About a month ago, I posted about some things I found out about Vienna lagers, and how the historic original probably was like compared to modern versions of that style.

So yesterday, we finally got around to brewing it on my own. I compromised a bit in the whole process, though, just to make a few things a bit easier for me. In particular, I decided not to do a decoction mash.

It’s #brewday, and we’re brewing a Vienna lager today based on http://t.co/Jwk2ziElx7#homebrewingpic.twitter.com/tLTRpE7wrF

— Andreas Krennmair (@der_ak) April 18, 2015

I use a Weck preserving cooker as a mash tun, as it can contain plenty of liquid for the mash, and it’s electrically heatable, allowing to go through specific rest temperatures without having to resort to having to add hot water later. Just don’t trust the internal thermostat, and use a proper food thermometer instead.

I used 20 liters of water at 66 °C, and mashed in 5.3 kg of Vienna malt. The resulting mash was at 62 °C, and from there on I did a simple Hochkurz infusion mash:

• 30 minutes at 62 °C
• 20 minutes at 72 °C
• 10 minutes at 78 °C

For modern malts and a high degree of diastatic base malts (like 100% in this case), that’s good enough to fully convert all starches.

Iodine indicates starches have been converted. Now: lautering. pic.twitter.com/X06vfAHPSF

— Andreas Krennmair (@der_ak) April 18, 2015

After an iodine test showed that all starches were indeed converted, we continued with lautering. For that, we use a simple bucket from my preferred homebrewing online store, with a Mattmill false bottom.

For sparging, we always employ a colander with a food container lid set in the middle, to sprinkle hot water on the mash. BTW, my hot water is… my boiler. My flat contains a large boiler that actually delivers 80 °C hot water. Perfect for sparging.

 

Our low-tech sparging contraption: a colander with the lid from a food container. pic.twitter.com/XYQRapXCeJ

— Andreas Krennmair (@der_ak) April 18, 2015

The collected wort showed a pre-boil gravity of about 12 Brix, which later turned out to be probably not quite exact. I think I need to recalibrate it with distilled water. *sigh*

Pre-boil gravity. pic.twitter.com/XXa3yqhpvJ

— Andreas Krennmair (@der_ak) April 18, 2015

Anyway, we boiled it for 90 minutes, with 60 grams of Saaz hops for bittering, and no other hop addition.

Weighed 60 grams of Saaz hops. pic.twitter.com/H9xOq9BbUD

— Andreas Krennmair (@der_ak) April 18, 2015

After a whirlpool, I moved the wort to a fermentation bucket, and cooled it down to 20 °C with an immersion chiller, then moved it to my keezer to further cool it to 11 °C.

Chilling the wort. pic.twitter.com/AKi55N8Xd8

— Andreas Krennmair (@der_ak) April 18, 2015

The hydrometer showed a bit more than 13 °P as original gravity, while the refractometer showed 14 Brix. A recalibration really seems necessary.

Finally, in the evening, I pitched a starter of WLP820 yeast. That should give a low attenuation comparable to the lager yeast that was used in the 19th century in Anton Dreher’s brewery. The beer is going to ferment in the next two weeks or so. I’ll use Brülosopher’s quick lagering method, as I’ve had some good experience with it in previous batches of lager brewing.

As soon as the beer is finished lagering and carbonating, I’ll post a report about the final result.