Doppelbock
Doppelbock traces its history to a monastic brewery founded in 1634 in the Bavarian town of Munich. To sustain them during periods of religious fasting such as Lent and Advent, the Pauline monks drank a dark, sweet beer called Sankt Vater Bier or Holy Father Beer.
If eating and drinking nothing but doppelbock for four weeks sounds like a good idea to you, perhaps you should consider the original composition of this dark brew (not to mention professional help). The original doppelbock was low in alcohol at about 4 percent by weight and high in residual sugar. The final gravity around 1.035 made it extremely sweet. The high sugar content in this 16th century brew, similar to today’s Ovaltine, undoubtedly provided fasting monks the nutrients they needed to survive the ordeal of food deprivation.
In 1780 the monks made their unique beer available to the secular public. Beer drinkers likened the brew to the cherished pale bock from the north German town of Einbeck. Because of the strength of the brew and its dark color, it was dubbed “doppelbock” or “double bock.” During the reign of Napoleon in the early 1900s, all the breweries of Germany were secularized. The Paulaner brewery came under the ownership of Franz-Xaver Zacherl, who produced the doppelbock under the name Salvator, meaning savior. Other brewers of doppelbock follow in the footsteps of the original by naming their beers with the suffix -ator.
Besides Salvator, the aspiring beer hunter can usually trackdown other German classics such as Ayinger Celebrator and Spaten Optimator. No longer designed as a diet supplement, modern versions of doppelbock have a much higher alcohol content, ranging in strength from 5.5 to 6.3 percent by weight.Comparatively less sweet than their ancestor, most brews ferment from an original gravity of 1.072 to 1.080 down to a terminal measurement between 1.016 and 1.028. The color of doppelbock varies between amber and an almost opaque dark brown, with an SRM (color) value of 12 to 30.
A subtle hop bitterness, between 17 and 27 IBU, balances the sweetness while a purposeful absence of hop aroma allows the malt to dominate. Noble German hops are the traditional choice for bittering, although other varieties will do the job.
The doppelbock brewer’s goal is to make a deceptively drinkable beer while maintaining a luxurious mouthfeel and an intriguing aromatic complexity. So brewers use a plethora of specialty grains. The grain bill may contain 30 to 80 percent Munich malt, 11 to 60 percent pale malt, 0 to 5 percent light crystal, 5 to 8 percent dark crystal, and up to 1 percent chocolate malt. Any black malts should only contribute a slight roasted character that melds into the overall maltiness from the Munich and crystal malts.
A triple decoction mash, the traditional method, will contribute color and flavor to the brew. Infusion mashers can make up any flavor deficiencies by adding a little extra dark crystal malt and still make a doppelbock that tastes authentic. A higher conversion temperature, 153° to 155° F, will raise the final gravity, thereby increasing the residual sweetness.
Ferment cool, 45° to 50° F, with a German lager yeast. Because doppelbock has a high initial gravity, the yeast have a big job to complete during the fermentation. Aerating the wort thoroughly and using a large pitching rate will ensure a complete fermentation and minimize off-flavors that do not suit the style. Brew your doppelbock well ahead of time so it can lager in the fridge for at least a month.
Refrigerator Doppelbock
(5 gallons, all-grain)
This luscious doppelbock is dark and delicious yet in the middle of the range in color, bitterness, and alcohol.
Ingredients:
10 lbs. Munich malt, 10° Lovibond
2 lbs. pale malt
1 lb. crystal malt, 80° Lovibond
3 oz. chocolate malt
0.5 oz. Perle hops (10% alpha acid), for 60 min.
Bavarian or Munich lager yeast
Step by Step:
For a temperature program mash, dough room-temperature grains into 4.5 gals. of mash water at 140° F to reach a temperature of 132° F.Hold for 15 minutes. Then raise temperature 2 degrees per minute up to 155° F and hold for 45 minutes. Raise temperature to 165° F for mash-out. Sparge with 168° F water to collect 6 gals. of wort.
Boil for 30 minutes and then add hops. Boil for another 60 minutes to make a total boil time of 90 minutes Cool and aerate wort, rack into a carboy, and add yeast at 60° F. Hold until start of fermentation, then slowly chill to 50° F and hold for the remainder of fermentation. After fermentation allow temperature to rise to 55° F for two days. Then cool to coldest refrigerator temperature and lager for four weeks. Package as desired and enjoy.
Refrigerator Doppelbock
(5 gallons, grain and extract)
Don’t feel bad if your mash tun can’t fit 13 pounds of grain. One sip of the partial-mash version of this delicious German delicacy and you’ll feel much better.
Ingredients:
6 lbs. liquid pale malt extract
6 lbs. Munich malt, 10° Lovibond
1.5 lbs. crystal malt, 80° Lovibond
3 oz. chocolate malt
0.5 oz. Perle hops (10% alpha acid), for 60 min.
Bavarian or Munich lager yeast Step by Step:
For a temperature program mash, dough room temperature grains into 2.5 gals. of mash water at 140° F to reach a temperature of 132° F. Hold for 15 minutes. Then raise temperature 2 degrees per minute up to 155° F and hold for 45 minutes. Raise temperature to 165° F for mash-out. Sparge with 168° F water to collect 5.5 gals. of wort.
Add extract to kettle along with the wort. Boil for 30minutes and make the hop addition. Boil for another 60 minutes to make a total boil time of 90 minutes. Cool and aerate wort, rack into a carboy, and add yeast at 60° F. Hold until start of fermentation, then slowly chill to 50° F and hold for the remainder of fermentation. After fermentation allow temperature to rise to 55° F for two days. Then cool to coldest refrigerator temperature and lager for four weeks. Package as desired and enjoy.
Seeyoulator Doppelbock
(5 gallons, extract and specialty grains)
Ingredients:
5.5 lbs. pale liquid malt extract
4 lbs. dark liquid malt extract
1 lb. crystal malt, 60° Lovibond
0.5 oz. Perle hops (10% alpha acid), for 60 min.
Bavarian or Munich lager yeast Step by Step:
Pour crushed grains into a nylon mesh bag. Steep in 2 gals.water at 150° F for 15 minutes Meanwhile, heat 2 gals. of water separately to 150° F. Remove bag of grains and place in ac olander or strainer. Place colander over kettle. Pour hot water through grains in colander to extract all the flavor from the malt. When finished, the kettles hould contain 4 gals. of grain-tinged water. Stir in malt extract while heating the kettle to boil. As soon as the boil starts, add hops. Total boil time is 60 minutes.
After kettle boil, cool wort to 60° F and add yeast. Hold the temperature until the start of fermentation, then slowly chill to 50° F for the remainder of fermentation. Add 1 gal. of cold water to bring total volume to 5 gals. Then cool to coldest refrigerator temperature and lager for four weeks. Package as desired and enjoy.
OG = 1.076
FG = 1.015
