M & M Helles - Wednesday, January 8, 2025

I am using  Crisp Maris Otter for a lager because I have it in stock and it must be used up.

This is another try of a lager.  I decided not to brew Kolsch beers. I checked my history going back 8 years and most of them did not turn out at all. Lagers is a challenge and I do want to brew this style so I deleted all of my Kolsch future recipes and water profiles. Now I have to brew good lagers since there is nothing left.

                                                   THE TEMP CONTROLER

This has a wide range of temperatures when it cycles on and off. When it is set for 10C, the temp strip reads 12C. Go back and it is reading 10C. At least 2C or more differential. Fine, I do not need an exact temp of 10C. Anywhere around 10 to 12 works fine.

                                                              BREW BELT

Plugged it in and it is hot, yes hot. I have to run a power cord into the fridge when ramping up to get this thing to work. Set the fridge 2C over where it is and let the fridge shut it off. Do it in the morning so you can monitor it during the day to correct temps. You will only need this for the ramp up when making lagers in the winter. If making wines in the shower room, hook up the other temp controler after you do a quick calibration with a glass of ice and water. I did this to the one downstairs and something seems to be off. Usually the temp strips are working fine.

This is dedicated to Murphy who passed away last month. Rest in peace Murph

Ingredients

11 lbs. Crisp Maris Otter

4 ozs. Melanoidin Malt

1 oz. Saaz at 60 min.

1 oz. Hallertauer at 60 min.

1/2 tsp. Yeast Nutrient last 10 min. of the boil

2 sachets Diamond Lager

Mash Volume - 5.25 gallons ( distilled )

Sparge Volume - 5 gallons ( distilled )

Mash

Gyp - .9 g

CC - 2.2 g

Eps - 1.2 g

Lactic Acid - 1.5 ml

Boil

Gyp - .9 g

CC - 2.1 g

Eps - 1.2 g

Lactic Acid in Sparge - .2 ml

Water Profile - Yellow Full

O.G. - 1.042 - 76%

F.G. -

% -

SRM - 4.7

BU - 18.7

CA - 50

MG - 6

S04 - 49

CC - 70

PH - 5.31

                                               YEAST PITCHED AT 4 PM ON BREW DAY

                                                                BREW DAY NOTES

Things didn't go exactly as they should of this morning. A couple of minor errors but over all I think things went well. This bloody cold just won't go away. Looks like I should start to ramp up around Jan. 18, day 8.

Jan. 9 - No activity yet.

Jan. 10 - No activity yet. Looks like it will be going by the time I go to bed. 4 pm - 2 days.

Jan. 11 - Going good. Temp strip says 54, probe says more than that and thermopen says 53F.

               I am leaving it there for now. 

Jan. 12 - Same.

Jan. 13 - Same.

Jan. 14 - Same - 52F

Jan. 15 - 66F. Leaving the belt on until it reaches 70fF then shutting it off.

Jan. 16 - Getting close to being done. No sulphur smell yet which is odd. Either this yeast      

               just doesn't throw it or it is a sulphur bomb. Will know when it is done. 68F.

               Turning the belt on and off is working fine. I just have to keep checking it.

               I checked it around 2 pm today and it seems to be done. Now for the ramp down.

               I have to do this slowly so I won't get any suck back. I would say 1C a day or twice

               a day. I am in no hurry as this is a pilot brew.

                                                         RAMPED UIP ON JAN 14

I had to do this on day 5. The Diamond Lager yeast is a fast fermentor. It was really slowing down. I just wrapped the brew belt around it, shut the fridge off and waiting for it to warm it up. This will not take long as it is hot, or at least very warm. Keep an eye on it since you have only 1 good eye anyway!!! I have to time it so that when I am sleeping it doesn't cool too much as it is cold down there in the laundry room.

                                                            THE RAMP DOWN - 

It didn't start out very well. I was heating it up to 68F then shutting the belt off. I forgot all

about it on Jan 16. Next day it was 26C. I don't know if I ruined it or not. It is naturally going

down in temperature and I think it will be okay. Trying to keep it at 66F.

                                                           NO RAMP DOWN

Thinking on kegging this at the 14 day mark, or when it is absolutely done, whichever comes

first. This way I don't have to play around with suck back. Add gelatin when it is cold and toss

it in the fridge for a week, rack it to another keg and toss it upstairs to age for a month or so.

This all depends on what it tastes like since I may of done some damage to it when I let it go

to a high temp using the heat belt. Hope this works as I want to buy some liquid yeast to carry

on brewing lagers. I even might toss a few litres in my mini keg which I have never used since I

bought it over 5 years ago. Or CPBF it using my fillter which I haven't used in like 10 years. All

of this depends on how my eyes are healing before we go to Dorchester in April. 

                                                               KEGGED ON JAN. 19

                

Aschabers are coming for supper on Jan. 22. I think I can add gelatin today since he is here to

lift it in and out of the fridge. 

                                                                  GELATIN ON JAN 23

It is clear now just a few days later. The Melanoidin malt didn't do it any favours though. Not

using it again. I am not sure if I want to make another one any time soon. Will try Kolsch

beer and see how it goes. 

                                                          RACKING TO A KEG ON JAN. 30

Today I am racking to another keg and carbing up a 2 L pop bottle to see how it tastes. I

realize it needs to age some more but this gives me an indication on how it will taste in a few

weeks. It is okay beer, but toss the Melanoidin Malt, it didn't work with just 2 row.

This is an extremely clean lager. No off flavours besides the Melanoidin Malt I used. 4 ozs. 

turned it into a Yuenling beer which is made in Pennsylvania, United States. I forgot to turn

off the C02 on Jan. 31st. I did it the next morning. May be over carbed, but not an issue. 

                                                 TASTE ON FEB. 2ND

Taste is good. It still has that Melanoidin Malt taste , but minimal now and I assume will be

even lower in time. Very clear. A clean lager taste which is everything. No diacetyl as of yet.

                                                       DIACETYL IS BACK

It was very clean when I kegged it and when I racked to a keg. Now I am done with lagers.

It might be going away and might not. Hard to tell, but yea, brew Kolsch's.

letting this batch age until I need the fridge and drink or dump. Looks like a dumper, diacetyl

rarely goes away.

                                                   TASTE ON FEB. 14

It is still there but much lower than when I sampled it 7 days ago or even more. It has a 

weird taste, like a Craft beer I bought on a holiday some where. Not very bitter at all.

I can't taste the Noble hop either. 

                                                     FINAL TASTE

This is a dumper. The diacetyl is sticking around until the end of time. Time to dump it

down the sump hole. I did a D rest and there was absolutely no sulphur smell during the

time I raised the temp.