates in the tap water with ~4.2 mL of 88% lactic acid in 5 gallons of water, along with a quarter of a Campden tablet to take care of chloramines.
I mashed in with 5 gallons of Claremont tap water at 162°, to hit a 153° mash temperature.
After 60 minutes, I added 0.5 gallons of water at 185°. I let it sit for 10 minutes, vorlaufed, and collected first runnings.
I next added 3.75 gallons of water at 185°, let sit for another 10 minutes, vorlaufed, and collected the second runnings.
In total, I collected 7.1 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.055, for 71% mash efficiency.
In order to raise the gravity slightly, I boiled for 15 minutes before adding the first round of hops. I then boiled another 60 minutes, adding the finings per the schedule.
After boiling for a total of 75 minutes, I turned off the heat, and chilled down to 80° before transferring into the fermenter and cooling down to 48°. I oxygenated for 60 seconds, and added a repitch of the Octoberfest yeast (from Dog Days Pilsner).
Starting gravity was 1.065, on 3 October 2020.
I fermented at 50°, until raising the temperature to 52° on 8 October 2020. I raised it to 53° on 17 October 2020, and up to 60° on 30 October 2020. I lowered it down to 55° on 1 November 2020, and had it down to 33° by 6 November. I held it at near-freezing until kegging on 13 November 2020.
Final gravity was 1.023, for 5.6% abv.
Tasting
Appearance
Brilliantly clear, deep amber beer, with a persistent beige head. This is really pretty!
Aroma
Rich, malty bread crust aroma dominates. Delicious! Not much for hops. Very clean yeast character, with no notable esters or phenols.
Flavor
Malty, bready flavor, with a clean, moderate hop bitterness behind that. There is no hop flavor to speak of. The finish tilts slightly towards the bitter side, but not overly so. As with the aroma, yeast character on the flavor is quite clean, accentuating the malt notes.
Mouthfeel
Moderate-full body, moderate carbonation. It’s maybe a touch towards the sweet side, but not to the point of being cloying.
Would I brew this again?
Absolutely! This iteration is a really solid version of the style, and I’m pretty pleased with it. It drinks so easily, I think it will be an annual brewing tradition! Malt character is spot-on perfect, and I think the hopping level is a bit closer to what I want on this version, too. It’s interesting that the attenuation is a bit less than expected; I wonder if this is because it’s a repitch of the yeast culture? It’s truly a perfect late autumn/early winter beer!
November continues my steady stream of brewing (and enjoying) beer, as I settle in to my new electric brewing rig. With temperatures cooling down, I have a little more flexibility in ale fermentations, and I can utilize space outside the fermentation chamber more readily. It’s pretty great!
Kegging a German pils
Beer Batch Updates
The spiced Christmas ale is now kegged and carbonated, and just conditioning a bit before it goes on tap in about a month. It clocks in at about 5.8% abv, and has a really nice flavor.
My Stygimoloch Bockis now kegged and lagering. The goal is to have it lager for at least a month before serving, and have it online for the Christmas holiday. As a malty, flavorful beer, I’m looking forward to enjoying it!
I kegged a German pils yesterday, aiming for the requisite stretch of conditioning before it goes on tap.
I brewed a session stout about 10 days ago, and will keg it within the next few days. It’s basically a dry Irish stout with a twist, using Vienna malt and flaked oats instead of Maris Otter and flaked barley. It has a starting gravity of 1.038, so will be truly sessionable!
Last weekend, I started a “classic” northwestern IPA, using Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial as the hop core. It’s a slightly modified rebrew of Wildfire IPA, which I really enjoyed the first time around.
I just rebrewed my Tremonia Lager, because it was so enjoyable the first time around. I’ve adapted the recipe a little bit for the methods and efficiencies of the Anvil Forge, but it’s pretty much the same beer.
What’s On Tap?
I’m on the home stretch of Dog Days Pilsner, which is a truly fine beer. I feel like I’ve finally mastered German pils as a style (he said modestly), and it’s probably up there as one of my very, very favorite.
Kveik the Keg Brown Ale is on my center tap, providing a highly drinkable session beer when I want something in the sub-4% abv range.
Historical(ish) Vienna Lager rounds out my tap list, and has been my go-to autumn transitional beer. I still have slightly mixed feelings about it (the hop rate is too high for my tastes), but the beer has grown on me quite a bit. Weyerman Vienna Malt is such a solid backbone for this beer!
What’s Coming Up?
I’m going to brew…something…this week over the Thanksgiving holiday, but I’m not sure just what. Maybe a red ale? As I type this, I’m enjoying a red ale brewed by a friend (passed along via socially distanced growler swap), and it seems like the right beer for this moment!
Other Notes
I’m still dialing in my mash parameters for my Anvil Foundry system as well as streamlining my work flow with it. I hit mash efficiencies in the mid-60s for my first few batches, and feel like I can notch that up just a touch. For my most recent batch, I milled just a little finer (changing the gap to 0.037″ from 0.041″). I was able to get my efficiency up to 69%, and am pretty happy with that.
My latest batch of Weyerman Pilsner Malt just ran out, so I am replacing that with Viking Pilsner Malt. I’ve really liked their other malts, so can’t wait to give this a try.
