One Helles A Brew Day

In the fall I ramped up my brewing sessions for a couple reasons. I started supplying beer to our gym for everyone to enjoy after a hard workout and on Beer Fridays as we refer to it. But mostly because our little bud Graham’s arrival was imminent and I knew it would be hard to find the time (and energy) to brew with a newborn in the house and no baby instruction manual. Well, before I knew it eight weeks went by before I finally brewed my first batch of 2019.

I was anxious to brew up a second iteration of a Munich style Helles. I had the style a few times in the past but I really fell in love with it last spring while visiting friends in, you guessed it, Munich. Augustiner’s Helles really stood out to me against the competition. It didn’t hurt that I downed two of them after summiting a peak in Garmisch, hilariously named to English speakers “The Wank”. There’s something glorious about a well-earned summit beer but this one was extra special. I promised myself when I got home I’d take a stab at replicating the beer and in July of 2018 I did just that. The brew day and fermentation went according to plan but I rushed the lagering to get it out to thirsty friends at the gym so it ended up more of a pale Kellerbier than a true Helles. I was generally happy with that first iteration but wanted to tweak the recipe to drive more of the grainy-malty nose and flavor I get from the Augustiner. So I ditched the minor Vienna component and went 90 percent plus of German Pilsner base with about 5.5% of light Munich and a couple ounces of Melanoidin malt to smack that biscuit note without adding sweetness. And this past Sunday I got a late-ish start, on a cold day, and hoped to beat the impending rain.

Right from the start I knew I was going to have issues. Some of my gear is kept in storage sheds that are not airtight to the elements. Between our proximity to the ocean and the recent rains I found some gear and hoses had molded. Nothing that some PBW couldn’t take care of on the hardened gear but the poly hoses were toast. Lesson learned. Keep everything in the TuffShed and make sure it’s dry when you put it away.

Once I got everything situated, strike water to temp, and mashed in, everything seemed on track…until I started running off. I use a Fermenter’s Favorite 10 gallon mash tun with cheapo false bottom and generally have zero issues. When I was recirculating it felt like I may have a bit of a blockage but the flow was sufficient with the total volume in the tun. About a third of the way through my sparge the flow rate was minimal even with the valve completely open. It was running but slow. Again I tried to clear a blockage but could not find one. The fact that I had minimal head on the gravity runoff wasn’t helping and so it took an epic amount of time to collect a nearly-full boil volume. In the end no harm, just wasted time, and I was left scratching my head.

My recipe called for a 90 min boil and I got it going vigorously in no time with the Bayou Classic banjo burner. Apparently too vigorously. Coupled with me shorting the boil volume, at flameout I had way overshot my gravity so I adjusted downward by adding a half gallon of treated tap water. Ultimately I hit my target gravity of 1048, chilled to 60 degrees, and pitched my two-step starter of White Labs 830*.

Even after so many batches under my belt I learned a few things this brew day. First, I really need to get my brewhouse equipment stored in one central location. We moved last summer and I had to trade my actual garage for a Tuffshed, two outdoor storage units, and a cellar. Annoying is an understatement. Second, just like any skill, or muscle for that matter, if you don’t use it you lose it. Part of the problem Sunday was the fact that I had gone eight weeks without brewing when I usually brew every other week. As the old adage goes, practice makes perfect. Lastly, the kid is already teaching me patience. Things may take longer than expected, they may not go according to plan, but that’s ok. And they get done in the end.

The brew is now pumping away at 50F in the fermentation fridge. I’ll take a gravity reading 10-14 days in and see if it’s time to transfer to the other fridge for a D-rest. I have high hopes for this beer and I’m anxious to give it a try. Unfortunately that means waiting until late March for it to finish lagering. But with a little luck we’ll get good spring weather for a hike up Gaviota peak and maybe I’ll stash a 1L growler in my pack to enjoy at the summit. And with a lot of luck it’ll taste like that Augustiner on top of The Wank.

Chuckle.     

*I used 830 because I had used my 838 on a Schwarzbier and quite frankly they’re very close

Helles 2.0 AKA “Straight to Helles”

Recipe for 5 gallon, all-grain

OG 1048               FG 1011                ABV 4.8%             IBU 22   SRM 4.1

8.25lb/91.3%      German Pils

0.5lb/5.5%           Munich 10L

2oz/1.4%             Melanoidin

2.5oz/1.7%          Acid Malt

1.25 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh 3.1 AA @ 75 min (16 IBU)

0.75 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh 3.1 AA @ 20 min (5.6 IBU)

WLP 830 – German Lager

Target Water Profile: Munich De-carbonated

Mash at 146 F for 35 min

Increase temp by infusion and mash at 160 F for 35 min

Sparge to collect 7.5 gallons

Boil for 90 min

Whirlfloc/Irish Moss at 5-10 min before flameout

Chill to 60 F and pitch