Permanent Head Droid Dunkles

Process
If there’s one thing you want to avoid here, it’s diacetyl, and the Bavarian Lager strain is prone to it. Diacetyl will make your beer seem slick and sweet, which is the antithesis of what we want here. However, this is nothing to worry about if we pay attention to time and temperature. Start your fermentation low—like, alarmingly low—as low as 45°F (7°C). Don’t worry if it takes a while to get fermentation rolling; the colder you start, the better off you’ll be. Chill your wort, refrigerate it below 50°F (10°C), then pitch and take the temperature the rest of the way down, if you’re not there already. Once fermentation starts, wait four or five days, then start slowly raising the temperature by a degree or two per day, until you hit 60°F (16°C). We want to ensure a thorough cleanup of all diacetyl and precursors. Once airlock activity stops, yank the beer and leave it at room temperature for two weeks before crashing. Don’t rush, start cool, and finish warm, and you’ll get an excellent strong, clean, and dry lager.

A great bock is almost as much fun to smell as it is to drink—a luxurious grist showcase. You can take your time drinking it as well as making it—this one will keep in the fridge for a year or more.
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Mill the grains and mash at 151°F (66°C) for 75 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, chill below 50°F (10°C) if possible, preferably to 45°F (7°C), cooling the wort overnight if necessary. Aerate the wort thoroughly and pitch the yeast. Ferment between 45–50°F (7–10°C) for up to 5 days, then slowly raise the temperature over the next 10–14 days to 60°F (16°C). When fermentation is complete, allow the beer to further condition at room temperature for another 14 days, then crash to 35°F (2°C), package, and carbonate to about 2.30 volumes of CO2.