Recipe advice: All-Tettnanger, German-"ish" hybrid beer

[Chriso]

Hi all. I'm planning to make 10 gallons of some pale beer using Tettnanger hops. I have a pound of them that I need to start using up, and figured a sort-of-SMaSH-like beer would be a good place to start.

I know I want a good, but balanced, charge of Noble hop character... and I also know I want a beer that finishes dry, not sweet and overly malty. I'm definitely aiming for light, clear, and sparkling... But I do want a little bit of toasty, graham crackery, light caramely flavor to come through so that it's not just plain ol' fizzy yellow water.

Here is what I've put together so far...

Batch Size: 10 gal, Boil Time: 90 Minutes
1.046 SG, 3.3 SRM, 25.6 IBUs

15 lbs Pilsner Malt (1.6 SRM) 83.3 %
3 lbs Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) 16.7 %

Mash In with 27.80 qt of water at 160.2 F = hold at 148.0 F for 75 min
Batch sparge with 9.24gal of 168.0 F water

2.00 oz Tettnanger 2011 - Hops Direct [5.3%] 21.3 IBUs - 90 Min.
2.00 oz Tettnanger 2011 - Hops Direct [5.3%] 4.3 IBUs - 5 Min.

One half will get Fermentis US-05 and will be fermented at ambient room temp. (My fermenters sit in a basement room, so I expect this to be 66-69°F, depending on the weather that week.) I expect this to be a sort of "control ale" that should be drinkable, and tasty, but not mind-blowing.

On the other 5 gallons, I plan to use Saflager Fermentis W-34/70 - this is my first time using this yeast. I have read that it performs well in mid-60-degree temps as a hybrid steam beer yeast, so I plan to run this yeast at 65°F in a temp-controlled chest freezer.

That being said, I do have lagering capability with this freezer, and I could certainly hold it at a lower temp instead.

Thoughts or Input on the recipe?

Comments on W-34/70 and what temp I should select?

Suggestions to improve the outcome of this beer?

 

[progmac]

34/70 is the Weihenstephaner yeast and I have never heard it described as anything other than a traditional German lager yeast.

I recently used it for the first time at a rate of 4 grams per gallon of well-oxygenated wort, rehydrated (that is 2 packs for a 5 gallon batch) and fermented in the low 50s for about a week, then d-rest (though no diacetyl was detected) and so far i think the yeast is absolutely wonderful...

Saflager S-23, on the other hand, is supposed to work quite well at 58F+ and not so well below that. I have never used it. Lots on here have used it for a steam beer.

PERSONALLY, I have NEVER had a lager-yeast beer fermented at 60+ that I found enjoyable. I would use the words harsh to describe most efforts of my own and others (including commercial). Not to say a great example of a steam beer couldn't change my mind, I just haven't had it.

 

[Chriso]

Kal *almost* did it, then used US-05 at the last minute... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/f...-63f-higher-than-normal-stick-us-05-a-332272/

I've read a few other places, though, that 34/70 performs better at mid-60s Steam Beer temps than S-23 does -- the opposite of what you had heard???

 

[Chriso]

Well, we will see how this came out! Brew day was very slow, but I took a closer look at my volume measurements, and think I may have made some progress towards eliminating my weird, random errors in volume calc's.

Got 10 gallons right on the nose, out of the kettle, and I've got the W-34 fermenting at about 59*F and the US-05 is, regrettably, hanging out at about 71-72*F... I would like it to be colder, but I only have one temp controller, and the room has been a little warm the past couple days.
I could really use a freak cold snap outside right now....

 

[progmac]

yes, please let us know how this comes out. 59 is as high as i've ever heard anyone using 34/70. how much did you pitch?

 

[Chriso]

Just one pack - rehydrated fully, into a thick cream slurry, and then topped up with a small amount (50mL? 100mL?) of freshly chilled wort - I let that go for 4 hours while the wort chilled in the chamber, then pitched it in.