Head Retention Issues

[Brody]

Yea, I get what you're saying about the Reinheitsgebot Nico - as always appreciate the feedback.

Help me understand the effect on the grain bill. So let's say you're using a pilsner malt with a Kolbach of 41 as your base. Then you have 10%-15% of your grain bill consisting of 32 Kolbach Bestmalz Chit. Would you take the weighted average to determine the Kolbach of your grain bill and use that to determine wether or not to perform a Protein Rest (as well as temp and duration)?

My personal goal with it would be to improve foam & mouthfeel. Would carapils have a similar effect? I would love to start experimenting with Chit (and probably will) but with none of my 5 LHBS carrying it ordering it online would make it more of a pain and costly.

[pietro]

[Bryan R]

Honestly just go read Kai's site, but don't just read it. Go though it part by part with a fine tooth comb. Then, do that 10 times. Read it like its the first time you are hearing any of this, and forget you ever brewed before.

[Roachbrau]

New Brewing Lager Beer by Greg Noonan is also a good resource, although keep in mind that it's still a book about German brewing written by an American That said, he gets most of it right, although it's through a narrow lens.

Between those two resources, patience, and hanging around here asking the right questions...

But yes, forget everything you know about brewing. Everything we learned as American homebrewers is based on English techniques, which rarely apply to German brewing.

[Weizenberg]

I think I already suggested the necessary adjustments to the mash

Carapils is not kilned, in this respect its different from the others. A charge of 10% is not uncommon. Just try that

[Brody]

Nico - Yea, as in do away with the protein rest. Which I suppose still stand. Ok, I think I'll try out 10% Carapils. My current recipe is Weyerman Pils with 3% Carahell. Think I should do away with the carahell when using carafoam? 12-13% cara malts sounds like it may be intense. Then again I'm used to higher colored UK crystal malts, not carafoam/carapils.

I actually just picked up Noonan's book myself. Tearing through that, Kai, Nico's blog, this forum, and any Narziss translated advice I can find at the moment.

[Weizenberg]

Nope. Keep the carahell. Carapils is a bit of a green malt which will help you compensate for the effects of an under modified malt.

So you do Pilsener malt, 3% carahell and then 10% Carapils. Your EVG won't suffer. Note that many caramalts contribute already made maltose. Don't under estimate the contribution a maltster makes. If you can, then use the caramalts from Bestmalz. These are truly spectacular. If you need to adjust mash ph, then it's a job for acidulated malt. Your mash ph should be 5.4 on infusion, 5.5 on decoction.

If you want to try the classic German step mash, the it's 62C for 30 minutes, 72C for 60 minutes, 77C mash out for 5.

If you use Tinseth then go for 13 IBU. Otherwise use a BSAG of 28-30%

[pietro]

[Weizenberg]

Whichever method you use, you need to make the substances that give it this character. It's not a linear definitive thing, rather than a machine with many wheels turning at different wheels pending on input.

It takes time to appreciate.

[Bryan R]

From what I gathered, in my findings. Is that 5.2ish favors single infusion, 5.3-5.4 for step mashes, and 5.5-5.6 for decoctions. But your milage may vary. I will say though however, I feel 5.2 is WAY to low.