Czech Lager and Kellerbier Brewday

Czech Pale Lager
Recipe Specifications
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Boil Size: 7.54 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.89 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal  
Bottling Volume: 4.85 gal
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 4.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 29.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 77.5 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU        
5.25 gal              Boston, MA                               Water         1        -            
5.00 g                Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins)        Water Agent   2        -            
7 lbs 8.0 oz          Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)            Grain         3        86.9 %       
7.0 oz                Caravienne Malt (22.0 SRM)               Grain         4        5.1 %        
6.0 oz                Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM)                Grain         5        4.3 %        
5.0 oz                Acid Malt (3.0 SRM)                      Grain         6        3.6 %        
0.50 oz               Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 40.0 min         Hop           7        20.6 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Saaz [2.80 %] - Boil 10.0 min            Hop           8        4.0 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Saaz [2.80 %] - Boil 5.0 min             Hop           9        2.2 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Saaz [2.80 %] - Steep/Whirlpool  15.0 mi Hop           10       2.7 IBUs     
2.0 pkg               Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70)  Yeast         11       -            


Mash Schedule: 154F, Batch Sparge, Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 8 lbs 10.0 oz
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Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step               Add 13.78 qt of water at 168.2 F                     156.0 F       45 min       
Mash Step               Decoct 3.67 qt of mash and boil it                   168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 5.87gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
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http://byo.com/stories/issue/item/3244-czech-pale-lager-style-profile
5 g calcium chloride (CaCl2) to the mash
3 g CaCl2 to the sparge water.

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
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Kellerbier
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.26 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.51 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal  
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 4.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 32.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU        
5.50 gal              Boston, MA                               Water         1        -            
5.00 g                Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins)        Water Agent   2        -            
6 lbs                 Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)                    Grain         3        56.5 %       
4 lbs                 Pilsen (BestMälz) (1.5 SRM)              Grain         4        37.6 %       
6.0 oz                Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM)               Grain         5        3.5 %        
4.0 oz                Acid Malt (3.0 SRM)                      Grain         6        2.4 %        
1.00 oz               Mandarina Bavaria [9.20 %] - Boil 15.0 m Hop           7        14.8 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Mandarina Bavaria [9.20 %] - Boil 10.0 m Hop           8        10.8 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Mandarina Bavaria [9.20 %] - Boil 5.0 mi Hop           9        5.9 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Mandarina Bavaria [9.20 %] - Boil 1.0 mi Hop           10       1.3 IBUs     
2.0 pkg               Southern German Lager (White Labs #WLP83 Yeast         11       -            


Mash Schedule: 152F, Mash Out, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs 10.0 oz
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Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step               Add 14.28 qt of water at 165.0 F                     152.0 F       60 min       
Mash Step               Add 8.50 qt of water at 200.0 F                      168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 3.09gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
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Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
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Starter for the Kellerbier made 1 week earlier, fermented and cooled to 45F.

Brewed 1/13/17
Czech Lager: Got 1.046 OG, pretty good. Force cooled to 60F, then in fridge to cool to 45F. Pitched 2 packets of rehydrated yeast after oxygenating 30 seconds. Fermentation seemed slow to start - perhaps expected due to the cool pitching temp. Got only about 5 gal into the bucket, a little less than hoped.

Kellerbier: Got 1.054 OG. Cooled to 45F, racked, oxygenated 75 seconds, pitched decanted starter. Fermentation was visibly starting by 36 hours after pitching.

Brewday went fairly well, except that the cold and dry weather resulted in greater boil off than expected, so less volume of wort into the fermentor. At racking, both worts were very clear and only minimal trub made it into the fermenting vessels.

Fermentation on the Kellerbier was much quicker to take off and appeared more vigorous than that of the Czech Lager. Plus the temp in my basement maxed out at around 60F, so the diacetyl rest was only at around 58F for a few days. Perhaps I could have let it rest there a bit longer. In any case, as of Feb. 2, the diacetyl rest, such as it was, had been done, and fermentation appeared complete.

Crash cooled to 33F for 2 days, then on Feb 4 racked both beers to keg and began force carbing at 12PSI. For the Czech Lager, was careful to rack clear wort, without picking up much yeast / trub. Allowed some into the Kellerbier, as may be appropriate for the style.

Czech Lager: 1.011 FG. Sample tasted OK but maybe a hint of green apple.
Kellerbier: 1.013 FG. Sample tasted kind of fruity hoppy. I did use a lot of aroma and flavor hops for this one.

Both beers tasted a bit "green".

Parti-Gyle Hefe Review

Appearance: Billowing off-white head, fairly clear amber body with carbonation bubbles visibly rising to the top.


Aroma: Light clove like and phenolic character with some grainy notes in the background. Not sure that I would identify it as a hefewessein just by smell. A small sulfury quality, which fortunately has decreased over the month or so it's been in the bottle.


Taste: Pretty similar to the aroma. Some clovey and phenolic notes. Dry and moderate bitterness. Too bitter for the style. Lacks the banana taste and subtle yeast-derived flavors of a good hefe.


Mouthfeel: Moderate body, high carbonation.


Overall: Ok, but not to style - lacks the right yeast character and refreshing body of real hefe. But, not terrible, especially considering it's experimental. My guess is that a different yeast strain would improve this beer.