Vienna Lager

Grain Bill / Fermentables

  • 5 lbs Pilsner Malt
  • 5 lbs Vienna Malt
  • 1.5 lbs Bonlander Munich
  • 0.5 lbs Victory Malt
  • 0.25 lbs Caramel 20 Malt
  • 0.25 lbs Caramel 40 Malt

Hops

  • 0.75 oz Magnum (12.8AA)
  • 1 oz Hallertau GR (12.8AA)

Yeast (Split Batch)

  • Mangrove Jack’s M84 Bohemian Lager (Yeast cake from Lawn-Boy Lager)

Other

  • Citric Acid
  • Whirlfloc
  • Yeast Nutrient

Target Stats

  • 5.5 Gallons
  • OG 1.061
  • FG 1.014
  • ABV 6.15%
  • IBU 39.93
  • SRM 8.79

Final Stats

  • 6.5 Gallons
  • OG 1.054 Tilt (1.063 Hydrometer)
  • FG 1.012 (1.020 Hydrometer)
  • ABV 5.64%
  • IBU 34.08
  • SRM 7.84
  • 78% Efficiency

Prior to Brew Day

Collect water to allow chlorine to dissipate.

Brew Day

Heat 9 gallons of water to 160°.

Gently dough in grains until all grain is covered by water and adjust pH to 5.2 with citric acid.

Mash grains at 155° for 1.25 hours.

Remove grain bag and allow grains to drain, resulting in 7.5 gallons of wort.

Bring wort to a boil. Add 0.75 oz Magnum hops and continue boil for 55 minutes.

Add yeast nutrient and whilfloc tablet and continue boil for 5 minutes. (This is a good time to drop in the wort chiller.)

At flame out add 1 oz Hallertau hops and drop wort temperature. Once wort temperature reaches 68°, take OG reading and continue to reduce wort temperature to 54°.

Sufficiently aerate and transfer to primary fermenters onto existing yeast cake. Lager, rest and enjoy!

Notes:

  • March 16, 2019, Brew Day
    • Added 1/2 tsp citric acid to drop pH to 5.22
    • Mashed for 1.5 hours instead of the intended 1.25 and initial mash temperature was slightly higher than planned with one reading coming in at 157°.
    • Boiled for 10 minutes prior to adding the Magnum hops for the 60 minute boil.
    • Wort volume was higher that expected after pulling the grains, so the first 50 minutes was a hard boil, reducing to a low boil for the last 20 minutes.
    • Pitched wort onto yeast cake at 61°
    • Yeast cake was extremely active, dropping the gravity to 1.051 within 2.5 hours.
  • 1 day, full krausen and gravity had dropped 20 points.
  • 2 days, fermentation is so active that the Tilt readings are all over the place.
  • 4 days, Tilt is reading at 1.008 and krausen is dropping, raised temperature from 53° to 68°.
  • 6 days, beer is clearing nicely.
  • 7 days, kegged and placed in freezer to lager at near freezing temperatures. 
    • Had a gallon extra, which was amazing flat. It didn’t last the day.