"Johann Sebastian Bock"? Excellent pun, as a pun connaisseur I wish I had thought of that for my Weizenbock last year. Kudos for that, glad you are doing okay covid-wise and great video!
Hi Steve, these COVID experiments are hit or miss but the pour at 15:30 was just marvelous. On a side note, last summer we had a bunch of hot dog buns left from a bday party. After toasting them they made 24% of the grist of an English Brown Ale, one of the craziest and most delicious experiments that I've ever done. Oh and also, there is no such thing as "too bready and too thick" beer haha glad you feel better and back to brewing again! Cheers, mate.
Thanks! I can get some great angles with my draft tower setup now. What a great idea with the toasted buns, I might try doing something like that. Cheers!
I really enjoy your speculative portion at the end on what you might change when you brew it again. I am enjoying working through all the old brews I hadn't seen yet.
Had covid last week. For some odd reason, I decided to do my first ever decoction mash... Double. I was so worn out by the end, but hit a 1.052 og on 9lbs of pils. You'll always remember the covid Bock.
I am late to see this video and comment on it, but I’m glad you did a video on this style. I wish it wasn’t so hard to find a true bock beer. Shiner Bock is NOT a true bock. Maybe it was once, decades ago, but not now. At only 4.4 percent it’s not even bock strength, they use a percentage of corn in the grist, and I’ve heard that the dark color of the beer comes from caramel syrup, not from any darker malts. Einbecker Ur Bock is the only German bock I have found in the states.
Glad to see you recovered from COVID. You gutted up and still made beer. Ha! We got hit with the same nor’easter in southern New England. Good to see you back.
Speedy recovery if not recovered already. Can tell a brewer has a true passion when brewing under almost any circumstances. Really appreciate your videos and going to dedicate this double decoction, literal, brew "day" to your perseverance. Cheers!
I was kind of digging the non green screen! Nice to see what where and how! Nice strong beer for recovery! Wish you all the best for no long covid symptoms! Also that Apartment Brewer Merch vest looks 10/10!
Thanks for the Spike fermenter tip! (Both you and whoever told you...). Looking forward to trying it out to see how it works, mine has consistently only held just under 10 psi before leaking. Looks like a great beer, and the new kegerator makes for some great pouring shots!
I actually made a doppelbock recipe a year ago. Almost exactly like yours except I used Vienna malt instead of Pilsner (as well as a lot more of it). Give it 6 months in the keg and it will even out. The caramel notes really pop now
Hope you're back feeling up to 100%! Glad you could still brew. We're working on writing a smoked dopplebock recipe so this was perfect timing for some inspiration!
I love a good Bock! I dodged it for 2 years too but got it between Christmas and new years. I did lose my smell and taste but they are mostly back now.
Great Vidya. The beauty of homebrewing is, you work with what you have understanding the results may not be as intended, but may well be something you end up enjoying. If everything we produced was an award winning beer, we would find ourselves laboring for profit and not for pleasure. Good work. The color on it beckons. RU-vid at least affords us the employment of sight to enjoy that beer with you. Cheers TAB.
You nailed it, sometimes that actually makes it more fun. Sometimes just always having exactly what you need gets dull, but the fun is in crafting something out of what you have instead. Cheers!
Glad to see you are doing better. The virus got to me yesterday after all the dodging I did. You seem to have reused yeast that has been sitting in the fridge for a while. Wouldn't mind seeing how you harvest, wash (if you do), and how you start it back up... I get cold feet when it comes to harvesting/reusing.
Sorry to hear that, best of luck for mild symptoms! My yeast reusing process is extremely simple, but I think you're right it would be a good video topic. I just collect a mason jar full after the yeast fluctuates out. There is some trub in there but it tends to settle to the bottom of the mason jar. When its time to use it I prepare some starter wort then dump the yeast right in, minimizing the amount of trub that gets in
You can actually do an initial ⅓ decoction in your clawhammer while just recirculating, underlet the balance of your cold strike water, dough in the other ⅔ of the grist and continue to step mash per usual with exceptional fermentability. Pretty amazing results and worth considering since you seem to be a real German lager fan. Ein Prosit
That's a really interesting idea, but I'm assuming you're suggesting to use external heat for the decoction. I don't think electric elements really work too well for decoction since they can scorch on all the grain. I should do more decoctions though, they are a ton of fun
@@TheApartmentBrewer actually this is a very elegant solution for a decoction early in the mash i.e. Schmitz process. With ⅓ grist in your mash basket and a loose mash, park it at 158 for 20 mins and ramp to 205 and hold for 10 mins recirculating the entire time. Underlet with the balance of the chilled strike water and dough in the other ⅔ of your grist at your desired temperature (some math involved lol) and step mash per usual. All the benefits with no drawbacks in one vessel. The results are amazing and no extra homework.
False bottom would definitely help! That's a solid idea. I've done decoctions with the clawhammer before though and I still think I prefer the second pot approach
Hmm, i am stuck in the same situation now... COVID and wanna brew,I wonder if chocolate malt can produce the same ruby red color like carafa.... ^^ Good to see you healthy mate!
Greetings Steve, thanks for your writings - it's as interesting as ever. I have a couple of questions: Do you salt or acidify the rinse water or just use distilled water? Do you use clarifiers like E551 or only cold crashing?
Glad you're enjoying the videos! With this system I don't really sparge or rinse at all unless I have a huge grain bill. I add all my salts to the mash water and mash at a full volume. And I did help this one along with a fining agent called superkleer
@@TheApartmentBrewer Steve, thank you so much for your open communication, not every brewer is willing to share their work as you do. When I asked about rinse water, I was not referring to Bock, but a simple mashing of regular lager beer)))
I notice you hopped loose in the clawhammer. Is that standard for you and have you noticed any clogging? I’m considering getting one for my own apartment brewery. Thanks and glad you’re all better!
It works with around 1 oz or less. More than that and you can clog the bazooka screen. Still the hop spider works great if you have to go bigger and the system is a solid choice for apartments.
Thanks, Steve, there are some great take-aways here. Even though I have the mini-fridge ferm chamber I like the pressure ferm option to pseudo lager with lager yeast. I wonder if you got the almost-roasty option from the two hour boil?
Thanks! I wouldn't say that its from the boil. Long boil have usually given me a molasses like character (or scorched character if I've done something wrong, thanks to the electric element)
Do you ever have any issues with condensation? I see so many people online worried about vent hoods, etc. Seems like it's unnecessary. What's your experience?
Its a great question! The 120V element in this really doesn't boil off much at all. I do have a bit of condensation in the kitchen area but I leave a door open to vent and that has worked fairly well. I wouldn't rely on it long term though, over time you'll get mildew if you brew as often as I do
Unfortunately I have very little experience with white labs yeasts so I tend not to give out recommendations on something I haven't used. Go for a southern German or Munich lager strain
