Brewing a Bavarian Helles

[admin]

We would like to announce a recent work the German Brewing team has put together about brewing Bavarian Helles. This represents months of research, experimentation and testing to dial in a representative example of the style that reflect the true character and flavors of the originals found in Bavaria, Germany. There are some somewhat novel (for the home brewing world) techniques here, but overall pulling together a variety of brewing process steps into a cohesive process that works very well and delivers a great beer, of far better quality than typically achieved by home brewers.

We welcome your thoughts, discussion and experience if you try this process and recipe.

Please see:

http://www.germanbrewing.net/docs/On_Br ... les_v3.pdf

Note: this link points to V.3 of the document, posted on October 30, 2017

[caedus]

could one, in theory, set up a massive chamber in which to brew? Just hop in suit with O2 tanks supplying you air, vent out all air and replace it with Nitrogen/CO2 mix, and then just go to town brewing?

Expensive? yes. Dangerous? probably. Attainable? probably not. Fun to think about? yes.

[Bryan R]

Brewing on the moon is where you want to be.

[wobdee]

Even if you can't follow this to the T, incorporating some of the methods especially pre boil and sulfites makes a huge difference. I know I still have some way to go but I'll get there eventually.

[caedus]

What pump do you guys use then? I was already thinking about picking one up, and I think I might try low oxygen brewing soon.

[Bryan R]

I use center inlet little giants.

[caedus]

What is your response to Pilsner Urquell boiling and decocting in Copper tanks? Unless they scrub, clean, and use them in a perfect O2 flushed and free environment then they would probably raise the PPM significantly.

[Bryan R]

Its not me it's science that tells you about oxidative copper. Can you use it? Sure. All the Modern brewhouses in Germany have been relined in SS because of this though. Look through a Krones catalogue. Some things are done because of tradition.

[KenLenard]

I was just thinking that I pour my strike water into my MT and the only caution is to not burn myself. I stir. Eventually I recirc and I run off. Then I send my sparge water into the MT the same way. I stir. I recirc. I run off. I boil reasonably hard. I chill with a copper IC and I stir. When I get below 100°F, I stir a little more vigorously. I place the kettle into a deep sink with water and ice to chill further and then I rack from kettle to primary through a strainer with the wort splashing all over the damned place. Then I oxygenate with pure O2 and a stone. I'm like the poster child of overly-oxygenated wort. I realize that all of this does not DESTROY your beer... it scrubs out the delicate malt and hop character you're trying to preserve. Still... I have a long way to go and a lot of mods to even get close to doing this properly. Cheers beerheads.

[Bryan R]

My youtube channel has a video of every step in my brewing process. Short of adding SMB, you can see exactly what I do.