Redneck Alt

I’m trying to brew a few German-style beers. Not because I typically like German beers, but I’m trying to expand my horizons. I love pale ales, so why not brew a German pale ale, which is basically what an Alt is.

I have a bunch of hops sitting in my freezer that I need to use up, so I’m trying to use them in appropriate styles – once again expanding my horizons.

I also had that Kolsch yeast cake sitting in my fridge that I needed to use. For these three reasons, I decided to brew a Dusseldorf Alt.

Brew Date: 9/2/2010
Beer Number: B13
Beer Name: Redneck Alt
Type: Dusseldorf Altbier
Primary Fermenter: 6 gal. glass carboy (78 days – including 4 weeks of lagering)
Secondary Fermenter: none
OG: 1.058
FG: 1.008
Expected IBU: 53
Expected SRM: 19
Expected Alcohol %: 5.8% (actual 6.5%)

Ingredients:
8 lbs. Weyerman Pilsner
2 lbs. Weyerman Munich (8.25L)
1 lb. Belgian Aromatic malt (20L)
½ lb. German Caramunich (30 – 48L)
.25 lb. Carafa Special II (375L)
1 oz. Magnum pellet hops (@9.0%AA) 85 min.
1 oz. US Tettnanger pellet hops (@4.0% AA) 60 min.
1 oz. German Tettnanger pellet hops (@4.1% AA) 15 min.
2 whirfloc tablets
WLP029 German Ale/Kolsch yeast – slurry from B10


• Used a 3 quart starter for yeast cake, manually swirling as often as I passed it
• Mashed at 149F for 120 minutes
• Primary fermentation occurred in the mid-to upper 50sF (55F – 59F)
• On 9th day, removed from fermentation cooler and allowed to rise to @70F for a 6 day diacytal rest.
• Lagered in fermentation cooler filled 2/3 with water swapping out frozen bottles each day – maintaining temps of 38F – 40F

I had another issue with my mash tun. For some reason it absolutely would not drain – I still have no idea of the reason, but I poured the entire mash into my fermentation cooler, detached the manifold and shot the hose through it, reattached it and poured the mash back into the mash tun. And lo and behold, it drained like a champ.

Other than the lautering issue, everything went well (except my volume was a little low - 90 minute boil perhaps).