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The Nightman (CE)

Similar to the hoppy lagers I've done in the past, but this time, I'm adding some dark malt to try to make a black IPL. Rather than use 3oz of acidulated malt like normal, I'm using 5oz of Carafa II.


Brewed 5.0 gallons on 2022-11-20

Preboil gravity: 1.054

Original gravity: 1.062

Final gravity: 1.011

ABV: 6.7%

Apparent Attenuation: 82.3%


Link about this beverage Tilt

Inspired by Citra Pils (BX)

Process notes

2022-11-26
SG is at 1.026, so I raised the temp of the chest freezer to 70° to let it free rise and finish fermentation.
2022-12-10
Kegged. Dark brown and not black, unfortunately. Had a tough time kegging due to clogging at the post. Ended up using the small in-line filter, which worked well. I should use this all the time from now on.

Slight coffee and unripe citrus character; pretty green right now. The malt balances pretty well with the hops so far. Curious to see how this turns out.

Boil for 90 minutes

At 60 minutes
1 ounce of 15.2% Alpha Acid Columbus pellets (Artisan Hops, Batch# 56819. This was supposed to be a first wort addition, but I forgot to add them at the time.)
At 15 minutes
At 10 minutes
2 ounces of 12.3% Alpha Acid Citra pellets (Artisan Hops, Batch #57225)
At 0 minutes
2 ounces of 12.3% Alpha Acid Citra pellets (Artisan Hops, Batch #57225)
While cooling
2 ounces of 12.3% Alpha Acid Citra pellets (Artisan Hops, Batch #57225)

Mash

[97.21%] 10 pounds 14 ounces of Pelton Pilsner (MeccaGradeEstateMalt) (The malt has been sitting for a while in the container in the closet, but it still seems to taste fine.)

[2.79%] 5 ounces of Carafa Special II (Weyermann) (I'm using this to replace the acidulated malt that I typically use in this recipe.)

Single infusion mash. Mashed with 4.25 gallons (1.52 quarts per pound) of reverse osmosis water for 90 minutes. 11lb 3oz of grain was used in the mash.

Strike water temp: (0.2/1.52) * (153 - 68) + 153 = 164.2

4.25g calcium chloride added to water

After 30 mins
mash is 149°; pH is 5.00
After 90 mins
mash is 148°; pH is 5.27

Sparge

Sparged for 46 minutes with 5 gallons of 170° reverse osmosis water.

5.00g calcium chloride added to water

After 0 mins
pH is 5.36; specific gravity is 1.093; Decent dark color. I'm curious to see how black this will end up being.
After 15 mins
pH is 5.38; specific gravity is 1.080
After 30 mins
pH is 5.44; specific gravity is 1.048
After 45 mins
pH is 5.45; specific gravity is 1.014

Yeast

2022-11-20
Pitch starter (started on 2022-11-18 with 2000mL water, StirPlate, 200 grams DME, 0.25 tsp FermaidK) made from 2 packs of WLP802 Czech Budejovice (WhiteLabs) at 50°. (Best By: Nov 25, 2022. Lot# 12033270)

Dry additions

2022-12-07
2 ounces of 12.3% Alpha Acid Citra pellets. (Artisan Hops, Batch #57225)

Tasting notes (6.50/10; 2 ratings)

2023-03-12
[6/10] Brought to Sudzers. Got some positive feedback about the malt/hop balance. Someone mentioned that 10oz of Carafa II could be added.

Kind of a dull citrusy character and some light coffee. The coffee is definitely the main malt characteristic. It's cleared up fairly well, but it's tough to see through given how dark brown it is. Ruby highlights. Light tan head.
2023-08-21
[7/10] Last pour. Overall, this bet wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite a black lager. Either I should go with some crystal malt and make this red or bump up the roasted malts and get it darker. I probably could increase the hop complexity with an additional hop type.

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