Brother Bear Dopplebock (AG)
Brewed: 1/24/2016 Kegged: 2/6/2016
You may remember that in 2013 the SheppyBrew Brewery made a big effort to make sure we had brewed at least one beer in all 23 categories of the 2008 Style Guidelines.We accomplished that goal.
Then, the 2015 Style Guidelines came out and there were new styles to brew.
Early in 2016, we decided to check off a couple of categories. I started with Ulterior Motive Amber Lager, with the intention of using that low-alcohol lager as a yeast starter for the Category 9, Strong European Beer that I would brew next.
Brother Bear Dopplebock is that Strong European Lager.
It is a pretty simple recipe. Munich, German Pils, and Caramunich in the grain bill. Just enough bittering hops to balance out the big sweetness of the malt, and the German Bock Lager from white labs.
I re-purposed the name from the first lager I ever made "Brother Bear Dopplebock". It was made from Mr. Beer ingredients.
This "Brother Bear" is my first (and thus far my only) all-grain dopplebock.
For more information on brewing all the BJCP Categories, see Sheppy's Blog: BJCP goal.
For more information on this beer, see Sheppy's Blog: Brother Bear.
| Brother Bear Dopplebock --- Batch 1 |
| Style | Doppelbock | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 7.76 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 75.00 | Boil Time | 90 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.082 SG | Estimated FG | 1.021 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 22.9 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 8.2 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.277 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 16.5 SRM |
|
|||||
| Measured OG: | 1.082 | Measured FG: | 1.018 | ||||
| ADF: | 78 | Measured ABV: | 8.5 |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.00 g | Chalk (Mash 60.0 mins) | Water Agent | 1 | - |
| 2.00 g | Baking Soda (Mash 60.0 mins) | Water Agent | 2 | - |
| 11 lbs 8.0 oz | Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) | Grain | 3 | 67.6 % |
| 3 lbs 12.0 oz | Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 4 | 22.1 % |
| 1 lbs 12.0 oz | Caramunich Malt (50.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 10.3 % |
| 0.500 oz | Magnum [12.70 %] - Boil 60.0 min | Hop | 6 | 22.9 IBUs |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) | Fining | 7 | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins) | Other | 8 | - |
| 1.0 pkg | German Bock Lager (White Labs #WLP833) [35.49 ml] | Yeast | 9 | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash In | Add 21.25 qt of water at 163.7 F | 152.0 F | 60 min |
Batch sparge with 2 steps
(0.61gal, 3.88gal) of 168.0 F water
Make appropriate yeast starterMake a small starter of the yeast the day before brew day to make sure it is active going into fermentation. I harvested my yeast from a batch of Ulterior Motive Amber Lager (http://www.sheppybrew.com/sheppybrew/recipes/recipe.aspx?id=119).
Water additions used to bring water to Beer Smith's Munich Profile.
From Denver water, this puts my water (ppm) at:
Ca=102,Mg=8,Na=37,SO4=51,Cl=23,HCO3=252
Mash and boil as specified in recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 50 as possible.
Ferment between 50 and 55 for one week, then let the fermentation temperature rise into the 60s.
Carbonate in the keg to about 2.5 volumns. Age cold in keg to taste.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | Strike Temp: | |||||
| Mash Temps: | ||||||
| Pre-boil OG | (1.067 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (7.76 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | |||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
Brewing Notes
1/21/2016 Bought ingredients. Brew day this weekend!
1/25/2016 Brew day yesterday went well. Yeast was doing its thing when I got up today. 50 degrees.
1/26/2016 Fermentation continues to chug along. 52ish.
1/27/2016 Kraussen really creeping up. Added blow-off tube. Temp is high at 58.
2/6/2016 Sample 1.018. Tasted great.
2/6/2016 Kegged. Will let it condition warm for about 3 weeks. Then I'll chill it for awhile. It will likely be April before I actually start drinking.
3/1/2016 Put in the beer fridge.
3/5/2016 Giving a little shot of 30 psi co2
3/6/2016 Took a little sample. Wow that's good. A little sweet. Nice and bready. Full bodied. No taste of alcohol. It is still cloudy and there is a bit of yeast harshness. Time should take care of that. Yum
3/12/2016 Put CO2 on the keg. About 12psi.
3/14/2016 Had a couple pints yesterday. Clearing up but still needs to sit some more. Carbonation pretty good and a really nice creamy head. Probably won't hit its prime for at least a couple more weeks.
4/1/2016 Flattened a bit. Gave keg another shot of CO2. Very nice flavor.
4/7/2016 Had a couple on #NationalBeerDay. Really clear now. Tastes fabulous.
5/20/2016 A little chocolate today. I can feel the alcohol working on my mind. Happy Friday.
5/29/2016 Really tasting and looking awesome today. Rich bready malt. Beautiful redish-brown color. I've had 3 pints. Delicious, but affects my brain. Might be a nap in my near future.
5/29/2016 Pairs awesomely with brats.
7/21/2016 Yum!
8/21/2016 This beer is running out. Great clarity. Great bready malt flavor. Delicious. It does not really taste like 8.5% abv, but it does feel like it. 🍺
9/23/2016 Blending with Kucumber Kölsch is actually pretty good.
10/17/2016 Not very much left. Was sucking up grub last night. Will probably dump the tiny little bit left and keg X-Mas Ale.
10/22/2016 Killed the keg.
1/21/2016 Bought ingredients. Brew day this weekend!
1/25/2016 Brew day yesterday went well. Yeast was doing its thing when I got up today. 50 degrees.
1/26/2016 Fermentation continues to chug along. 52ish.
1/27/2016 Kraussen really creeping up. Added blow-off tube. Temp is high at 58.
2/6/2016 Sample 1.018. Tasted great.
2/6/2016 Kegged. Will let it condition warm for about 3 weeks. Then I'll chill it for awhile. It will likely be April before I actually start drinking.
3/1/2016 Put in the beer fridge.
3/5/2016 Giving a little shot of 30 psi co2
3/6/2016 Took a little sample. Wow that's good. A little sweet. Nice and bready. Full bodied. No taste of alcohol. It is still cloudy and there is a bit of yeast harshness. Time should take care of that. Yum
3/12/2016 Put CO2 on the keg. About 12psi.
3/14/2016 Had a couple pints yesterday. Clearing up but still needs to sit some more. Carbonation pretty good and a really nice creamy head. Probably won't hit its prime for at least a couple more weeks.
4/1/2016 Flattened a bit. Gave keg another shot of CO2. Very nice flavor.
4/7/2016 Had a couple on #NationalBeerDay. Really clear now. Tastes fabulous.
5/20/2016 A little chocolate today. I can feel the alcohol working on my mind. Happy Friday.
5/29/2016 Really tasting and looking awesome today. Rich bready malt. Beautiful redish-brown color. I've had 3 pints. Delicious, but affects my brain. Might be a nap in my near future.
5/29/2016 Pairs awesomely with brats.
7/21/2016 Yum!
8/21/2016 This beer is running out. Great clarity. Great bready malt flavor. Delicious. It does not really taste like 8.5% abv, but it does feel like it. 🍺
9/23/2016 Blending with Kucumber Kölsch is actually pretty good.
10/17/2016 Not very much left. Was sucking up grub last night. Will probably dump the tiny little bit left and keg X-Mas Ale.
10/22/2016 Killed the keg.