German Bock
Our Bock is strong, dark, and malty with little hop flavor or bitterness. The German Ale yeast ferments well at cool temperatures (58 to 65°F), providing the clean lager character of a good German Bock.To purchase this kit, click here.
Statistics
Original Gravity 1.070
Final Gravity 1.019
Alcohol Content 6.5%
Ingredients
3.3 lb. Muntons Light Malt Extract
3.3 lb. Briess Munich LME
2 lb. Briess Pilsen Dried Malt Extract
½ lb. Weyermann Melanoidin
½ lb. Weyermann CaraAroma
1 oz. Perle Pellets (Bittering)
Wyeast # 1007 XL German Ale Yeast
Procedure
A few hours before you begin to brew, prepare your liquid yeast according to the package instructions. We assume that you are familiar with basic homebrewing techniques, so these procedures are abbreviated.
1. Divide the cracked grains among 2 of the muslin bags (½ pound per bag) and add them to your brew kettle along with 1½ gallons of cold water. Heat slowly.
2. Steep the grains in hot water (about 145° – 160°F) to extract flavor and color – do not allow to boil. After about 30 minutes, remove the grain bags and then bring the water to a boil.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and add the malt extract syrup and powder. Keep the kettle off the burner and stir until the malt extract is completely dissolved.
4. Put the pot back on the burner and bring to a boil. Once boiling, place the bittering hops into a muslin bag, add them to the pot, and set a timer for 75 minutes. Keep an eye on the pot to avoid boil-overs.
5. After 60 minutes of boiling, add ½ teaspoon of Irish moss, or 1 Whirlfloc tablet, to help clarify beer (optional).
6. After 75 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat. Put a lid on your pot and cool it in an ice bath (use your sink) for about 30 minutes. Remove the hop bags from the kettle.
7. Pour 2 gallons of cold water into your sanitized fermenter, add the cooled wort (the stuff in your pot), and top up with additional water to 5 gallons. Aerate the wort with vigorous stirring, rocking the fermenter, etc.
8. Make sure the wort is below 80°F before adding yeast. Take a hydrometer reading if desired. Add the yeast to the wort.
9. Store the fermenter where the temperature will be a fairly constant 60° – 65°F. Active fermentation may take only a few days, or it can last up to 2 weeks. A hydrometer reading is a great way to determine when the fermentation is done. Keep the beer in the primary fermenter for two weeks until active fermentation is done (no signs of active fermentation for the last 2 to 3 days).
10. This beer may benefit from a secondary fermentation. This extended aging should be done in a glass carboy for an additional 2 to 4 weeks before bottling (optional).
11. When ready to bottle, siphon beer into your sanitized bottling bucket, leaving sediment behind. Boil the priming sugar in 1-2 cups of water for a few minutes, gently stir into the beer, and bottle as usual.