Prenuptial Lager

Source: Tim Neall
Recipe added: 06/22/98
Email: neallmt@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu

The conditioning phase of this beer is a little rushed b/c the beer was for a wedding. It would have been nice to transfer to secondary, chill and condion. Then use finings in seconday before kegging. The improvised conditioning phase worked fine. The beer is light gold, about the color of Heineken, and has a wonderful, dense creamy white head. The hops bitterness is assertive enough to please without alienating the masses. I think that it lacked a hops aroma, which may have to do with the hops bags. Overall, it is a pleasing beer, not an award winner, but something that is thirst quenching and easy to drink. Something to have around when the in-laws are over and don't care for the IPAs and Trippels.

Specifics

Recipe type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5 gallons
Starting Gravity: 1048
Finishing Gravity: 1008
Time in Boil: 75 minutes
Primary Fermentation: 23 days, glass @ 52 degrees
Secondary Fermentation: 17 days, keg @ 34 degrees

Ingredients:

8 lbs. Shcrier 2 row malt
1/2 lb. Carapils
1/2 lb. Wheat Malt
(Grain bill based on 73% effeciency)
1 oz. Saaz Pellets 3% (FWH)
2 oz. Spalt Pellets 3% @ 60 minutes in hop bag
.75 oz. Saaz Pellets 3% @ 0 minutes in hop bag
Wyeast #2247 Danish Lager II (1/2 gallon slurry)

Procedure:

Mash grains for 90 minutes in three gallons water@ 153 degrees. Sparge with 4 gallons of water. Collect in kettle and FWH with 1 oz. Saaz pellets. Boil for 15 minutes before making the first hops addition. Follow the above hopping schedule. At 60 minutes into the boil, add 1/2 tsp of Irish moss that had been rehydrated for 22 hours. At the end of boil, force chill, transfer to fermentor and areate. Pitch yeast. Allow fermentation to start and then gradually cool to 52 degrees. After ten days, temperature was raised to 64 degrees for a diacetyl rest. After completion. Lower temperature to 34 degrees. Dissolve gelatin in pint of water. Heat to 170 degrees and hold for ten minutes. Transfer this to primary fermentor. Three days later, rack to keg. After 10 days, force carbonate.

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