Lager

Human Robot

Hallertrau pils decocotion method

Mash in at 62, hold for about 20 minutes (sometimes as low as 5 minutes)
Pull half to the kettle and raise to 72, hold for 15 minutes
Boil that for 20 minutes. Take half of that and add it to the lauter, that will raise it to 70-72
Boil the rest for another 20 minutes. It will bring the lauter up to 76-78
The longer decoction will add more aroma (some beers they decocot for a lot shorter if they are looking only for mouthfeel)

Czech 10

knockout at 5.5c, sit for 24 hours. Then set the temp at 10c, takes about 3 days to get to 10.
when it hits 10 its usually at 6.5p and they spund starting there.
Then they start slowly reducing the temp back to 5.5c. Usually they hit FG at 7 days and its usually 6.5c.
- If its sluggish they leave it there, if its fermenting strong they keep stepping it down.
Then they leave it at 5c for 3 weeks.
Hard crash to 0 and package less than a week later. (they just basically drop everything, transfer to BT and package)
4-5 weeks grain to glass. They use clarex in the FV but that’s it for this beer (they use biofine on the hallertau pils).
Most big Czech breweries don’t do the big vd rest. They condition at 5c because it gives you a long window to see when the flavor is perfect (sulfur balance, etc…) If the beer is fermented warmer you miss the window too quickly. In Czech the cold rooms are 5c and it takes weeks for the beers to cool down to that temp so he’s trying to mimic that.

Hallertau Pils -

knock out at 7.5c, sit for 24 hours. Set temp to 9 and let it ferment to 7p.
Cap it at that point to 15psi cause it goes to a higher temp.
let it go up to 12c let it ferment out. (blows off more sulfur earlier and knocks out vd earlier).
Main fermentation is about 6 days.
Sit at 12 about 2 weeks, then hard crash to 0, sit for about a week and package.

misc

Adds about 1kg of hops to the mash when boiling the decoction. Not a huge difference but adds a layer.

They have 3 fermentation profiles (use 34/70 for everything):

For stronger beers - KO 7.5, set to 9, leave until about day 21, cold condition a week or two and then package

Czech approach is more rustic profile, pils approach is cleaner with a touch of sulfur, other is somewhere in the middle.

Cold knock out is more important than decoction because the yeast won’t triple and get yeasty flavors.

In Europe long rests at 0 aren’t the norm. In the US we use it as a substitute for filtering (which is valid)

From article CBB recipe “Recipe: Human Robot Polotmavy 12°”..

For decoction: A 3:1 water-grain ratio is a good place to start.
Target a mash pH of 5.2–5.4; we use lactic acid to adjust.
If you need to use American or German pils malt instead of floor-malted, shorten the first mash rest to 10 minutes.
After the boil, chill to about 43°F (6°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast.
Ferment at 43°F (6°C), allowing a rise to 48–51°F (9–10.5°C) as fermentation peaks.
If you have a spunding valve, attach it and set to 12–13 psi, conditioning at 39–41°F (4–5°C) for about 3 weeks—by that point, the beer should be fully carbonated and free of diacetyl.
Crash to 32°F (0°C) for a few days (says the same on the podcast)

Fast Lager

Rules to a Faster Lager - How to Stop Worrying & Lager—Drew Beechum

I’ve used a variant of the following schedule for years with a number of lager strains. If this is your first time, I’d suggest using Fermentis SafLager W-34/70. It might be both the most used and most forgiving lager strain in the world. In fact, the strain makes decent beers at ale temperatures (though I feel that they lack a certain lagery crispness).

Brew beer as normal.

When chilling, make sure you get the wort to pitching temperature (about 50°F/10°C) before adding the yeast. (I find this reduces ester production.).
Pitch the yeast at 50°F (10°C) and ferment for three days.
Raise the temperature to 55°F (13°C) and ferment for three more days.
Raise the temperature to 60°F (16°C); ferment two more days.
Raise the temperature to 65°F (18°C); ferment two more days.
Check the beer’s gravity and, if ready, proceed to packaging. If not, allow to sit two more days and check again.

Salted Lager

Lager with salt - R

I brewed a Mexican lager with sea salt and lime that was a huge hit this year. .5 pounds in 5.5 barrels. It was evident but not overwhelming.
4lbs sea salt for a 30bbl batch on a Mexican lager. Seems to be the sweet spot for us.
Try 2lb salt .5lb msg and adjust mash pH a little higher, I think you'll get more of what your looking for and higher repeat orders
I use 3/4# pink sea salt in a 3.5 bbl batch. I just dissolve it in some hot liquor and put it in the brite tank before transferring. My batch yield is usually around 100 gallons +/- 2.

Amount of salt for a salt lime lager - R

65g/bbl of sea salt in a light lager is where we start. You can add what you think after, but you can't take it back.
72g/bbl in a light lager
I usually do 0.5g/L for a noticeable but you'd never say it was salty