17 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

I made this beer this morning, very close to the recipe on my site. I know that a Helles is such a wimpy, gold beer but I really want to be able to make a consistently good one. Some of this latest pH & water stuff was applied here so my fingers are crossed that it comes out like I'm envisioning.

Brauhaus Helles

8 lbs Best Malz Pils
12 ounces Best Malz Munich light (6L)
12 ounces Best Malz Vienna
4 ounces Aromatic
1 oz Spalt pellets 3.2% for 60 plus
½ oz Hallertau pellets 4.3% for 60 plus
a couple pellets of Opal at 8.6% (more on that below)
Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager yeast

OG: 1.053, FG: 1.012, SRM: 5, IBU: 24, ABV: 5.0%

I didn't have enough Hallertau in an open bag I had so I made up the rest with a pinch of Opal. The AAUs were around 6. All filtered water, 3.5g of CaCl in the mash water along with 3ml of lactic acid. Mash pH ended up at 5.1. Mash temp was 150.2° and I did a single infusion mash for about 90 minutes. Sparge pH was 5.3 (after adding 2ml of acid to the sparge water) and kettle pH was 5.2. Should be good. Wort was pale & clear. Cheers Beerheads.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

 

My Helles: 100% Pils 

[Big Nake]

My Helles: 100% Pils

Very nice. I have that glass too & love it. When I went to Europe last summer I had a number of beers in Austria and Munich that seemed very "helles-like". Smooth, gold, clear, refreshing, delicious. I had some nice, fresh pilsners too and they were outstanding but there's something about a well-made helles in the warm weather that I like. What hops and which yeast did you use in that? The clarity on yours is outrageous... nice work, my friend.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

Thanks! 2308 and all Hallertau. I've brewed 4 beers so far with a smack pack of 2308. This is the first to keg. I'm really happy with it. The "drinkability factor" is almost too high. The only fining in this beer is whirlfloc at 15.

[Big Nake]

Thanks! 2308 and all Hallertau. I've brewed 4 beers so far with a smack pack of 2308. This is the first to keg. I'm really happy with it. The "drinkability factor" is almost too high. The only fining in this beer is whirlfloc at 15.

Yeah, 2308 is the boss. I just got done with a run of 2308 beers: A sort of Shiner Bock clone, my New Glarus Two Women clone, a Pilsner with Magnum to bitter and some late Hallertau and then Jamil's Vienna with all-Hallertau-all-the-time. Such a great, versatile yeast. Cheers!

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

Nice! I did this Helles, a 100% Vienna, a 99.5% Munich Dunkel and a Maibock. 

[Big Nake]

Ladies: This beer went to a keg this week and was chilled & carbed. I grabbed a sample just now with the cobra tap and although the sample is cloudy (gel solution added to the keg after the beer was cold), the beer is exactly as I had hoped. First, the water was 100% filtered tap so that in itself is such a home run, I can't even tell you. I was beaten down and accepting the fact that I would be lugging distilled water home for the rest of my brewing days. Not the case. Also, the beer is what I envisioned in terms of the helles style... malty with a good mouthfeel and smoothness. The 60-minute assortment of hops (Spalt, Hallertau, Opal) are plenty for what they're called on to do and there is a spicy, noble lingering of hops in the finish... almost is if a small whirlpool addition had been made but there wasn't. The finish is dry as it should be. I think the 2124 is playing a nice role in this beer as well because it has a bit of a brighter, pilsnery character to it. I have to say that I am very pleased with this effort and very relieved to have made a beer like this, prove that my water could make pale beers if the right finesse is applied and also have the beer echo some of the things mentioned in the guidelines and also in the Helles article I linked to in one of the other threads (the Festbier-not-Oktoberfest thread, I think). I think the Vienna, Munich and Aromatic are providing some of the maltiness and the chloride-heavy water is probably helping with that as well. The lower mash temp is working towards providing the drier finish. For those who mentioned wanting to make a beer like this... you gotta try this one. If there is anything I left out of the recipe, let me know. Cheers.

[neddles]

Congrats man. Was a long road to learn how to do that with your water, I know. Now your there and if your weather is anything like ours today it's the perfect day for it.

[positiveContact]

i'm kind of surprised a beer this light can take a hit of aromatic that big.  you can't argue with results though!

[Big Nake]

i'm kind of surprised a beer this light can take a hit of aromatic that big.  you can't argue with results though!

2.6% of the grain bill? 

[MyaCullen]

2.6% of the grain bill? 

this

[positiveContact]

i find aromatic to be fairly powerful.  maybe i'm confused on that.

[Big Nake]

Aromatic is supposed to give beer a malty flavor and aroma and a deep, rich color.  A few sites I just visited said it could be used as high as 50% of a grain bill. I would never use that much but at 2.6%, I can't imagine it would have any powerful impact... just a little contribution.

[positiveContact]

this could be like my munich sensitivity. i used to use 1/2 lb in my oktoberfest.  i ended up bringing it down to 1/4 lb but that was a beer with a lot more munich in it so it wouldn't stand out as much as a beer with mostly pils.

[positiveContact]

again - i may be crazy.

[Big Nake]

Could be something that you don't care for in larger amounts, not sure. There are so many grains out there and every once in awhile I try something new. I remember trying Brown Malt and not caring for it. A smoked beer I made last year came out funky to me and I only used a pound or so in 5 gallons and most people told me that I wouldn't even pick it up at that level. With a helles... you should have some maltiness, a good mouthfeel but a dry finish and I'm not going to decoct it so some aromatic or melanoidin along with Munich or Vienna in small amounts (plus water that leans towards chlorides) would provide maltiness and then a lower mash temp to create the dry finish... that's the plan anyway.

[positiveContact]

Could be something that you don't care for in larger amounts, not sure. There are so many grains out there and every once in awhile I try something new. I remember trying Brown Malt and not caring for it. A smoked beer I made last year came out funky to me and I only used a pound or so in 5 gallons and most people told me that I wouldn't even pick it up at that level. With a helles... you should have some maltiness, a good mouthfeel but a dry finish and I'm not going to decoct it so some aromatic or melanoidin along with Munich or Vienna in small amounts (plus water that leans towards chlorides) would provide maltiness and then a lower mash temp to create the dry finish... that's the plan anyway.

 

I'd probably still really like the beer.  On my o'fest it could just be b/c of the amount of munich + the aromatic was too much.

[Big Nake]

I'd probably still really like the beer.  On my o'fest it could just be b/c of the amount of munich + the aromatic was too much.

Sure. Add a high(er) mash temp, some chloride-heavy water and all of that could overwhelm the beer. I'm not saying you did all of that but I could see too much aromatic being an issue given the right set of circumstances.