Munich Dunkel (BYO)

3/6/16

Munich Dunkel at a glance: WATER: higher mash ph to help with weak converting munich malt MALT: Quality German Munich malt (around the 10L range to produce nice clean, bready notes). Some dark roasted malt for color but not much to produce those flavors. Huskless is best to get the color without the astringency. Can be 100% munich or cut in some pils for enzyme conversion. mash higher for body. At least 90 minute boil for color development if not decocting. HOPS: Traditional German hops but primarily for balance. Almost no flavor or aroma. Malt shines through YEAST: Clean lager yeast

Target water profile (Brown and malty in Bru'n water): Ca:60; Mg:5; Na:15; Cl:60; So4:50; HCO3:85

Added following salts (built up from distilled): gypsum-approx 2 grams to mash and 3.2 grams to sparge; CaCl-approx 2.5 grams to mash and 4 grams to sparge; baking soda - 2 grams to mash; phosphoric acid (10%)-NONE (Acid malt to reduce slightly)

Finished water profile: Ca:60; Mg:0; Na:29; Cl:64; So4:59; HCO3:77. This should give mash a target pH of 5.4 (room temp - a heated mash sample that's been cooled may be closer to 5.6).

2 packets of Saflager 34/70 rehydrated and pitched into wort

mill gap at .054. let hydrate for about 15 mins and started recirculating. no stuck sparge and worked well

mash at 156 for 60 then mashout 170 for 10.

Vigorous boil. Boiled off about 1.5 gallons

Oxygenation wand adequately soaked in pbw, followed by sanitizer before use

sparge pH: 5.45
sparge temp: started about 172 but was quickly into mid 160's as it kept going
mash pH: 5.2 (low? shooting for 5.5)
Pre boil volume: 9 gal
pre-boil OG: 1.046 (high)
post boil volume: 6.25 gal
post boil pH: 4.96
volume into FV: 5.5 gal
OG: 1.064 (12 pts higher!)
day 9 pH: 4.42
day 9 gravity: 1.028
finished pH: 4.46
FG: 1.027 (4.85% ABV - 56% ATTENUATION??)

into FV at around 75 and took a couple hours to get down to pitching temp in freezer. pitched at 52 and let rise to set temp of 55. aerated for 1:35 with pure oxygen. added 2 packets of dry yeast rehydrated in distilled water at 73 degrees. This increased the temp up to 159 but was quickly cooled back down. Checked the next day and no activity. checked again about 30 hours later and some very slight krausen on top of wort but still not much. gave it a good shake and created some foam. next morning (day 2) still not much going on. no airlock activity. came home from work day 2 (approx 52 hours) and nice white krausen had formed and airlock bubbling. increased to 65 (from 55) for diacetyl rest on day 7. took about a day to free rise to about 62. airlock was bubbling consistently (too early for the d rest?). after a day it was at 65, where it remained for about 1 week. started cold crashing after that and kegged after about 17 days to start lagering. why did it not finish? (1.027 FG). Mash temp too high? Low pitching rate? 2 rehydrated packs not enough? OG was 12 pts higher than expected so maybe something to do with it. CALIBRATE HYDROMETER to ensure this isnt an issue
After in fridge for a week, moved to chest freezer at near freezing temps to start some more effective lagering (3/30/16 - 25 days after brewing)

Bottled 5 beers for Hogtown on 4/22. This will give it about 2 weeks of conditioning at room temp before it gets to Hogtown (who knows how it will be stored there). Color and clarity is great. I dont get the full bready malt profile I like in some of my favorite Dunkels. Better than my least favorite bc more body and taste than those but not fully there for the best examples. Decoction mash the result? How to overcome this for that same effect?
EDIT: tried this again on 5/4/16 before dropping off at JBI for Hogtown. Not carbed yet really at all but tasted absolutely fantastic. Maybe our best beer yet. All the bready, toasty, caramelly malt flavor was there and exactly what i look for in a dunkel. (Maybe the warm temp played a role in this along with some bottle conditioning.
EDIT: tried this again with Corey after another full week of conditioning at room temp and then put in fridge for 1 day. Carbonation was there. Maybe not fully carbed but close.

Bottled the rest of the keg on 5/23/16.

EDIT: sampled day 9. pH of 4.42.


ERRORS: No real errors. Smooth and increasingly efficient brew day. Didnt have carapils to add for body but didnt need it.

Hogtown Brewoff 5/21/16 Score: 30.5 --> Underattenuated (lingering cloying sweetness) and lacking complexity (dark munich or aromatic malts or decoction mash). Oxidized? (one one scoresheet).