Pursuing some sessions beers to start off the year, I’m hoping to brew a clone of New Glarus’ Totally Naked. I’m using the recipe found in Session Beers by Talley. In the book there is not a mash temperature listed. The recipe is rather simple and it’s all American 2 Row and the OG is 1.040 and final gravity is 1.008.
Sometimes when I think session beer, I think higher mash temperatures but this beer finishes on the drier end at 1.008. I’m thinking mashing at 152F for 60 minutes.
Thoughts?
More than anything else, it depends on the yeast. What yeast strain do you plan to use?
Right. Forgot about that. 34/70
Okay. In my experience, that yeast has an average attenuation of about 74-75%. So starting with an OG of 1.040, with a “normal” mash, you might expect a final gravity of about 1.010. So… if you want FG 1.008, you should probably mash low and long, let’s say 149 F for 90 minutes.
That’s what I would do.
I typically get about 78% attenuation when I mash at 150F for 45 minutes
I think it was Denny who first suggested that rather than cloning a commercial beer, consider doing an homage to the brew. That is, you are likely not going to absolutely duplicate the commercial beer, possibly due to different ingredients, water, and/or process. I suspect that the 2 row barley can differ significantly in final flavor - using any number of American malts. Good luck to you on seeking out a fine tasting beer, if not a true example of the Classic American Pilsner (no corn or rice according to NG); it seems that the craft world is embracing the style these days.
Agreed on all. And mash temp may or may not make much difference depending on the malt you use.
Totally agree with this. Like you said, I was really looking for a simple, clean lager with a low ABV. I that I read that New Glarus uses Wisconsin grown barley, so you’re point is very valid. I remember years ago listening to an interview of Dan Carey (co-owner of New Glarus with his wife) and he was pretty tight lipped about ingredients and their recipes.
The 2-Row that I’ll be using is Rahr.
I have a lot of experience with Rahr pale malt. I found that it took a large change in temp to make any difference in attenuation.