In the cauldron today, another German-style Altbier with some minor tweaks and an attempt at open fermentation.
Ingredient list for an 11.5 liter batch:
1.8 kg Amber liquid malt extract
220 g Crystal medium malt
100 g De-bittered black malt
50 g Crystal hops (pellets)
Half a 11.5 g packet SafAle K-97 Yeast
12.5 liters water
I'm using 5 liters of the water to boil the malt and hops in. The remaining 6.5 liters will be cold tap water waiting in the brew bucket.
A sneaker taste (and demonstration of impatience).
I couldn't resist having an early taste of the Altbier I bottled a week ago. There's a little extra harsh bitterness with a very slight metallic-like taste at the end. I am hoping this mellows out after I give it a chance to age properly. Also, I'm hoping a little more toffee/caramel will come through with time.
👃🏻 Toasty malts, some caramel, light chocolate. Herbal hop notes.
👁️ Dark amber, stable white head.
👅 Toasted. Rather dry. Nice herbal bite in the finish. Finishes like dark bread crust.
Reminiscing with the pictures and the conference beer: Dutch Craft Beer Conference 2024 was great!
So is this altbier. Süffig und würzig, clean, malty, toast, dry. Nice floral and spicy hop aroma with a balanced bitterness. Tiny little ester.