Helles Help Us

90:10 German Beer rule idea: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=24627.msg325294#msg325294

Diacetyl test: https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-helles/

From kai (http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Edel_Hell):
Propagate about 5 - 6 gram of dense sediment for every liter of wort that will be pitched. This will result in a pitching rate of about 25 Million cells per ml.

(18 l pitched wort will require about 100 g dense yeast sediment)

If this beer is brewed with lactic acid additions to both mash and boil, the pre-boil pH should be lowered to 5.3 - 5.4 through the use of lactic acid. I used about 0.08 ml 88% lactic acid per liter of pre-boil wort (2 ml for a pre boil volume of 25 l) which dropped the pH from 5.55 to 5.35. A lower boil pH softens the bitterness that is extracted from the hops.

Add hops after 10 min boil and boil for another 60 min. The total evaporation should be kept to 10 - 15% of the pre-boil volume. Chill to pitching temperature of 6 C (43 F). Aerate wort well to reach an oxygen level of 10 - 12 mg/l. In a 18 l batch this requires 90s pure O2 through a sintered stone for me.

Take a sample of wort for a Fast Ferment Test. This is very important for monitoring the fermentation.

Allow the beer temperature to rise to 8 C (46-47 F) and let the beer ferment at this temperature for 10 to 14 days. Transfer the beer to a lagering vessel while carrying over some yeast. Raise the temperature to 20 - 22 C (68 - 72 F) for 3-5 days for a maturation rest or until its attenuation is within 1 - 2 % of the attenuation limit determined by the fast ferment test.

Cool the beer to a cold conditioning temperature of 0 C (32 F) and hold it there for 4 - 6 weeks before transfering it to a serving keg or filling it into bottles. The cold conditioning time, if done in cornelius kegs, can also be used to carbonate the beer if that has not already been done during the maturation rest. If the beer is going to be bottle conditioned fresh yeast should be added.