Writer: Will Lovell
In September 2013, my spouse and I met some associates within the stunning metropolis of Prague, which is thought for his or her beer tradition, in reality residents of this nation drink extra beer per capita than some other nation on the planet. The websites had been unquestionably breathtaking, the folks had been unimaginable, the meals was scrumptious, however maybe it’s no shock that the native beer is what stands out most about that journey in my thoughts.
One afternoon, we discovered ourselves on the Strahov Monastic Brewery the place I ordered one among their Amber Lagers, and to be succinct– this was a second of serious discovery for me. Whereas I can’t keep in mind precisely what that particular beer tasted like, this introduction to Czech Amber Lager had a long-lasting influence, because it stays a nostalgic type that’s expensive to my coronary heart. Polotmavý, because the Czechs check with it, actually interprets to “half-dark beer,” although the BJCP expands on the outline:
A malty amber Czech lager with a hop character that may differ from low to fairly important. The malt flavors can also differ, resulting in totally different interpretations and balances starting from drier, bready, and barely biscuity to sweeter and considerably caramel-like.
After I began brewing beer by myself, lagers all the time felt out of attain as a result of want for additional gear and lengthy lagering intervals, so making kinds like Czech Amber Lager appeared like a pipe dream. Finally, I received round to brewing one utilizing extra conventional strategies, and whereas the outcomes had been nice, I started to marvel how one would possibly end up if I lower a bunch of corners in the course of the brew course of.
| BREWING THE BEER |
Utilizing elements I had on-hand, I designed a Czech Amber Lager recipe that was based mostly off of previous batches I felt had been profitable.
Quick & Shoddy Czech Amber Lager
Recipe Particulars
| Batch Measurement | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 gal | 30 min | 35.1 | 15.9 SRM | 1.048 | 1.007 | 5.38 % |
| Actuals | 1.048 | 1.007 | 5.38 % | |||
Fermentables
| Title | Quantity | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pilsen Malt | 10 lbs | 78.43 |
| Munich I | 1.5 lbs | 11.76 |
| Chocolate Rye | 8 oz | 3.92 |
| Crystal Malt | 8 oz | 3.92 |
| Melanoidin | 4 oz | 1.96 |
Hops
| Title | Quantity | Time | Use | Type | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| saaz | 85 g | 30 min | Boil | Pellet | 3.5 |
| saaz | 35 g | 15 min | Boil | Pellet | 3.5 |
Yeast
| Title | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| World (L13) | Imperial Yeast | 77% | 32°F – 32°F |
Notes
| Water Profile: Ca 54 | Mg 0 | Na 0 | SO4 49 | Cl 59 |
In preparation for brew day, I weighed out and milled the grains a day forward of time.
Subsequent, I collected the total quantity of distilled water and had my little assistant assist regulate it to my desired profile.
Having set a time to start out my electrical aspect early, I awoke to correctly heated water and stirred within the grist at 7:15 AM, checking to verify it was at my goal mash temperature.
I gave the mash stir each time I walked by it, then as soon as the 30 minute relaxation was full, I eliminated the grains then sparged to gather the correct pre-boil quantity.
Whereas ready on the wort to warmth up, I ready the kettle hop additions.
The wort was then boiled for simply half-hour with hops added on the occasions said within the recipe.
On the completion of the boil, I rapidly chilled the wort with my IC earlier than taking a refractometer studying that confirmed the wort was at 1.048 OG, indicating a brewhouse effectivity of 55%.
11.8 °Bx = 1.048 OG
I then transferred the wort to my fermentation vessel.
With the wort sitting at 73°F/23°C, I pitched a pouch of Imperial Yeast L13 World instantly into it.
I positioned the fermenter on a chair subsequent to my workplace desk, hooked up a spunding valve set to take care of a strain of 20 psi, then left the beer to ferment at ambient temperature, which throughout this time of yr was a toasty 77°F/25°C.
