Vienna Lager 3.0 – Recipe and Brewday

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Nick Ladd

Nice cool lager fermentation chugging away.

Nice cool lager yeast fermenting away.

Update 2/20/2014 – Beer placed 3rd as a Vienna Lager in Category 3 European Amber Lagers at the 2014 Homebrew Alley 8 competition.

UPDATE 4/5/2014 – Beer placed 1st as a Vienna Lager in Category 3 European Amber Lagers at the 2014 First Round of the National Homebrew Competition (NYC Regional).

When it comes to brewing a particular style of beer, I am a serial philander. Rarely do I brew the same beer twice, and when I do it is typically with radical departures to the recipe. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, and Vienna lager is one of them.

I’ve probably brewed four or five Vienna lagers since I began brewing in 2009. While most have been outstanding, and several have won pretty nice awards (Gold in the 2012 NHC first round, and 2nd Best of Show at the 2011 Best of the Bay), I seem to always be making tweaks to the recipe to correct minor details that I believe would lead to a better beer.

With this iteration, I’ve gone back to my favorite lager strain, White Labs WLP833 German Bock, which always seems to produce very malt-forward, diacetyl free lagers for me. Additionally, I’ve introduced a single step decoction into the recipe as a replacement for the touch of melanoiden malt that I generally throw into my non-decocted lagers. A small Hallertaurer addition with 10 minutes left in the boil gives the beer an almost imperceptible late hop character.

With winter coming, and the ground water cooling, it is the perfect time to brew lagers. My Blichmann Therminator plate chiller struggles with warm summer water, but drops the wort to pitching temperatures with ease during the cooler months. With a little extra time in my fermenation fridge, I am able to chill my wort to 44°F before pitching my yeast. Over the course of the lag phase, I let the temperature free rise to 48°F and then keep it there until the very end of fermentation when I complete a diacetyl rest. This requires a very large starter, but tends to create what I feel is a cleaner lager character.

Recipe

Size: 3.25 Gal
Efficiency: 68%
Attenuation: 74% (projected)

Original Gravity: 1.052 SG
Terminal Gravity: 1.014 SG (projected)
Color: 14.09 SRM
Alcohol: 5.07% ABV (projected)
Bitterness: 28.4 IBU

Grist:
3.5 lb (47.9%) Vienna Malt (Weyermann)
1.25 lb (17.1%) Pilsner Malt (Weyermann)
2.25 lb (30.8%) Munich TYPE II (Weyermann)
4 oz (3.4%) Carafoam® (Weyermann)
1 oz (0.9%) Carafa® TYPE II (Weyermann)

Boil Additions:
1 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker (4.1% AA) – 60 m
1/2 Tablet Whirlfloc (Irish moss) – 15 m
0.5 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker (4.1% AA) – 10 m
0.5 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – 10 m

Yeast:
1800ml 1.040 starter on stir plate – White Labs WLP833 German Bock Lager

Mash Regiment:
20m – 144 °F
Decoct to 156 °F
20m – 156 °F
Direct Fire to Mashout at 168 °F
10m – 168 °F

Water Adjustment:
Carbon filtered NYC water with 1g gypsum and 4g calcium chloride added to the mash.

Yeast Notes:
Final Volume into Fermenter = 2.75 Gallons
Yeast Required = 100 billion (per Mr. Malty)
Yeast Production Date: 10/14/13
Yeast Starter = 1.8L @ 1.040 on stir plate (Mr. Malty suggests 1L) = 7.5 oz. DME

Fermentation:
1. Chill to 44°F and keep at 48°F until activity slows (1.5 weeks or so).
2. Raise to 58°F for diacetyl rest 24-48 hours .
3. Cool 2°F / day until down to 34 °F.
4. Rack to corny keg.
5. Lager near freezing 4-6 weeks.

Homebrew Czech Pils vs. Pilsner Urquell

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Nick Ladd

The wait is over. Five weeks after my brewday, it was time to tap my keg of Czech Pils and give it a shot. Instead of doing a standard BJCP review of this beer, I’m going to compare and contrast it against a common beer that most people know and have readily available, Pilsner Urquell.

Pilsner Urquell on the left, homebrew on the right.

Aroma:
Both beers have a nice, mildly spicy Saaz hop aroma that melds nicely with the touch of residual sulfur from the lager yeast. The Saaz hops are not as present in my beer as I would have thought considering the large hop back charge they were given. There is an unfortunate touch of mango-like hop aroma in my beer — probably attributable to bittering with Citra hops and in spite of the 90 minutes which they were boiled. The Urquell has some honey-like, candied malt aromas not present in my beer, along with a touch of butterscotchy diacetyl.

Appearance:
Claritywise, both beers are nearly identical — brilliantly clear. Both have nice bright white heads, with the homebrew out-persisting the commercial beer. Both are golden with the Urquell being a hair darker.

