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Author Topic: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles  (Read 69696 times)

Offline brewinhard

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #30 on: October 31, 2015, 04:07:34 pm »
After reading through this thread, I have finalized my munich helles recipe and will be brewing it sometime shortly after Xmas for some early spring comps coming up.  I plan on going 84% Pilsner Malt (split 50/50 with German and Belgian pilsner malts) and 16% kolsch malt.  Will keep everyone posted here.  Thanks for the ideas!


Offline Wort-H.O.G.

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #31 on: November 08, 2015, 12:17:38 pm »

After reading through this thread, I have finalized my munich helles recipe and will be brewing it sometime shortly after Xmas for some early spring comps coming up.  I plan on going 84% Pilsner Malt (split 50/50 with German and Belgian pilsner malts) and 16% kolsch malt.  Will keep everyone posted here.  Thanks for the ideas!

Please do. I got my kolsch malt and have it queued up to do.


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Offline brewday

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #32 on: November 08, 2015, 12:24:26 pm »

After reading through this thread, I have finalized my munich helles recipe and will be brewing it sometime shortly after Xmas for some early spring comps coming up.  I plan on going 84% Pilsner Malt (split 50/50 with German and Belgian pilsner malts) and 16% kolsch malt.  Will keep everyone posted here.  Thanks for the ideas!

Please do. I got my kolsch malt and have it queued up to do.


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Me too, next weekend hopefully.

Offline BrodyR

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #33 on: November 09, 2015, 08:59:54 pm »
I'll preface that you seem to have a lot more lager experience than me but I'd probably try softening up the water. From what I've heard lager's don't really need to hit the usual 50ppm Calcium target. I got away with a lot less in a Czech pils and it came out great. The next thing I'd probably do is check the final pH's of the Helles I liked and compare it to mind but that's mostly because that's been something I've had on my mind a lot lately.

Offline wobdee

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #34 on: November 10, 2015, 07:10:58 am »
I'm going to try a recipe similar to one in Narziss book. Pils with 2-3% Carahell and .5-1% Caramunich I. A few people I know are going this route and I'm waiting to see they're outcome before I fine tune my recipe.

Offline charles1968

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #35 on: November 10, 2015, 09:22:22 am »
grainbill from a Munich Helles recipe on the German homebrew site http://maischemalzundmehr.de/:

Pilsener Extra Hell:    3.7 kg (61.7%)
Helles Tennenmalz:    2 kg (33.3%)
Carahell:    0.3 kg (5%)

I think Tennenmalz is an heirloom variety of floor-malted malt made by Weyermann.

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #36 on: November 10, 2015, 10:21:03 am »
grainbill from a Munich Helles recipe on the German homebrew site http://maischemalzundmehr.de/:

Pilsener Extra Hell:    3.7 kg (61.7%)
Helles Tennenmalz:    2 kg (33.3%)
Carahell:    0.3 kg (5%)

I think Tennenmalz is an heirloom variety of floor-malted malt made by Weyermann.
Tenne translated to threshing floor. If you look at their products auf Deutsch, you find that it is what we call the floor malted Bohemian malt.
http://www.weyermann.de/ger/gelbe_seiten.asp?snr=1&idkat=1144&umenue=yes&idmenue=2&sprache=1

English page
http://www.weyermann.de/eng/gelbe_Seiten_en.asp?snr=1&idkat=1146&umenue=yes&idmenue=37&sprache=2
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rabeb25

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #37 on: November 10, 2015, 10:23:43 am »
In order to brew a proper helles(or any german beer for that matter), you have to pretty much unlearn everything American homebrewing has taught you.

The devil is in ALL the details, and if you think water, hops, malt and yeast are the details, you are SORELY mistaken.