Fermentation kicked off rapidly as a result of heat temperature. With indicators of exercise all however absent after simply 4 days, I took a hydrometer measurement confirming FG had been reached.
1.007 FG
At this level, I moved the fermenter to a fridge and let the beer cold-crash for twenty-four hours earlier than transferring it to a CO2 purged keg.
As soon as the beer was packaged, I gently added gelatin to the keg then positioned it in my kegerator the place it was burst carbonated for 12 hours earlier than I diminished the fuel to serving strain. After one other week of conditioning, the beer was clear, carbonated, and prepared for analysis.
| RESULTS |
A complete of 21 folks of numerous ranges of expertise participated on this Quick & Shoddy analysis. Members had been knowledgeable of the precise beer type and supplied the BJCP description previous to finishing the survey. Tasters had been then instructed to price how hoppy, malty, and dry they perceived the beer to be on a 0-5 scale the place a score of 0 indicated “by no means” and 5 indicated “extraordinarily.”
Tasters had been supplied a listing of frequent hop, malt, and yeast traits then instructed to pick out from every the one they perceived as being most distinguished within the beer.
Hop Traits
Malt Traits
Yeast Traits
Subsequent, members had been requested to point whether or not or not they detected any off-flavors within the beer; those that did had been supplied a listing of frequent off-flavors and instructed to pick out the one they perceived as being strongest. Just one taster felt they detected musty and phenolic off-flavors.
Tasters had been then requested to price how nicely the beer represented the meant type, based mostly on the supplied BJCP description, on a 0-5 scale the place 0 meant “by no means” and 5 meant “precisely.”
Lastly, tasters had been requested to price how a lot they loved the beer on a 0-5 scale the place 0 indicated they hated it and 5 indicated they liked it.
My Impressions: I perceived this beer as having a toasty and caramel malt flavors with minimal hop character and a surprisingly clear fermentation that made it very simple to drink. Whereas the colour did appear to fall on the larger finish of the vary for Czech Amber Lager, the beer undoubtedly had a bit extra roast character than I anticipated, although it didn’t distract from the drinkability in any respect.
| CONCLUSION |
On the subject of Czech beer, there’s likelihood most instantly take into consideration the scrumptious Pilsner the area is thought for, although quite a lot of different choices exist. A private favourite is Czech Amber Lager, which melds the clear and crisp traits of Pilsner with a extra notable malt presence outlined by bready, toasty, and caramel flavors.
As a conventional type of European lager, the method for brewing Czech Amber Lager usually includes quite a lot of time consuming steps together with decoction, cool fermentation, and prolonged lagering intervals, all of that are believed to contribute positively to the completed product. Apparently tasters of this Quick & Shoddy model made with an abbreviated single infusion mash, diminished boil, and heat fermentation with minimal lagering not solely rated it as being illustration of the type, however usually appeared to benefit from the beer as nicely. Furthermore, all however one taster reported perceiving any off-flavors on this beer, although portion famous the yeast character as being phenolic.
Instantly after first sampling this beer, it struck me as possessing barely extra roast character than I anticipate in a Czech Amber Lager, and I can’t assist however marvel if that explains the scores for phenolic yeast character. Because of this, I entered this Quick & Shoddy beer as each a Czech Amber Lager and a Czech Darkish Lager within the 2022 Alamo Metropolis Cerveza Fest competitors. Predictably, the judges commented on it being too roasty for a Czech Amber Lager, but it surely ended up taking third place out of 18 entries as a Czech Darkish Lager. Ought to I simply name it that? Contemplating each the purpose of the Quick & Shoddy collection and my unique intent, I believe I’ll persist with a slightly-too-dark Czech Amber Lager. I liked this beer and will certainly brew it once more sooner or later, although I’ll be sure you scale back the quantity of roasted grains to deliver it nearer to type specs.
When you’ve got ideas about this Quick & Shoddy brew, please be at liberty to share it within the feedback part beneath!
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