Sure, augustiner is amazing. But it’s not decoction that makes them that.
Sure, it’s the super sophisticated equipment that isn’t available to homebrewers (for a reasonable price anyway).
Anyway, thanks!
Now that I’ve decided to go LoDO for my brewday tomorrow, do you have suggestions for step mashing? I’d have to do infusion as I can’t directly heat my MT.
Well equipment and basically the most highly trained brewing professionals.
Without knowing your malt lots I don’t. Dough in, beta somewhere in the 140’s (could be 144-149 depending on gelatinization temps), some alpha around 162-4, and a mash out around 170.
Have all water deoxygenated/sulfites and add gently.
Though I don’t know that I would do that on my first go round with the method. You will already have enough changes in routine. Get the bugs worked out on the first 10 batches then turn the levers.
Cool, I’ll start simple… Maybe this isn’t the recipe to start trying new things on as I intend to enter it into a comp.
Brewtopalonian, I had made a couple of attempts to go all in on low oxygen. Since I already had pretty solid side hot side practices and my cold side locked down tight, most of the adjustments were hardly intrusive: adding antioxidants to my water treatment regime, adding mash, lauter and HLT caps. In my sleep. The PITA that held me back was deoxygenating the liquor in the first place. Boiling and cooling was just impractical in my system and on my brew day schedule. But there’s the yeast scavenging method detailed on the LOB site. I’d always balked at it because I was sure it would contribute some objectionable flavor. Well I finally tried it. Easy as can be, works perfectly, no flavors added… even if it did, it would be one of those cases the benefits far outweigh. With one simple technique, it’s now been possible for me, with a pretty old school setup on the hot side, to implement a low oxygen brewhouse. It might be something you want to consider too. Anyway, good luck.
I have been making smaller steps (though not required) as described in BRAUWELT INTERNATIONAL | 2016/V 309:
That flexibility is one great advantage of your RIMS system. Using direct fire on the kettle, I find it more practical to use a single beta rest target, which may drop off a bit and be boosted back once during the 30 minute period. This also limits stirring, a non issue for you. I suspect Brewtopalonian, using infusions, will have to assess his capacity to achieve and hold temperatures and just how many and how large infusions he has room to make in planning a step program. If his goal is to end up with a full volume mash and no sparge, less restricted. But you still need room to hit and hold the more critical 160°F and 170°F steps.
My opinion is that whatever advantages LODO may provide aren’t worth the expense and effort for me. You should make your own decision.
You’re overlooking the big picture…while decoction was preferred over single infusion, if you combine infusion and go preference it’s more than decoction. That says to me there is no clear preference for decocted beers.
Yeah, as I mentioned it was ultimately so little effort to make the last adjustments that it makes no sense for me not to do it. But everybody has their own goals and priorities. And for certain styles it just doesn’t make sense. But if you think it might be for you, only one way to find out.
I’m just so happy we can finally have a civilized discussion about this on here. Unlike many other places.
Me too! This is an interesting conversation for sure. In brewing, there are a hundred “right” ways to make beer and it’s great to hear everyone’s opinion.
After careful thought and listening to everyone on here, I think I will try my hand at LoDo today using a step mash infusion. It really won’t change much about my normal brewday and is actually less work than Decoction. I do have to use the LoDO calculator to figure out my additions, but I am already fairly fluent with Bru’n water and this shouldn’t be much additional work.
To echo Robert, I’ve been able to implement many of the LoDo procedures in my basic brewing system (single burner, mash in a cooler) with little or no additional expense and time. I do intend to add a pump to the system in the near future which will allow me to implement a couple more of the recommended practices.
While it may be confirmation bias since I haven’t done any side by side experiments, I find that the beer stays fresher longer.
I think you mean Southern Bavarians and large industrial brewers, not all Germans. Definitely not the Franconians (not to mention the Czechs). https://beerandbrewing.com/slow-beer-frankish-style/ Homebrewing for many is a lot closer to old school, small family brewery brewing (open fermenting, for example) rather than large modern industrial brewing.
One of the more interesting things I saw at HomebrewCon on Friday was back-to-back panels in the same ballroom with Denny claiming that decoction is a myth and doesn’t make a difference (and referencing his experiment) followed by Gordon Strong right after saying that decoction definitely makes a (very positive) difference. Looking now at Denny’s results it sure looks to me that decoction is preferred!
I have learned a lot from the LODO folks and try to incorporate as much of it is is practical (closed transfers, for example), but I am cheap and a traditionalist and I enjoy decoction. Maybe if I were to brew a Helles (which is what LODO seems to be really all about) I might try to go all in on LODO. But it is probably my least favorite lager style. Guess that’s why in my upcoming German beercation I am spending 5 days in Franconia and half a day in Munich. Brew what makes you happy and in a way that makes you happy. But don’t think you HAVE to brew LODO since all the great lager brewers are LODO, because they are not.
Anyone have suggestions for SMB ratio?! I’m driving the struggle bus here trying to figure out how much of each to add to strike water. And should I add btb to the boil? To the fermenter? Ofta I’ve got a lot of learning to do.
Right, most everyone has only had the macro Germans.
The frankonians/czech are certainly old word, and homebrew practices mirror that of those.
However they know about HSA, and will tell you about it, and their house flavor. Not to mention the beer travels horribly.
I would wholeheartedly disagree on helles being the primary style to brew low oxygen, though it is a prime example. But all other beer styles brewed by the same brewers that make these helles, are brewed in the same fashion.
We had a decoction only brewer born and raised in Munich, when we started out with the group that brought this forward. Lets just say he has stopped decocting. Not to say YOU can’t do it, but on our scale, especially with non specialized homebrew equipment, it won’t be as good of a beer in the terms of the low oxygen beers. Not to say it won’t be a good beer, but in these terms (low oxygen brewing) you will have a better product, since oxygen mitigation is paramount.
By all means though, brew how you want too.
Thanks… I’ve been there and scavanged what I can from it. But the spreadsheet link is 404.
Nearly everything in the brewing world works better with metric.
ppm = mg/l
20ppm =20mg/l
so for every L of brewing water add 20mg of antioxidant.