39 replies to this topic

[Steve Urquell]

I picked up a bag of MFB French Vienna in my last grain order. My buddy and I are going to do a couple of Vienna SMASHes (I know the Carapils negates that, but watevah).
He's using WLP833 german bock lager yeast and saaz. This is my version. Gonna try to get a good feel for 2002 and Saphir.

The Amarillo is just a bag that wasn't that good--IBUs here only. Probably will run this yeast for the next year or so thru all my lagers to get a good feel for it too.

[Big Nake]

I know you said "whatevah" but this is two grains and two hops. You are cheating my good sir! I have a beer carbing right now where I bittered with Amarillo and this is the first time so should be very interesting. I have also been threatening to do another 100% Vienna beer. The 2002 has fermented two beers here and I'm about to make my 3rd (this weekend hopefully) so you'll have to let me know how you like it. Cheers.

[Steve Urquell]

I know you said "whatevah" but this is two grains and two hops. You are cheating my good sir! I have a beer carbing right now where I bittered with Amarillo and this is the first time so should be very interesting. I have also been threatening to do another 100% Vienna beer. The 2002 has fermented two beers here and I'm about to make my 3rd (this weekend hopefully) so you'll have to let me know how you like it. Cheers.

Whoosh, my own bittering addition making up 2 hops went right over my head. Derp! Can I get a mod edit to 2MA2H? Yeah, I'm interested in this strain. It'll probably be awesome and we'll never be able to get it again. If so, "Occupy Wyeast Labs!!" anyone? Anyone here used MFB Franco Belges Vienna? First time for me.

[Steve Urquell]

[Big Nake]

Btw... 2782 Staro was great too and if it came back around again as a private strain, I did not see it. It's another one that really should be year-round but they already have 2000, 2001, 2278, 2124 for Czech strains.

[positiveContact]

Btw... 2782 Staro was great too and if it came back around again as a private strain, I did not see it. It's another one that really should be year-round but they already have 2000, 2001, 2278, 2124 for Czech strains.

 

agreed.  staro-prague was the bomb.  I made a really excellent vienna lager with that one.

[Steve Urquell]

Never got to try Staro Prague. I still need to revisit 2278. Never ran it long enough to judge it fully.

[Big Nake]

Never got to try Staro Prague. I still need to revisit 2278. Never ran it long enough to judge it fully.

2278 is a nice yeast. It has that certain Czech character and it drops like a bomb so you know your beer will end up super clear. I have to admit though that if I were looking at 2278 and 2124 at the LHBS, I would take 2124 most of the time because it's just an AWESOME yeast.

[neddles]

Anyone here used MFB Franco Belges Vienna? First time for me.

Yes. It is the go to vienna malt I put in my saison. But I am only using it at 10%, very different from what you are doing. Also used it in at 35% in a Bière de Nöel, but again hard to isolate what I got from it as that beer had so much going on. I have liked all their malts really including their pils, munich, and crystals.

 

This beer looks like another winner to me. I have wanted to do something similar for a while with 100% Vienna and Saaz. An idea stolen from Notch Brewing's Polotmavy.

[Steve Urquell]

2278 is a nice yeast. It has that certain Czech character and it drops like a bomb so you know your beer will end up super clear. I have to admit though that if I were looking at 2278 and 2124 at the LHBS, I would take 2124 most of the time because it's just an AWESOME yeast.

Good to hear. I'll give her a go again after I've run thru my 2002. I find W34/70 to be very similar to 2124, especially on the repitch. I'd say it's 85% as good.

Yes. It is the go to vienna malt I put in my saison. But I am only using it at 10%, very different from what you are doing. Also used it in at 35% in a Bière de Nöel, but again hard to isolate what I got from it as that beer had so much going on. I have liked all their malts really including their pils, munich, and crystals. This beer looks like another winner to me. I have wanted to do something similar for a while with 100% Vienna and Saaz. An idea stolen from Notch Brewing's Polotmavy.

Thanks for the info. I got worried after getting the bag with no data tag on it and sparse info online. Hope it's comparable to Best Malz. Sounds like you're about to start a run of lagers. Easy to keep em going after harvesting the yeast.

[neddles]

Good to hear. I'll give her a go again after I've run thru my 2002. I find W34/70 to be very similar to 2124, especially on the repitch. I'd say it's 85% as good. Thanks for the info. I got worried after getting the bag with no data tag on it and sparse info online. Hope it's comparable to Best Malz. Sounds like you're about to start a run of lagers. Easy to keep em going after harvesting the yeast.

