Brewing Doppelbock at home
Dark, strong Lenten beer with caramel and bread.
Base recipe for 20 litres (5.3 gal), calculated with the Brauwerkstatt beer creator. With one click you can adapt it to your batch size, bitterness, colour or alcohol content.
Typical figures
| Alcohol | 7.0–10.0 % |
| Bitterness | 16–26 IBU |
| Colour | 30–50 EBC (15–25 SRM) |
| Carbonation | 4.8 g/l (2.4 vol) |
| Yeast | SafLager W-34/70 (bottom-fermenting) |
| Fermentation temperature | 10–13 °C (50–55 °F) |
| Brewing water | medium-hard |
Recipe for 20 litres (5.3 gal)
- Original gravity: 17.0 °P (SG 1.070)
- 7.8 % vol
- 21 IBU
- 40 EBC (20.3 SRM)
- Final gravity: 3.4 °P (SG 1.013)
Grain bill
| Dark Munich malt | 5.46 kg (12.04 lb) | 74 % |
| Pilsner malt | 1.50 kg (3.31 lb) | 20 % |
| Caramunich III | 347 g (12.2 oz) | 5 % |
| Carafa Special I | 92 g (3.2 oz) | 1 % |
Hops
| Magnum 13.0 % α | 15 g (0.53 oz) | 60 min |
Yeast
SafLager W-34/70: 16–24 g (0.56–0.85 oz) for 20 L (about 5.3 gal) (80–120 g/hl) – with this high original gravity, pitch about twice as much.
Mash schedule
63 °C (145 °F) · 40 min → 72 °C (162 °F) · 20 min
Brewing water
| Mash water | 26.0 L (6.87 gal) |
| Sparge water | 7.0 L (1.85 gal) |
| Total water | 33.0 L (8.72 gal) |
Brewing steps
- Clean and sanitise everything that touches the wort after the boil.
- Measure out 33 L (about 8.7 gal) of water and treat it with the brewing-water calculator. Medium-hard water works well, mash pH 5.3–5.5.
- Split the water: mash water 26 L (about 6.9 gal), sparge water 7 L (about 1.8 gal).
- Heat the mash water to 66 °C (151 °F) and mash in 5.46 kg (12 lb) Dark Munich malt, 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) Pilsner malt, 0.35 kg (0.77 lb) Caramunich III and 92 g (3.2 oz) Carafa Special I (gives about 63 °C / 145 °F).
- 1. rest: 63 °C (145 °F), 40 min (maltose rest).
- Measure mash pH 10–15 min after mashing in (cool the sample to 20 °C / 68 °F). Target 5.4–5.5.
- 2. rest: 72 °C (162 °F), 20 min (saccharification). Iodine test at the end: no blue colour = starch converted.
- Mash out: heat to 78 °C (172 °F) and hold for 10 min.
- Rest 10–20 min, lauter slowly and sparge with 7 L (about 1.8 gal) water at 78 °C (172 °F).
- Boil the wort for 90 min.
- 60 min before the end of the boil add 15 g (0.53 oz) Magnum.
- 10 min before the end of the boil add Irish moss (about 2 g / 0.07 oz, soaked beforehand).
- After the boil stir a whirlpool and let it rest for 15 min.
- Chill to 9 °C (48 °F), measure original gravity (target 17 °P), run 20 L (about 5.3 gal) into the fermenter, aerate well and pitch the SafLager W-34/70 (amount see yeast).
- Primary fermentation 10–14 days at 10–13 °C (50–55 °F), then 2 days at 15–16 °C (59–61 °F) (diacetyl rest).
- Measure final gravity (target about 3.4 °P). Priming sugar per bottle from the carbonation calculator (target 4.8 g/l), then bottle.
- Bottle-condition 1–2 weeks at room temperature, then store cold (0–4 °C) for 4–6 weeks.
Notes
Created with the beer creator (brewhouse efficiency 70 %, final gravity about 3.4 °P).