Flavor:
The biggest difference between the two beers is in bitterness. My homebrew is considerably more bitter and is much more similar in balance to something like Victory Prima Pils. The malt character is nearly identical, although the Urquell is rounder and slightly sweeter. Again, the hops in my beer are slightly tropical which doesn’t fit the style.

Mouthfeel:
Both beers feature similar medium bodies, although my beer is slightly more carbonated, giving it a sharpness the Urquell doesn’t have.

Overall:
Both are great beers. My beer almost comes off as a German Pils with its aggressive bittering and lack of soft malt. Straight out of the fridge, I prefer the Urquell because it isn’t as sharp and has a nicer almost sweet malt character. As the beers warm, the diacetyl in the Urquell comes to the forefront and is a bit off-putting, making me prefer the homebrew.

Vienna Lager Recipe and Tasting

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Nick Ladd

Homebrewed Vienna Lager

What qualities would you want in a “desert island beer”? Personally, I’d want something with low enough alcohol to consume in quantity, something relatively dry with some malt intrigue, and something balanced; in other words, a Vienna Lager.

The Vienna Lager is a bit of an enigma. The classic Continental examples are pretty much extinct. I have yet to find a European version that matches what I imagine a classic Vienna Lager to be. Immigration of Austrian brewers to Mexico in the late 1800’s brought the style to the New World, creating the distant relatives of the modern beers we see imported today. Common examples like Dos Equis Amber and Negra Modelo (which are tasty in their own right), are adjunct laden, sweeter versions of their Austrian forefather’s beer. The best examples today come from American craft brewers. Places like Chuckanut Brewing and Devil’s Backbone make my favorites and are perennial award winners at the GABF. These incredible all-malt examples have a slight sweetness and complex, yet not overbearing malt character, finishing slightly off-dry. This is what I’ve tried to emulate; using a recipe that takes a similar approach as Brewing Classic Styles, blending the trifecta of Pilsner, Munich, and Vienna malts. I personally don’t feel like crystal malts have much place in a good Vienna Lager; perhaps a touch for head retention. If you’re at NHC 2013 in Philly, come by the NYC Homebrewers Guild booth during Club Night where I’ll have this beer flowing.

Recipe

Size: 3.25 gal
Efficiency: 67%
Attenuation: 72%

Original Gravity: 1.050
Terminal Gravity: 1.014
Color: 14.23
Alcohol: 4.7%
Bitterness: 24.8

Ingredients:
2.625 lb (39.3%) Vienna Malt – added during mash
1.25 lb (18.7%) Pilsner Malt – added during mash
2.625 lb (39.3%) Munich TYPE II – added during mash
1 oz (0.9%) Carafa® TYPE II – added during mash
2 oz (1.9%) Melanoidin Malt – added during mash
1 oz (100.0%) Hallertauer Hersbrucker (4.3%) – added during boil, boiled 60 m
0.5 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
0.5 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 10 m
1 ea WYeast 2308 Munich Lager™

Schedule:
00:03:00 Dough In – Liquor: 5.6 gal; Strike: 159.87 °F; Target: 155 °F
01:03:00 Saccarification Rest – Rest: 60 m; Final: 155.0 °F
01:13:38 Mash Out – Heat: 10.6 m; Target: 168.0 °F
01:18:38 Transfer to Kettle – Volume: 6.04 gal; Final: 168.0 °F
(No Sparge)

Notes:
Final Volume into Fermenter: 2.75 Gallons
Yeast Required: 196 billion (per Mr. Malty)
Yeast Production Date: 3/13/13
Yeast Starter: 1.6L @ 1.040 on stir plate (per Mr. Malty) = 6.5 oz. DME

Fermentation:
1. Chill to 44* F and keep at 48* F until activity slows (1 week+).
2. Raise to 58* F for diacetyl rest 24 hours .
3. Drop temperature 2 * / day until at 34 * F.
4. Rack to corny keg.
5. Lager 4-6 weeks

Tasting Notes:

Judged as a BJCP category 3A Vienna Lager.

Aroma (11/12)
Subtlety complex toasted malt character with some biscuit and almost sourdough-like bread qualities. There is a hint of sweetness on the nose. Just a whisper of sulfur reminds you you’re drinking a lager. No esters, alcohol, hops, or diacetyl. Extremely clean.

Appearance (2/3)
Brilliant rich copper color with a white head. A little more carbonation would improve the initial head, but it could use better persistence.

Flavor (16/20)
Beautiful malt character that is toasty and crisp without being caramel-laden or too rich. There is a hint of graininess that seems to be coming from a pilsner malt. The malt is crisp and balanced. There is no hop flavor, but their presence is felt in a bitterness that is medium-low with enough intensity to keep the beer crisp while allowing a lingering malt sweetness to persist through the finish.

