[skyler]

I likr Rogue beer fine - particularly brutal bitter/ipa and their imperial stout and imperial ysb. That being said, I am never willing to spend $10.99 for a sixer of Rogue (or Stone) when I can buy equally-good beer with unpainted bottles for $6.99-7.99.

[majorvices]

I guess part of the thing with Rogue for me is that they don't have freshness dates on their beer (at least, they didn't used to, not sure about now). Had too many beers from than that sat on the shelf way too long. One of the most important ingredients to me in a beer is "freshness". I just don't care for old tasting beer.

[tomsawyer]

I kegged my first real attempt at alt last night.  The FG was 1.015 (OG 1.051), I guess my decoction mash and the use of caramunich and cararoma did bring more body to the beer.  It wasn't overly sweet so I can live with the 70% attenuation.  It does have a borderline roasty note to it though.  The wife described the flavor as coffee, I thought it was slightly chocolate but with a roasty hint.  I used the equivalent of 3oz of carafa special 1, I suppose this is the source of the flavor?  I'm brewing another tonight, doing an all light Munich base with 5% Caramunich 1.

I also detected just a hint of sulfur in the beer, I purged it a few times with CO2 as I was putting the keg on gas to try and get rid of that.  Hopefully that'll dissipate during lagering.  Its in the lager fridge at 30F now, I'll give it as long as possible before breaking it out.

[blatz]

I also detected just a hint of sulfur in the beer, I purged it a few times with CO2 as I was putting the keg on gas to try and get rid of that.  Hopefully that'll dissipate during lagering.  Its in the lager fridge at 30F now, I'll give it as long as possible before breaking it out.

one thing to try (majorvices helped me with this a couple years back) is to hook the gas up to the beer side and bubble the CO2 up through the beer - will help release some of the sulfur.

[davidw]

It will dissipate during lagering.

[denny]

I kegged my first real attempt at alt last night.  The FG was 1.015 (OG 1.051), I guess my decoction mash and the use of caramunich and cararoma did bring more body to the beer.  It wasn't overly sweet so I can live with the 70% attenuation.  It does have a borderline roasty note to it though.  The wife described the flavor as coffee, I thought it was slightly chocolate but with a roasty hint.  I used the equivalent of 3oz of carafa special 1, I suppose this is the source of the flavor?  I'm brewing another tonight, doing an all light Munich base with 5% Caramunich 1.

I'd recommend no more than an oz. of carafa.  I've switched to Sinamar for coloring alts and prefer that to carafa.

[tomsawyer]

one thing to try (majorvices helped me with this a couple years back) is to hook the gas up to the beer side and bubble the CO2 up through the beer - will help release some of the sulfur.

That's how I always carbonate my kegs.  I really didn't smell sulfur when I purged the gas a few times so I think its going to be fine.

[I'd recommend no more than an oz. of carafa.  I've switched to Sinamar for coloring alts and prefer that to carafa.

I avoided it entirely this time.  Its not the roasty note is overwhelming or unpleasant, I just think it is out of place for the style.  I may get some sinemar, or at least add carafa late in the mash if the color is needed.

[tomsawyer]

Another general alt question.  Why do so many recipes use a combination of pils and munich malt, when a light munich is only 6-7L anyway?  Is all munich too overpowering in terms of the flavor?  I was going to try that Al K recipe but found I was out of Aromatic.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm "virtual-brewing", I do intend to try these different approaches to find out what I like best.  Just can't do a real brew while I'm here at work.  This morning I did weigh and crush the grist, load it in the MLT, and put my water and brewing salts in the pot so I can heat and mash as soon as I get home.  I even considered an all-day mash but I think I want to keep using a mash schedule that leaves a little more body.

[johnf]

Another general alt question.  Why do so many recipes use a combination of pils and munich malt, when a light munich is only 6-7L anyway?  Is all munich too overpowering in terms of the flavor?  I was going to try that Al K recipe but found I was out of Aromatic.

Probably because most of the Dusseldorf alts are made that way including Zum Uerige which a lot of people will name as the archetype or their favorite (and AFAIK the only altstadt beer available in the US).

Schumacher is all light munich and is distinctive because of it.

[hopfenundmalz]

The fellow I talked to at Zum Uerige in '02 while he was shoveling grain said pils malz, caramalz, farbe malz.  Might have been the guy who Denny has referred ot on the HBD - the brewer - who's recipe looks like that.

I talked with Al K at the Chicago NHC about that, and he said that he may have misunderstood.  I get Munich malt in the Schumacher Alt, but not in the Zum Uerige.

[johnf]

The fellow I talked to at Zum Uerige in '02 while he was shoveling grain said pils malz, caramalz, farbe malz.  Might have been the guy who Denny has referred ot on the HBD - the brewer - who's recipe looks like that.

I talked with Al K at the Chicago NHC about that, and he said that he may have misunderstood.  I get Munich malt in the Schumacher Alt, but not in the Zum Uerige.

Yeah I meant Zum Uerige uses a pilsner malt base not specifically a pilsner and munich grist.

Shumacher was my favorite and how I thought alt would taste when I first heard about it (a highly hopped copper colored top fermenting German beer). They were all good though. Very high on my list of places to go back to.

[jasoncap]

Tom,

I use about 2-3 oz of Carafa Special (along with 80%+ Munich and usually some Pale Ale Malt) in my alts and I have never picked up a roasty note from that small amount.  Maybe I don't have that sensitive a palate?   Was that 2-3 oz in a 5 gallon batch?

[tomsawyer]

My grist was:

53.4% pils
35.6% light Munich
4.4% caramunich 1
2.2% cararoma
2.2% melanoidin
2.2% carafa special 2

I thought the roasty flavor came from the carafa but it could be a combination effect.  And if lagering tames it down a bit it might be more in the realm of toffee than coffee.

[Thirsty_Monk]

CaraAroma has a toasty notes.
I would leave it out.
Another trick is to add Carafa Special to the mash out.
This will reduce contact time and gives you the color but reduce roastines.

[johnnyb]

CaraAroma has a toasty notes.
I would leave it out.
Another trick is to add Carafa Special to the mash out.
This will reduce contact time and gives you the color but reduce roastines.

Could I add the Carafa Special just prior to batch sparging and let the sparge water soak for 5 or 10 minutes before draining?