Das Altbier

Altbier is a amber German ale from Düsseldorf that is fermented cool then lagered for a few weeks much like a Kölsch from Cologne. The terms Alt means “old beer” in the sense that this style is older than lager beers which is a fairly recent advent in brewing history.

I did couple of things differently with this recipe as compared to the other’s I’ve brewed in the past.  First is keeping the crystal to a minimum to help achieve a really crisp and dry finish. Second is I used wheat instead of barley for crystal/color.  Last month I’ve read Horst D. Dornbusch’s Altbier: History, Brewing Techniques and at one point the author mention that some Düsseldorf breweries use wheat for crystal and color so I thought I would try that with this recipe.  

For hops I went the traditional Spalter, Magnum for its clean and neutral bitterness and Tettnanger for flavour.  

I fermented using 3 different strains, WLP036 which is the authentic Altbier yeast from Zum Uerige, WY2565 which is a Kölsch yeast and WY1010 which is a bit odd since it’s an American yeast but its origin is actually from Zum Uerige via Widmer.  

Recipe Specifications
Batch Size (Gal): 15.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 28.44
Estimated OG: 1.054
Anticipated SRM: 11.8
Anticipated IBU: 53.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Grains
59.8% (17 lbs) - Floor Malted Pilsner
21.1% (6 lbs) - Munich
14.1% (4 lbs) - Vienna
3.5% (1 lbs) - Carawheat
1.5% (4 oz) - Chocolate Wheat

Hops
2.00 oz Spalter (3.50%) @ FWH
2.00 oz Spalter (3.50%) @ 90 min
1.75 oz Magnum (12.60%) @ 90 min
2.00 oz Tettnanger (5.30%) @ 20 min

Yeast
5 gal -> WLP036 Dusseldorf
5 gal -> WY3565 Kölsch
5 gal -> WY1010 American Wheat

Mash Schedule
Sacch Rest - 60 min @ 152F

Notes
07/04/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water
Collected 15 gallons
OG = 1.053