Kafka's Dark Morphosis

By Rob Gallagher

Recipe is part of Recipe Index

BJCP 2021 Style 3D - Czech Dark lager

Tmavá piva in Czech Republic are quite a varied beast, with interpretations range from dry, bitter and roasted to soft, full and sweet. This recipe is towards the latter part of the spectrum, with a full malty richness and restrained roasted bitterness.

Awards

Black Friday 2016

2nd - Dark Lagers

National Homebrew Competition 2019

3rd - Dark and Amber Lagers

Black Friday 2021

1st - Best of Show

LAB Open 2024

1st - Dark Lagers (brewed by Darren Oakley)

Measures

• IBU 23
• ABV 5.3%
• OG 1.052
• FG 1.015
• EBC 51
• 41 litres at end of boil.
• 35 litres into fermenter.

Ingredients

Water

Reverse Osmosis water with CaCl added to give 100ppm Ca+ (153ppm Cl-)

Malt

• Weyermann Floor malted Bohemian Pilsner, 3 EBC, 4200g, 53%
• Weyermann Munich II, 24 EBC, 1650g, 21%
• Weyermann Caramunich I, 90 EBC, 1600g, 21 %
• Weyermann Carafa Special II, 817 EBC, 6 %

Hops

• 65g Saaz (3.75%) at 60 minutes
• 35g az at 15 minutes

Yeast

Imperial Urkel yeast. Either a very large starter or, preferably, pitch straight onto the slurry from a smaller, weaker batch.

Process

Mash

Hochkurz double decoction mash. Rests at 50°C, 62°C, 70°C & 76°C. Process as in Rossum's Utopian Rebels

Boil

60 min boil

Ferment

Pitch at 9°C and allow to rise to 10°C. When fermentation starts rise to 12°C over about three days. When half attenuated rise slowly to 18°C

Serving

Keg at 2.6vols