Only Memories Remain

Mill the grains and mash in at 131°F (55°C) for 10 minutes. Raise to 146°F (63°C) and rest 30 minutes, then to 152°F (67°C) and rest 30 minutes. The do one decoction: Pull about one-third of the mash, bring it to a boil for 20 minutes (while stirring constantly), then reunite the mash and rest 15 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 90 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, do a whirlpool step: Add the flameout hops, stir or recirculate to create a vortex for 5 minutes, then allow 15 minutes to steep. Chill to 46°F (8°C), aerate the wort, and pitch a healthy yeast starter. Ferment at 48°F (9°C). If possible, attach a spunding valve when the gravity is ~1.020 for natural carbonation. When fermentation is complete and gravity has been stable for 3 days, do a forced diacetyl test (see “Hunting for Diacetyl,” beerandbrewing.com). If clear, gradually lower the temperature over 4–5 days to 40°F (4°C), then rack to secondary or keg for lagering. Lager at 32°F (0°C) for at least 4 weeks. Package and carbonate to 2.5–2.6 volumes of CO2.

BREWER’S NOTES
We love this beer and have been making it for several years. If you can do both decoction and spunding, you will get a really nice beer—but of course, you can also brew a good lager with single infusion (in that case, try 152°F/67°C for 75 minutes). If you have the equipment and the time, make a yeast starter of 1.5–2 liters. If you pitch enough healthy yeast, there’s no need for a diacetyl rest.