[James K]

Personally I think I would like a bit of Munich in a Helles. Is that completely out of place?

The Bohemian Dark in mine is essentially a light Munich.   I don't know if it's wrong, but I like it. Not much color, but adds a real depth of malt flavor.

I mean, in the BJCPStyles if you search under helles there are really only three beers with helles in the title, Munich helles, helles bock, and German helles exportbeer.

I don’t think it is out of place at all unless you use too much Munich. Like Robert says, it adds a real depth of malt flavor.

Mine was still crisp like a lager, but had a nice malt character to complement the low ibus. It was probably a bit darker than the 5srm beer smith said it was supposed to be, but appearance is only 3 points.  Still crystal clear and very bright.

[The Beerery]

You guys are cray cray.


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[Iliff Ave]

The Bohemian Dark in mine is essentially a light Munich.   I don't know if it's wrong, but I like it. Not much color, but adds a real depth of malt flavor.

Got ya. I was thinking very little. Like 5% Munich 6l and 5% carahell

[Robert]

The Bohemian Dark in mine is essentially a light Munich.   I don't know if it's wrong, but I like it. Not much color, but adds a real depth of malt flavor.

Got ya. I was thinking very little. Like 5% Munich 6l and 5% carahell

Looks like that would give a similar color.  My recipe looked just like that at one time.  I just drifted toward the all base malt blend with no caramel to get more flavor impact (more of a lighter malt as opposed to less of a darker one) and to really dry out the beer.  That said:

You guys are cray cray.

De gustibus non est disputandum.  But with beer judges...

[majorvices]

The Munich and Dark Munich addditions have been around for a long time in the homebrew circles as a way to mimic decoction mashing. I don't personally use it any more but I certainly don't think it ruins the beer.

At the risk of being ridiculed I will post my recipe. The one thing I will say about my recipe is that you can try it at Yellowhammer tasting room (and soon in cans elsewhere) so you can determine for yourself if you like it. I personally love it. It is about as low an SRM as it can be and still be included in style guidelines (3.04 SRM)

Helles
1.048
IBU 17.7

98% floor malted bohemian pils malt (Weyerman)
2% cara foam
Magnum @ 60 to 17.7 IBUs

Adjust mash pH to 5.2-5.4

[tommymorris]

The Munich and Dark Munich addditions have been around for a long time in the homebrew circles as a way to mimic decoction mashing. I don't personally use it any more but I certainly don't think it ruins the beer.

At the risk of being ridiculed I will post my recipe. The one thing I will say about my recipe is that you can try it at Yellowhammer tasting room (and soon in cans elsewhere) so you can determine for yourself if you like it. I personally love it. It is about as low an SRM as it can be and still be included in style guidelines (3.04 SRM)

Helles
1.048
IBU 17.7

98% floor malted bohemian pils malt (Weyerman)
2% cara foam
Magnum @ 60 to 17.7 IBUs

Adjust mash pH to 5.2-5.4

I am glad to hear that beer is coming to cans. I like your Helles. What will it be called?


- formerly alestateyall.

[Robert]

The Munich and Dark Munich addditions have been around for a long time in the homebrew circles as a way to mimic decoction mashing.

Which of course is a misconception.   Decoction will extract the full color and flavor of dark malts, and so is still sometimes used in dark lagers.  But you can boil Pils malt all day, and not extract the flavor of dark malt, because it's not there.  If decoction mashed Pilsner and Helles have a unique flavor, it's unrelated (probably HSO is a big part of it.)  The consensus in Europe has been, for the better part of a century, that decoction is inappropriate for pale lagers, which are best made with a simple high temperature infusion program (Hochkurz.)  That said, many German brewers include some dark malt for flavor and color in beers they call "pale (Helles)" or simply "lager."  It's the beer judges who imagine there is a monolithic style called Helles.  If this topic is about ideas not for a particular BJCP category but a tasty pale lager, it's all good.  Majorvices has the very model of a perfect comp entry,  though.   

[majorvices]

The Munich and Dark Munich addditions have been around for a long time in the homebrew circles as a way to mimic decoction mashing. I don't personally use it any more but I certainly don't think it ruins the beer.

At the risk of being ridiculed I will post my recipe. The one thing I will say about my recipe is that you can try it at Yellowhammer tasting room (and soon in cans elsewhere) so you can determine for yourself if you like it. I personally love it. It is about as low an SRM as it can be and still be included in style guidelines (3.04 SRM)

Helles
1.048
IBU 17.7

98% floor malted bohemian pils malt (Weyerman)
2% cara foam
Magnum @ 60 to 17.7 IBUs

Adjust mash pH to 5.2-5.4

I am glad to hear that beer is coming to cans. I like your Helles. What will it be called?


- formerly alestateyall.

Thanks! We are doing a special summer promotion with Windmill Beverages so our place and at Windmill Bevs will be the only places you can get it. It will just be called "Helles Golden Lager" with Windmill and Yellowhammer logos.

[majorvices]

  Majorvices has the very model of a perfect comp entry,  though.   

10 bucks says it would get dinged for being too "light" lol

BTW I used to do a Hockurz mash on all my lagers but ended up getting away from it from a time saving standpoint. I can't say I have noticed much difference. My helles is single infused at 152.

[The Beerery]

My house helles. 92% barke pils 8% carahell. 18 ibu.  If it’s right for Weihenstepaner it’s right for me. 



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[Iliff Ave]

The Munich and Dark Munich addditions have been around for a long time in the homebrew circles as a way to mimic decoction mashing. I don't personally use it any more but I certainly don't think it ruins the beer.

At the risk of being ridiculed I will post my recipe. The one thing I will say about my recipe is that you can try it at Yellowhammer tasting room (and soon in cans elsewhere) so you can determine for yourself if you like it. I personally love it. It is about as low an SRM as it can be and still be included in style guidelines (3.04 SRM)

Helles
1.048
IBU 17.7

98% floor malted bohemian pils malt (Weyerman)
2% cara foam
Magnum @ 60 to 17.7 IBUs

Adjust mash pH to 5.2-5.4

Awesome! Wish I could try it.

[BrewBama]

Thanks! We are doing a special summer promotion with Windmill Beverages so our place and at Windmill Bevs will be the only places you can get it. It will just be called "Helles Golden Lager" with Windmill and Yellowhammer logos.

Awesome. I have a Windmill down the street.


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[majorvices]

Fingers crossed no last minute complications with ABC ,,,

[HopDen]

I have 17 gallons fermenting as I type this. It is my first Helles beer and my first lager. Before I formulated a recipe I read Horst Dorbusch's book, Bavarian Helles. Although I didn't use one of the recipes in his book, I did use the basic parameters of the style when building mine. I know I will be brewing more and more lagers. I just finished the diacetyl rest and am now back down to 50* Here is my recipe...

27# Dingemans Pils
1/2# acid malt ( I had it )
17 IBU's Hallertau @ 30
step mash 122 for 30
154 for 30
mash ph 5.47@ 15 mins
OG 1048
FG 1010
Water profile: RO
Added: 4.9 g Gypsum
            3.5g calcium chloride
            0.6 g chalk
Boil for 60
ferment @ 50

[Robert]

Don't do a protein rest unless that Pils malt is about 60 years old.