The Dark Prince

By Lee Immins

Recipe is part of Recipe Index

BJCP 2021 Style

Third time lucky - I started making this beer 3 years ago, once a year, around October /November so it can lager over winter in the shed. Ive gradually tweaked the melanoidin level (skip this malt and decoct instead if thats' your thing!) and moved to salt-adjusted RO as the first version James Wilson described as having a 'flabby' finish.

The base beer is pretty decent tbh but each year Ive gradually oaked more and more, the vanillin really adds something - obviously oaking is a personal preference so my advice would be 'oak until happy' then enjoy.

Awards

Anglian Craft Brewers Competition 2022 (Colchester, 07/2022)

1st - Table

2nd - Best in Show

LAB Open 2022 (Hammerton Brewery London, 05/2022)

3rd - Table

Statistics

• IBU 29
• ABV 4.8%
• OG 1.055
• FG 1.009
• EBC 36

Ingredients

Water

Basically Munich Water. I've used London Water but have moved to RO to try and get a 'crisper' finish.

RO Water, acidified with phosphoric acid to gives an estimated Mash pH of 5.45 Added Calcium Chloride and Gypsum to give absolute ion values of Ca 59 ppm Cl2 67 ppm SO4 56 ppm

SO4/CL2 ratio 0.83

Malt

• Munich II, Weyermann EBC 24 87.8%
• Melanoidin Light, Weyermann EBC 50 10.8%
• Carafa III, Weyermann EBC 1400 1.4%

But... I only used the Melanoidin Light as there was no standard Melanoidin EBD 70 avalable. If there is then reduce to 7.5% of grist

Hops

• Hallertau Mittelfruh 40-50g per 33 litres (end boil volume) at 15 mins to go
• Bitter with something noble, or Vic Secret or whatever, to get correct IBU. Add at 60 mins latest or for the full 90 minute boil

Yeast

German Bock Lager (WLP033)

Process

Mash

Saccharification 68C for an hour Glycoprotein Rest 72C 15 mins Mash Out

Boil

90 minutes Protofloc or Brew Brite at 15 mins to go

Ferment

9C for first 70% of gravity drop 12C until finished 15/16C for 3 days diacetly rest Cold crash, rack/bottle when bright, lager for 3 months

Serving

Carb to 2.7 vols

Oaking

I generally split the batch into normal dunkel and oaked dunkel at kegging. I use oak in the keg - steam sanitised with a little water (then add the water too, loads of flavour :-) Oak - medium char oak spiral 1g/litre for at least a month, but really until yuou are happy then rack off (I generally just drink it from the keg till its gone) oak cubes would work well.