I’ve been working my way through the excellent Vienna Lager book by Andreas Krennmair, which presents a fresh, historically grounded account of the development of this classic style. It’s a relatively short, highly readable piece of work, and of course it has some recipes in the back. Although we can’t directly reproduce historical beers–so much has changed with ingredients and procedures–we can create an approximate copy fairly readily.
My recipe is pretty similar to that presented by Krennmair, although I made some modifications for ingredients and process. The original recipe (p. 144 in his book) uses a double decoction and 90 minute boil, along with WLP820 (Oktoberfest/Marzen yeast). I converted to a batch sparge, to streamline the brew day, and also raised the mash temperature a fair bit. The original recipe claimed a final gravity of 1.018, and I really have no idea how one could reach such a high final gravity, even with the hotter decoction rests. The main mash sat around 149° in Krennmair’s version, and the math (and enzyme chemistry) don’t work out for me. So, I raised the mash temperature in my batch to target 156°.
The recipe from Krennmair has many parallels with “Nothing But Vienna” by Gordon Strong, which I brewed some time ago (as “Decoction Envy Vienna Lager“, and it turned out pretty well!). Strong’s recipe is also just Vienna malt, with Sterling instead of Saaz. I did that last batch as a decoction, but decided to be a bit lazy this time around. I’ve tried decoction mashes, and they’re fun every once in awhile, but too much bother sometimes. Batch sparge all the way for this brew!
Historical(ish) Vienna Lager
11 lb. Vienna malt (Weyermann)
1.5 oz. Saaz hop pellets (5.3% alpha), first wort hop, 60 minute boil
1 tsp. Fermax yeast nutrient, 10 minute boil
1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
2 pkg. W34/70 lager yeast (Saflager)
Target Parameters
1.051 s.g., 1.014 f.g., 4.8% abv, 5 SRM, 28 IBU
Infusion mash, 156°, batch sparge; 60 minute boil
Claremont water, with Campden tablet to remove chloramines, lactic acid to neutralize carbonates, adjusted to target water profile of 50 Ca, 30 Mg, 81 Na, 68 SO4, 90 Cl, 30 HCO3, 25 ppm alkalinity, 53 ppm effective hardness, -29 RA.
Procedure
The night before brewing, I took 9 gallons of hot tap water and added 7.5 mL of 88% lactic acid, to neutralize the carbonate load.
On brew day, I mashed in with 3.75 gallons of water at 166°, to aim for 156° mash temperature. I added 7 mL of 88% lactic acid to adjust the mash pH. I hit 157°, which was down to ~153° after 45 minutes.
After 50 minutes, I added 1.5 gallons of water at 200°, to raise the mash temperature to 168°. I let it sit for 10 minutes, vorlaufed, and collected the first runnings. I added the hops to the kettle at this point.
Next, I added 3.75 gallons of water at 185°, let it sit for 10 minutes, vorlaufed, and collected the second runnings.
In total, I collected 7.6 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.042, for 77% mash efficiency.
I brought the kettle to a boil, adding 2 g of gypsum at this time. During the 60 minute boil, I added finings per the recipe.
Next, I chilled to ~84°, let it settle for 45 minutes, and transferred to the fermenter. I moved this into the fermentation chamber, and let it chill down to 54° before pitching the yeast. This was about 8 hours after flameout.
I brewed this beer on 22 August 2020. Starting gravity was 1.050, pretty darned close to my target.
I started fermentation at 54°, and raised the temperature to 56° on 31 August, 58° on 2 September, and hit 60° on 4 September 2020. I held at this temperature for 12 hours, before starting the trend back down. It was at 57° on 5 September, 50° on 6 September, 45° on 7 September, 40° on 8 September, and 35° on 9 September. The final step was down to 32° on 10 September, and I held it there until kegging on 27 September 2020.
At the time of kegging, the beer had a really nice flavor but still a fair bit of haze. I did a semi-closed transfer, straight out of the fermenter into a CO2-purged keg.
Final gravity was 1.015, for 4.6% abv. I lagered in the keg for about a month at 33°, before it went on tap.
Tasting
Appearance
Brilliantly clear, gold colored beer, with persistent white head. It looks really nice in the glass!
Aroma
Malty, fresh bread aroma, with no hop character.
Flavor
Malt forward flavor, with a bready quality to it. Bitterness is fairly strong too, maybe a little more than I would really like for this beer. There is not a lot of character to the bitterness, beyond a slight spicy quality.
Mouthfeel
Medium body, off-dry finish, with moderate carbonation.
Would I brew this again?
This is a pretty decent recipe, but nothing exceptional. For whatever reason, the hop level comes across as a bit more than I really care for, and is almost a bit harsh at times. I blame the gypsum addition for that. I think trying to increase the sulfate level was a bit of a mistake, even if it brought the water closer to what it “should” be for Vienna water. I feel like a yeast that accentuates malt character a bit more would be do some good here, and perhaps a slight reduction in the hop level, too, as well as a minor amount of melanoidin malt. As far as lager character, it’s clear and cleanly fermented, and the reduced oxygen transfer has paid off with a super fresh taste even after nearly two months in the keg. Minor flaws aside, this is still a pretty easy drinking beer!
Andy's Brewing Blog 