Batch #5: Northern Brewer's Altbier (Early 2002 version)

The basement was drifting into the low 60s, so I decided to try a good low-temperature beer. Since I'd had a couple of altbiers that were pretty darn good, I gave this one a shot.

Recipe

Grain Bill

4 lbs. Durst Pilsen
4 lbs. Durst Dark Munich (Recipe called for regular Munich, but Northern Brewer was low on it at the time).
4 oz. Durst Dark Crystal

Hops

1 oz. Hallertauer Hersbrucker (4.4% AA) @60 min.
1 oz. Hallertauer Hersbrucker (4.4% AA) @45 min.
1 oz. Spalt (4.1% AA) @15 min.
1 oz. Spalt (4.1% AA) @5 min.

Yeast

Wyeast 1007 German Ale, no starter.

Mash

Single infusion mash, 75 minutes at 152F.

Vitals

OG: 1.050
FG: 1.010
Calculated IBU: 44
Carbonation: 12 psi @48F

Timeline

Brew day: October 6, 2002

12:30 pm: Mash in at 152F.
1:45 pm: Mash temperature is 150F, begin sparging.
2:20 pm: Stop sparge, collected 6.5 gallons.
3:20 pm: Rolling boil starts, SG 1.044
3:50 pm: Add first Hallertauer.
4:05 pm: Add second Hallertauer.
4:35 pm: Add first Spalt.
4:45 pm: Add second Spalt.
4:50 pm: End boil, begin chilling.
5:22 pm: Chilled to 70F, transferred to fermenter and pitched.

Racked to secondary October 16, FG 1.010

Kegged Nov 10.

Finished December 23.

Tasting notes

11/16/2002

Not yeat fully carbonated, but already a great beer. Very malty but not sweet. Bittering hops give a prickly balance to the complex maltines. Hop flavor is spicy, grassy, and slightly woody. Definitely a keeper.

11/21/2002

Tasting reveals a clean, creamy finish. Beautiful.

12/03/2002

The beer is much mellower at this point. The bitterness has toned down, making the beer still maltier. The carbonation level (~2.0 volumes) is perfect. Too much more destroys the maltiness.

It is still a complexly malty beer, with a nice spalt flavor and mild spalt aroma. I need to make this one again. I might try lighter munich and lighter (or no) crystal, just to tweak it a bit and make it my own. It is darker in color than most Alts, but not as dark as Schell's Schmaltz "Alt".

12/09/2002

The distinct, creamy, nutty, munich-y flavors are starting to emerge again. They are not as strong as in the young beer (11/21/2002), but are once again more noticeable. There is still an assertive hop bitterness, but low, subtle aroma or flavor from the Spalt. The hops character is noticeable, though. There's no confusing this with a clean British ale, you can tell it's hopped with German hops. Yum.

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