I got a little help from my homebrew club on this one, and I’m excited to share the process! I’ve always been a fan of amber lagers, especially those with that rich dark fruit malt character. For this batch, I decided to push the envelope a bit by adding a touch of roasted malt to deepen the color and give it a bit more complexity. It’s definitely stepping out of my usual comfort zone, but I’m trusting the process!

Along the way, my efficiency didn’t quite hit the mark I was aiming for. After some troubleshooting, I noticed that the rollers on my mill weren’t quite aligned. A quick cleanup and a few turns of the wrench to tighten things up, and I’m hoping it’ll crush the malt more evenly next time.

I’m planning to enter this beer into the Indiana Brewers Cup 2025, so fingers crossed that all the adjustments pay off!

Grain

• 10.5lb Weyermann Pilsner
• .5lb Caramunich II
• .25lb Midnight Wheat

Hops

• 6oz Mittlefrueh (2.3%) @ First Wort
• 2oz Mittlefrueh (2.3%) @ Whirlpool (100f for 30min)

Water

• 2ml Phosphoric Acid 85%
• 1.13g Gypsum (mash)
• 1.47g Calcium Chloride (mash)
• .87g Baking Soda (mash)
• 2.12g Epsom (mash)
• 2.7g Gypsum (sparge)
• 3g Calcium Chloride (sparge)
• 1.8g Baking Soda (sparge)
• 4.37g Epsom (sparge)

Yeast

• White Labs Dusseldorf Alt Yeast WLP036

Mash

• Mash in with 3.75 gallons
• Steep at 148f
• Sparge 7.7 gallons at 170f

Boil

• 6oz Mittlefrueh (2.3%) at First Wort
• 2oz Mittlefrueh (2.3%) at whirlpool 100f for 30 minuets

Fermentation

• 1 Liter starter
• Pitched at 53f
• Ferment at 65f
• Increase to 69f for diacetyl rest
• crash to 35f