Offline charles1968

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #38 on: November 10, 2015, 01:10:25 pm »
grainbill from a Munich Helles recipe on the German homebrew site http://maischemalzundmehr.de/:

Pilsener Extra Hell:    3.7 kg (61.7%)
Helles Tennenmalz:    2 kg (33.3%)
Carahell:    0.3 kg (5%)

I think Tennenmalz is an heirloom variety of floor-malted malt made by Weyermann.
Tenne translated to threshing floor. If you look at their products auf Deutsch, you find that it is what we call the floor malted Bohemian malt.
http://www.weyermann.de/ger/gelbe_seiten.asp?snr=1&idkat=1144&umenue=yes&idmenue=2&sprache=1

English page
http://www.weyermann.de/eng/gelbe_Seiten_en.asp?snr=1&idkat=1146&umenue=yes&idmenue=37&sprache=2

That makes sense. What about pilsner extra light though? I haven't come across that before.

Offline charles1968

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #39 on: November 10, 2015, 01:11:34 pm »
The devil is in ALL the details, and if you think water, hops, malt and yeast are the details, you are SORELY mistaken.

But there must be many different varieties of Munich Helles, all using recipes and techniques that vary around a few core essential points. The key is finding out those essential points - not all the details, many of which might not matter so much.

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #40 on: November 10, 2015, 01:30:43 pm »
grainbill from a Munich Helles recipe on the German homebrew site http://maischemalzundmehr.de/:

Pilsener Extra Hell:    3.7 kg (61.7%)
Helles Tennenmalz:    2 kg (33.3%)
Carahell:    0.3 kg (5%)

I think Tennenmalz is an heirloom variety of floor-malted malt made by Weyermann.
Tenne translated to threshing floor. If you look at their products auf Deutsch, you find that it is what we call the floor malted Bohemian malt.
http://www.weyermann.de/ger/gelbe_seiten.asp?snr=1&idkat=1144&umenue=yes&idmenue=2&sprache=1

English page
http://www.weyermann.de/eng/gelbe_Seiten_en.asp?snr=1&idkat=1146&umenue=yes&idmenue=37&sprache=2

That makes sense. What about pilsner extra light though? I haven't come across that before.

It is on this page.
http://www.weyermann.de/eng/gelbe_Seiten_en.asp?snr=1&idkat=1013&umenue=yes&idmenue=37&sprache=2

I have used Best Malz Heidelburg, which is in the 1.2-1.6 L range.
Jeff Rankert
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rabeb25

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #41 on: November 10, 2015, 03:00:16 pm »
The devil is in ALL the details, and if you think water, hops, malt and yeast are the details, you are SORELY mistaken.

But there must be many different varieties of Munich Helles, all using recipes and techniques that vary around a few core essential points. The key is finding out those essential points - not all the details, many of which might not matter so much.

RIGHT, hence.. The devil is in ALL the details  8)

Offline atodd

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #42 on: November 11, 2015, 09:52:13 am »
The devil is in ALL the details, and if you think water, hops, malt and yeast are the details, you are SORELY mistaken.

But there must be many different varieties of Munich Helles, all using recipes and techniques that vary around a few core essential points. The key is finding out those essential points - not all the details, many of which might not matter so much.

RIGHT, hence.. The devil is in ALL the details  8)

Got any tips for a first time Helles brewer on what some of those details might be? 

rabeb25

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #43 on: November 11, 2015, 10:36:38 am »
The devil is in ALL the details, and if you think water, hops, malt and yeast are the details, you are SORELY mistaken.

But there must be many different varieties of Munich Helles, all using recipes and techniques that vary around a few core essential points. The key is finding out those essential points - not all the details, many of which might not matter so much.

RIGHT, hence.. The devil is in ALL the details  8)

Got any tips for a first time Helles brewer on what some of those details might be?

Depends, how authentic do you want it? Like sitting in Munich with one in hand. Or getting a "Helles" from some American brewery?

Offline 69franx

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Re: Chasing the perfect Munich Helles
« Reply #44 on: November 11, 2015, 11:03:05 am »
Rabeb, I'm interested in this as well. I've been to your FB page and love the looks of your equipment. I have enjoyed the few lagers I have made, but am interested in better lagers. Never  traveled to Germany, but I can learn
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