From: joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us (Joseph Nathan Hall)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: That Yummy Malt Flavor
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 12:47:08 EDT
Organization: 5 Sigma Software
Reply-To: joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v5


In article <01050166.dlrp7t@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us> (rec.crafts.brewing), 
   joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us (That's Me!) writes:
) 
) Something I have yet to duplicate as a homebrewer is the heavy malt
) character of some UK and Continental beers.  I'm referring to Scotch
) ales, doppelbocks, Oktoberfests, etc., even Pilsner-Urquell.

I received the following response via email:

> Hi,
>  I would post this if I could, but the system manager of the machine
>  that has usenet access seems to think that allowing users to 
>  post is a bad idea...
> 
> I have some experience in brewing (Doppel)Bock and Pilsner style beers,
> so here are some datapoints in brewing space:
> 
> - Most 'modern' bocks are bottom fermented and lagered beers, just as
> the pilsner. Getting a 'clean' beer is not very surprising if you
> ferment at 32F or thereabout.
> 
> - The typical (IMHO not really pleasant) flavour of Pilsner Urquell is
> partly due to the three step decoction mashing they use; According to
> a small german book about homebrewing (I'll look up the reference
> if you are interested) this imparts a strong grainy flavour to the
> beer and produces the dark colour (P.U seems to be made with no dark
> malts, just pilsner O.G. 1045). In my experience a boiling time for the mash
> of approximately 15 minutes (per step) is quite nice (but not completely
> true to style) and you can go as high as 25 min.
> 
> - I don't think any beer with an O.G. below 1085 will give you the
> strong flavour of a Doppelbock (typical Alcohol content lies 
> between 8 and 11 Vol% for those). For this kind of brew I find
> that secondary fermentation and lagering may last up to four months.
> 
> Hope this is of some help.
> 
> Marc de Jonge                       (dejonge@geof.ruu.nl)

[Thanks, Marc!  I'm amazed at how fast I got this reply from you.]

This is good information, which is why I posted it, but it nonetheless
doesn't help me very much.  I haven't yet found out how to get a large
*quantity* of malt body of the sort I'm looking for, clean or otherwise.

The point about the strength of Doppelbock is well taken, but most
of the real (non-domestic) Oktoberfest beers I've tasted have as much
or nearly as much malt character, just a lighter mouthfeel, lighter
hops, etc.  And obviously, low temperature fermentations are not required
in the process of making Scotch Ale.

Re Pilsner Urquell, I probably wouldn't characterize the stuff I've
had here as "grainy."  Moderately hoppy (in comparison with the turbo-
hopped American brews of late) and surprisingly malty, with a heavier
body than many other "pilsners."  There may well be a grainy component.
I just haven't looked for it and it hasn't really jumped out at me.
The details of the process of making P-U appeared in Zymurgy last
year.

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