Malts: The three malts chosen are for the traditional barley/wheat balance of a Lichtenhainer, the pilsner added for a few extra points of gravity added as inoffensively as possible. The oak-smoked wheat is in consideration of the fact that smoked paprika tends to be smoked with oak rather than most smoked malts which tend to be beechwood, or something like cherry. With the added spices in secondary, I hope not to overwhelm the flavour profile too much. Vienna, seemed a good, reasonably traditional, sweet base malt choice with adequate DP to handle the conversion, and to balance the sour, as it's meant to be lightly sour. There is also less smoked wheat, both to avoid a stuck mash, and to keep the paprika+smoked malt combo from overloading the senses on smoke.

Hops: The Hallertau Mittelfruh is a (sort of) traditional, Noble hop with low bitterness, and a spicy profile, should mesh well with the herbs and spices to be included.

Cultures: Depending on the ability of the lab, and the souring techniques we ultimately learn in class, the Lactobacillus 5335, and the German Ale 1007, both from Wyeast, were the recommended cultures for a Lichtenhainer, hopefully preserving the light sour flavour, and the equally light fruity estery profile of the finished beer. Boil 10 minutes, no hops, before transferring. Add Lactic acid to bring pH to 4.5 and pitch Lacto. Allow Lacto culture to decrease pH for about two days at 80F, looking for a pH of ~3.7, before boiling again, with hops, and pitching the German ale yeast, to ferment rest of the way out at 66F.

Water: Changed very little from the standard lab water profile, except to ensure sufficient calcium, and to adjust the pH into the appropriate range. Higher chloride to enhance malt sweetness, middling Magnesium to tangle with the sour, and lower pH in mash to appropriate range.

Mash: BJCP guidelines suggest a dry end product, and finish on tasting, as well as a medium to medium-light body. The mash is scheduled with that in mind. As it should ferment out to ~1.011, the short protein rest hopefully maintains the body a bit, and keeps the 40% wheat grain bill from gumming up the works.

Spices: In the secondary, in complement to the smoked and sour profile, with the sweeter malt heavy recipe, I hope to add paprika (a dried sweet red pepper), rosemary (a piney, pungent, woody herb). In an already busy context, I recognize that this could be a dangerous combination, potentially vegetal if aged too long, but if carefully blended and portioned would make the beer a powerful complement to lightly-flavoured, but heavily-marinated protein and plant-based foods. Might as well balance that with a beer of appropriate intensity (right, vegetarian friends? right?!). As an estimate, 1 oz. of each in the secondary left to soak in.