I have ideas for about 6 or 7 lagers in my head that have been there for a while. First up should be a Helles for summer. Problem is I really just need to get a new fridge for this. I have in the past used my only beer fridge which is also my serving fridge and its a PIA juggling everything and moving kegs in and out.  Alternatively I have considered a keezer build with a 7c.f. chest freezer. 

[Steve Urquell]

I have ideas for about 6 or 7 lagers in my head that have been there for a while. First up should be a Helles for summer. Problem is I really just need to get a new fridge for this. I have in the past used my only beer fridge which is also my serving fridge and its a PIA juggling everything and moving kegs in and out. Alternatively I have considered a keezer build with a 7c.f. chest freezer.

Ive done the juggling thing before too and yes it's a PITA. I probably wouldnt brew as many lagers as I do w/o several fridges. I have 1 dedicated kegerator, 1 bottle fridge, and a wine fridge which I use as a ferm chamber/lagering fridge. 2 have STCs, 1 has a Johnson controller. Sometimes I have to move a primary to my bottling fridge if its in the way of another batch but usually I just leave it in there till its in the keg and lager/carb the keg until I put it in the kegerator. Do you secondary your lagers? Ive cut them out by crashing in primary for a week or so then racking directly to keg. It's allowed my beer to stay fresher too. My secondaried beers would be fading hard after 6mths in the keg so I quit doing it to limit O2 exposure. My beer is staying fresher for longer now.

Edited by chils, 06 May 2015 - 04:18 AM.

[neddles]

No I don't secondary my lagers. I crash and rack like you do. 

[Steve Urquell]

Mashed in on the second rest of this one. Got up to my water heater leaking out of one of the flex pipes; fixing it while mashing, wife sent for parts. I didn't have any Carapils so I subbed CaraRed 17L for it. Kinda wanted to do that anyways. The FB malt tasted good raw, mash smells nice. Should be good if I don't screw the pooch on technique.

[neddles]

Mashed in on the second rest of this one. Got up to my water heater leaking out of one of the flex pipes; fixing it while mashing, wife sent for parts. I didn't have any Carapils so I subbed CaraRed 17L for it. Kinda wanted to do that anyways. The FB malt tasted good raw, mash smells nice. Should be good if I don't screw the pooch on technique.

Mine is gem so she would have done this for me. However, the results would be disastrous.

[Steve Urquell]

Mine is gem so she would have done this for me. However, the results would be disastrous.

As would mine. Hopefully a detailed list with pictures of the parts and copper flex tube in hand will result in me not going to town

[Steve Urquell]

Finished up earlier at 1.058OG, 88% efficiency for the 7gal batch. I would have gotten better efficiency if I'd thought about the protein and carved up the top of the grain. This thing was pretty goopy and capped the mash. Channeled when I sparged.

Saphir is pretty nice. Flavor and aroma is like Amarillo meets hallertau--floral, herbal, and mild. Should be a nice beer.

Protein Sludge and my capped, channeled sparge.

Edited by chils, 09 May 2015 - 03:06 PM.

[Steve Urquell]

So this one's been on tap long enough to get a good idea about how good it is. I know we all want everything we brew to be the "best beer evar111!!!" but they aren't always that.

That's this one. It's just a ho-hum beer. It's not flawed in any way. It's very "beery". The Saphir hops are almost non-existent in flavor/aroma. Def needs more hop character. The yeast has a nice aroma and flavor. The malt is OK but seems one-dimensional to me. Eh, can't win them all.

[Big Nake]

So this one's been on tap long enough to get a good idea about how good it is. I know we all want everything we brew to be the "best beer evar111!!!" but they aren't always that.

That's this one. It's just a ho-hum beer. It's not flawed in any way. It's very "beery". The Saphir hops are almost non-existent in flavor/aroma. Def needs more hop character. The yeast has a nice aroma and flavor. The malt is OK but seems one-dimensional to me. Eh, can't win them all.

Randy... the more I brew, the more I realize that if I want some decent hop character in a beer, I need to think MOAR! Especially if the beer is going to lager for any amount of time and lose some hop character. I keep thinking that I'm bumping up the hops but by the time the beer gets to the taps, it's not the way I may have expected. Beery is good though and my guess is that it's still an excellent beer.

[Steve Urquell]

Ken, it reminds of something commercial I've had before but can't yet pin down. I wanted to try and get a feel for the malt w/o going crazy with the hops on this one. The hops are so subdued that they are almost not present. It would be delicious if it was hopped like an IPA. I may revisit the grain bill with a (metric) crapton of noble hops.

I feel like my hop radar is skewed like a zombie craving bra--ii--nssss. Ahh, to be a homebrewer.