You might recall I brewed this one back in May, and on September 18, at precisely the same moment (give or take a couple minutes) that Christian Ude tapped the first keg with his ceremonial wooden mallet, I slipped a plastic coupler onto a stainless steel post. O’zapft is!
I’m really proud of the appearance of this beer. I guess after four months of lagering, I shouldn’t be surprised that it’s dropped crystal clear. Still, the color is exactly what I was hoping it would be, and the head retention and lacing are very good. Aroma-wise, well, it’s a lager. There’s a nice bready maltiness, and a peppery character that I think is just the right combination of Munich malt and noble hops. But overall the nose is a bit one-dimensional. Not in a bad way, but if you drink a lot of IIPAs and the like, simplicity is remarkable – and refreshing.
The taste is anything but simple. The overall impression I get is that there’s sweetness – not maltiness, but an actual caramelized sugar sweetness – trying to get through the palate, but not quite standing up to everything else that’s going on. That being lots of toasty/biscuity melanoidins, some earthiness, and a continued hint of pepper. I carbonated it a bit higher than normal (2.7 vol), which I think helps to cut through everything. It’s crack, basically. This is the only recipe I’ve brewed for the first time, tasted, and thought, “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
I’m really sorry most of you won’t get to try it. The closest commercial example I’ve found is Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen, although it has a slight fruitiness that isn’t in mine. Bell’s is making a great domestic example that’s also very similar. And for what it’s worth, Sam Adams’ offering seems to be much better this year than in the past. Unfortunately, the German breweries are gradually moving toward a lighter, less malty style, more of a low-gravity Helles Bock than anything. It would be a shame for this to become yet another style that’s preserved only by American craft brewers.
Sean, this beer looks delicious and I may try your recipe. Just one question: I have read mixed opinions about Bavarian Lager – Wyeast 2206, the one in your recipe, especially regarding how slow this yeast is. Did you make a starter for it?
Thanks
I’ve seen people complain about this strain, but I’ve never had a problem with it. For what it’s worth, the Weihenstephan culture it comes from (W206) is one of the two or three most widely used lager strains in the world.
Anyway, yes, I did make a starter. I built up from my stored culture though. Starting from a smack pack, for this beer I would use a two-stage starter of 500 mL, then 1.5 L on a stir plate. For “intermittent shaking”, it would need to be about 1 L, then 2.75 L. Without a starter you’d need to pitch at least three fresh packs, preferably four.
I didn’t note when active fermentation finished, but I racked this one after 16 days, so it probably reached TG in about 8-10 days.
Cool, thanks for the tips for the volume! Just one more question. One plus 2.75L seems a lot of starter wort, so would you in that case pitch the whole volume to the fermenter or allow the yeast to precipitate in the bottom of the starter jar and discard some of the liquid in the top before pitching?
I always chill my starters in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, then pour off the liquid, leaving just enough to resuspend the yeast.