Mouthfeel (3/5)
This beer is slightly undercarbonated leaving it with a somewhat full mouthfeel. Beer finishes relatively dry and perfectly to style. More carbonation would help make this an even more drinkable beer.

Overall Impression (9/10)
This is one of my favorite beers to brew and consume. Creating a clean, low-alcohol lager is a well-rewarded challenge. There is some nice malt complexity that is clean and crisp making it easy to both drink in quantity while also stimulating your palate. It is a beer that can you can dissect the flavors and aromas of one-by-one, or simply slam a boot of. Next time I brew, I’ll likely add some dextrin malt to improve the head persistence, slightly bump up the percentage of Vienna malt (while lessening the Munich II), and go back to my favorite lager yeast (WLP833, the Ayinger strain) which seems to attenuate a little bit better.

Total: (41/50) Excellent

Vienna Lager Recipe

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Nick Ladd

While living in Seattle, I had embarrassingly easy access to a world-class Vienna Lager brewed by Chuckanut Brewing in Bellingham, WA. Their beer always does well nationally at the GABF and easily became one of my go-to session beers as well as the inspiration for this recipe.

Vienna is in many was the perfect craft lager. I don’t think any other style of beer epitomizes balance the way a good Vienna can. It is quenching with a subtle complexity keeping your palate from boredom. This beer features a nice toasty malt profile while not being overbearing or too rich. There is a small crystal malt presence which is often overdone and can become sweet and in conflict with the dry toasty quality of the Vienna and Munich malt this recipe uses. It is a dryer and leaner version of its bigger brother the Oktoberfest / Marzen.

Specifications

Volume: 6.2 Gallons
Original Gravity: 1.050
Terminal Gravity: 1.012
Color: 13.82 SRM
Alcohol: 4.98% (ABV)
Bitterness: 23.7 IBUs
Efficiency: 80% (tweak recipe to match efficiency of your brew house)
Boil Length: 90 Minutes

Ingredients

4.5 lb (39.1%) Vienna Malt; Weyermann
2 lb (17.4%) Pilsner Malt; Weyermann
4.5 lb (39.1%) Munich TYPE II; Weyermann
4 oz (2.2%) Carapils®; Weyermann
2 oz (1.1%) Carafa Special® TYPE II; Weyermann
2 oz (1.1%) Melanoidin Malt; Weyermann
70 g (83.2%) Hallertauer Mittelfrüher (3.4%) – added during boil, boiled 60 m
1 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15
.75 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 10 m
.5 oz (16.8%) Hallertauer Mittelfrüher (3.4%) – added during boil, boiled 10 m
1 ea White Labs WLP833 German Bock Lager Yeast – 2 gallon decanted 1.040 starter

Water

Carbon-filtered Seattle water which is very soft. All salts added to grist before mashing in.
2 g Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate)
4.0 g Calcium Carbonate (Calcium Carbonate)
4.0 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)
8.0 g Calcium Chloride (Calcium Chloride)

Mash

90 Minute Saccharification Rest at 154° F
10 Minute Mashout Rest at 170° F (I do a second hot water infusion to mashout)
Sparge at 170° F and collect sufficient runnings to hit pre-boil volumes

Fermentation

Chill wort to 44° F and pitch yeast slurry.
Set temp controller to 48° F and allow to rise to this temp.
Ferment at 48-50° F until beer is 2-6 points from terminal gravity then raise temp to 58-60° F. Hold at 58-60° F for 2 days.
Chill fermenter 2° F per day until temperature is at 34° F. Rack beer off yeast and lager at near freezing 4-8 weeks.

Keys to Brewing

Yeast is of paramount importance for craft lagers. A lot of outdated homebrew advice recommends fermenting warm for the first couple days to build yeast populations and then crashing the fermentation back to lager yeast fermentation temps. I don’t like this since I believe it can lead to significant problems including excessive ester, fusel, and diacetyl formation. I think it also tends to shock the yeast and produce incomplete fermentations. Build a big starter, pitch cold, and go from there.
Use restraint with crystal malt. Too many homebrew samples are heavy on the caramel flavors which tend to mask the more subtle toasty / melanoiden flavors from the base malts.
I like a touch of dehusked carafa malt to lend some rich red color to the beer. I tend to toss it into the mash right before I sparge to avoid any roasty flavors.

Awards

The beer brewed from this recipe has won numerous awards as a BJCP Category 3a. Vienna Lager:

2012 NHC First Round – 1st Place
2012 Cascade Brewers Cup / Puget Sound Pro-Am – 2nd Place
2012 Novembeerfest – 3rd Place
2012 Skagit County Fair – 2nd Place
2012 Best of the Bay – 1st Place, 2nd Best of Show
2012 Evergreen State Fair – 1st Place