Kafka's Dark Morphosis
By Rob Gallagher
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 Place - Dark Lagers
National Homebrew Competition 2019
3rd Place - Dark and Amber Lagers
Black Friday 2021
1st - Best of Show
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