Ornery Old Bock

 Ornery Old Bock

1.066 - 1.012

18 IBU

6.5% ABV 

Malts: 

13 lbs Munich I
10 lbs Vienna
3 lbs CaraMunich
2 lbs Melanoiden

The Hops:

1oz Tettnang (4.7%AA) -75 min
1oz Hallertaur (4.3%AA) - 75 min

Water:

28 pounds of grain (1.75 qts / lb) -- thinner for decoctions:
12.25 gallons strike water
3.5 gallons absorbed
6.25 gallons of sparge water needed (includes an additional gallon for decoction boil-off, etc.)

Brewday Notes:

Mashed @ 122 for 30 min

Heated decoction too much - closer to 165 let cool without sleeping bag

First decoction only raised to around 132 - pulled another.

Mash temp ended way too high after second decoction. I've got it down to 150 with ice. There it will stay for an hour. 148 by the end of the hour.

Not doing further decoctions. Mashing out with boiling water -- one gallon.

Only about half fit in mash tun. Negligible effect on temperature.

First runnings: 1.072

Kettle Carmelized the first gallon or so of runnings. It was not as dramatic as I thought it would be. After heating Sparge water, I will continue to boil these runninings down to half the original volume.

Second runnings: 1.034

Ran off a little more than 14 gal (before adding back reduced wort. Reducing wort more, and will now do the longer boil as planned.

Reduced wort 1.114
Preboil 1.049 closer to 15 gallons

Boiled 135 minutes to get down to 11 gal.

O.G. 1.066


Notes:

1.1.13 - Pitched yeast arounf 40 degrees. Letting it climb to around 53
1.20.13 - Diacetyl rest begun
1.26.13 - Transferred to serving kegs and placed in chest freezer to lager
1.20.14 - Tasting Ornery Old Bock:

Appearance: Light copper and very clear. Fluffy off-white head that is sticking around a little more than usual. One of the faults of this beer has been its head retention. This example's head is dying, but at a rate slower than what has been typical. Head is nearly gone after about 2 minutes.

Aroma: Not as aromatic as I would like. Aromas are more bread than toast. Overall, very neutral in aroma. No diacetyl or DMS. No hop aroma.

Flavor: Toasty flavors with good melanoiden presence, but still not as rich in this department as I would like. No hop flavors. Bitterness is in balance with the malt sweetness -- some bitterness lingers in the finish along with a hint of toasty flavors. Well-attenuated with not much residual sweetness. There is a slight alcohol warmth in the aftertaste as well.

Mouthfeel: Moderately carbonated with a medium-light body. Very slightly astringent and not very creamy. Slight alcohol warmth as mentioned previously.

Overall: This is a decent first go at a traditional bock. I am not sure of the effort involved with carmelizing the first runnings really paid off in the end, because the caramel flavors are not as rich as I would have expected. The flavors are there, but they may be more of a result of the grain bill than the procedure. The head is also an issue -- while I did do a protein rest, the long lagering period may have had an effect on its sustainability. If I were to make this recipe again, I may include some carapils just to insure some decent head.