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Post by Ken on Mar 29, 2023 10:37:15 GMT -6
I've noodled with this recipe for years and just made it towards the end of 2022 where it came up a little short on the "RED" part but was otherwise delicious. 65% Pilsner Malt 30% Vienna 4% Special B 1% Midnight Wheat .9 ounces of Perle @ 9% for 30 minutes (22.7 IBUs) 1 ounce Perle for 2 minutes Wyeast 2124 Bohemian ABV 4.8%, SRM 12.9°, IBU 25.4. I haven't had Perle in the brewery for many years. I just ordered some from YVH and they smell lovely. I had to refamiliarize myself with them... Northern Brewer and Hallertau Mittelfruh as parents. I really like both of those hops and I use NB as a bittering hop and an aroma hop here. Really nice. I also learned that Perle is the #1 aroma hop used in Germany.  I have high hopes for this one. Cheers. |
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Post by Ken on Apr 1, 2023 8:49:55 GMT -6
I made this beer last night during a tornado watch. While I was in the garage boiling and chilling the sirens were going off. Pitched around 9pm and the color of the wort looked good. If I can get it clear I think the RED will come through.
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Post by Megary on Apr 1, 2023 15:36:41 GMT -6
The Red Tornado…I like it.
Curious, how do you get on with Special B and what are your tricks for usage? I’ve always kept the dosage low (<2%) but have not had success with that malt and I feel it’s a missing tool in the ‘ol box.
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Post by Ken on Apr 2, 2023 8:19:32 GMT -6
The Red Tornado…I like it. Curious, how do you get on with Special B and what are your tricks for usage? I’ve always kept the dosage low (<2%) but have not had success with that malt and I feel it’s a missing tool in the ‘ol box. Some people will say that you can get a "dark fruit and raisin" flavor from it and I could see that but I don't pick it up. In the last batch it was only 4 ounces in 10 pounds of grain. That batch of Red Lager looked a little more like an "amber lager" so I went with 6 ounces this time and a smidge more midnight wheat (like 1.2 ounces instead of 1). Using BrewBama's "hold the dark grains until the end of the mash" trick, I noodled with this one and chose to mash the Special B and hold the midnight wheat until after the mash. I do not get any flavors from the Special B that I don't care for... not at this level. Tasting the grain itself (just chewing on some kernels) is always a good way to just know what you're getting. I don't know the last time I did that with Special B. It's definitely the reddest grain that I know of. RedX and CaraRed have some red but you have to use MUCH more of it to get the color. I'll try to get a shot of this one when it makes it to the taps. Cheers. |
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Post by Megary on Apr 2, 2023 8:37:20 GMT -6
The few times that I’ve used Special B I got what I can only describe as a “heavy” mouthfeel and taste. Maybe “intense” is a better word, not sure. And given the quantities I used it at (<2%), I have a hard time imagining a way to use it any less. I do wonder if the Porters I used it in were simply the wrong vehicle. Maybe the grain bill was already too much and the Special B only exaggerated the problem. I do like your idea here of using it in a Red Lager. Good luck with the brew.
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Post by Ken on Apr 2, 2023 12:50:23 GMT -6
The few times that I’ve used Special B I got what I can only describe as a “heavy” mouthfeel and taste. Maybe “intense” is a better word, not sure. And given the quantities I used it at (<2%), I have a hard time imagining a way to use it any less. I do wonder if the Porters I used it in were simply the wrong vehicle. Maybe the grain bill was already too much and the Special B only exaggerated the problem. I do like your idea here of using it in a Red Lager. Good luck with the brew. That's a tough one because a porter is already a heavy beer, IMO and I don't have much experience brewing one. There is Vienna in this recipe but otherwise it's not really a heavy beer. The color of the wort headed into the fermenter was dark, I'm not going to lie. But I'd like to see it when it's clear and in a beer glass with some light on it. IME, this amount of Special B will not make the beer overly heavy and it won't bring out that dark fruit and/or raisin character. It's also possible that I just don't pick up that flavor at this level. |
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joed
New Member
We are the people our parents warned us about!
Posts: 36
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Post by joed on Apr 26, 2023 10:42:01 GMT -6
Feel like I have not been on here for awhile, and now I am that guy responding to older threads. Ken, when you were going for a red lager, were you thinking in the lines of a Nuremberg Rotbier (red beer) or just a "I want to make a lager that's red that's not a Vienna" idea?
Learned about Rotbier this past fall, they are fairly similar to Vienna lagers, so decided I had to try making one. Came up with a recipe that was:
1.055 OG
73.0% Vienna
12.8% CM I
7.4% Red X
5.7% Melanoidin
1.1% Chocolate Rye
Traditional and Perle to 23 IBUS
The Modern Brewhouse Franconia lager yeast
It was very tasty and definitely red. Did have a little of a Vienna lager quality too it, but I thought I was pretty on point based on what I had read. But then recently a local beer bar here in Mass had the real thing on tap, Tucher Brau's version and boy was I off. The real thing was unfiltered, almost brown, it was super malty (I had a balanced profile) with spicy hops shining through. Heading to Munich for Oktoberfest with 10 other guys and I talked them into a day trip to Nuremberg just so we can try different local versions of it.
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Post by Ken on May 4, 2023 22:38:35 GMT -6
I have never heard of a Rotbier. Here in the midwest there is Leinie Red Lager which has been around for a long time and there are some others around too. When I was a new brewer, there was an extract Red Lager kit available from Midwest that turned out really nice every time I made it. The LME held most of the color but there were probably some steeping grains that helped as well. Hallertau hops and White Labs 830 German Lager yeast so it certainly had some German influence. I always thought it was a great style to make and anytime friends were over and tried it, they always loved it. This beer is kegged, cold and carbed and sitting in the on-deck fridge now. It will be on tap eventually and I'll get a pic of it. Cheers gang.
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I have high hopes for this one. Cheers.
