Vienna Lager
OG = 1.046 to 1.052 FG = 1.010 to 1.014 IBU = 18 to 30 SRM = 8 to 12
When thinking of Vienna lager, two other beers come to mind, the Märzen and the Oktoberfest. They are all similar, but the Vienna stands out for its understated elegance. The way in which Vienna lager came to be is a long and interesting story.
When brewing was developing in the Austro-Hungarian empire in the 1800s, a man named Anton Dreher created the first Vienna lager. He studied in Munich where he met a major figure in German brewing, Gabriel Sedlmayr. Together, Dreher and Sedlmayr discovered bottom-fermenting yeast. In 1841 Dreher brought the yeast to his family brewery in Vienna, and at the same time Sedlmayr introduced this yeast to his Munich brewery. The resulting Vienna-style beers soon became extremely popular.
Vienna is the original amber lager. These beers traditionally were brewed from the finest Moravian barley and noble hops. Much of the character of this beer is derived from the method of malting that Dreher developed. Using only Moravian barley, Dreher created a “Vienna” malt that is deeper in color than pilsner malt, yet lighter than Munich. In the 20th century, classic Vienna was gradually replaced in popularity by pilsners and export Dortmunder-style lagers.
Stylistically speaking, the Vienna lager should have a German Vienna or Munich malt nose with a lightly toasted nuance. The color is reddish amber to light brown with brilliant clarity and a long-lasting head. Malt complexity and softness, coupled with a decisive hop presence, prevents a cloying sweetness. There may be a toasted character. The body is light to medium with subtle creaminess and medium carbonation.
Our Vienna lager is a clear amber beer with auburn highlights and a tightly-beaded, light-tan head. It has a soft, toasted Vienna malt aroma that leads to a smooth, well-balanced palate. It finishes long and dry.
Commercial Beers to Try
There are no more true examples of the Vienna lager from Austria, but the style has been revived by microbreweries. According to the BJCP style guidelines, the following beers represent the style today: Negra Modelo, Portland Lager by Portland Brewing Company in Oregon, Dos Equis Lager, Augsburger Red and Leinenkugel Red.
Hops, Malt and Yeast
German two-row pilsner should be the base malt, coupled with 15 to 20 percent German Vienna malt. German light or dark crystal is used for color and malt character. Up to 2 oz. of chocolate malt or up to 1 oz. of black malt may be used to obtain color. For extract brewers, use a German extract, such as Bierkeller light or Weyermann.
Hops should be noble and used for bittering, flavor and, sparingly, for aroma. Czech or Zatec Saaz can be used throughout the beer, Styrian Goldings for bittering and Tettnanger and German Hallertauer can be used for all applications. Use Bohemian Lager yeast (Wyeast 2124), Bavarian Lager (Wyeast 2206) or German Lager (Whitelabs WLP830).
Vienna Lager
(5 gallons, extract with grains) OG = 1.053 FG = 1.012 to 1.013 SRM = 15 IBU = 23 ABV = 5%
Ingredients:
8 oz. German Vienna malt
6 oz. German dark crystal malt (65° Lovibond)
1 oz. British chocolate malt
3.5 lbs. Bierkeller light malt extract syrup
3 lbs. Muntons extra-light DME
3 AAUs German Hallertauer
Hersbrucker (1 oz. of 3% alpha acid) (bittering)
3.4 AAUs Tettnanger (0.75 of 4.5% alpha acid) (bittering)
1.25 AAUs Tettnanger (0.25 oz. of 4.5% alpha acid) (flavor) 1 tsp. Irish moss
Bohemian Lager (Wyeast 2124) or Oktoberfest/Märzen (White Labs WLP820)
1-1/4 cup Muntons extra-light DME for priming
Step by Step
Bring 1 gallon of water to 155° F, add crushed grain and hold for 30 min. at 150° F. Strain the grain into the brewpot and sparge with 1 gallon of 168° F water. Add the malt extract syrup, DME and bittering hops. Bring the total volume to 2.5 gallons. Boil for 45 min., then add the flavor hops and Irish moss. Boil for 15 min., then remove from stove.
Cool wort for 15 min. Strain into the primary and add water to obtain 5-1/8 gallons. Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F. Oxygenate-aerate well. Start fermentation at 60° to 62° F. Bring primary fermenter to 47° to 52° F for 7 days, then rack into secondary (glass carboy). Ferment at 47° to 52° F until target gravity has been reached and the beer has cleared (4 weeks). Prime and bottle. Carbonate at 70° to 72° F for 2 to 3 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.
Partial-mash option: Acidify the mash water to below 7.2 pH. Mash 1.5 lbs. German two-row pilsner malt, the specialty grains and an additional 8 oz. of Vienna malt in 1 gallon of water at 122° F for 25 min. and then at 152° F for 90 min. Sparge with 1.5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. Follow the extract recipe, omitting 1.75 lbs. of Muntons extra-light DME from the boil.
All-grain option: Acidify the mash water to below 7.2 pH. Mash 7.75 lbs. German two-row pilsner malt, the specialty grains and an additional 1.5 lbs. of Vienna malt in 3.5 gallons of water at 122° F for 25 min. and then at 152° F for 90 min. Sparge with 4.75 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. Total boil time is 60 min. Add 5.1 AAUs of bittering hops for the last 60 min. of the boil. Add the aroma hops and Irish moss as indicated by the extract recipe.
Helpful Hints: If your water is soft (below 50 ppm), add 3/4 tsp. gypsum, 1/8 tsp. non-iodized table salt, 1 tsp. calcium carbonate (chalk) and 1/4 tsp. Epsom salts. If it’s moderate (50 to 200 ppm), add 1/8 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1/4 tsp. chalk. If it’s hard (greater than 200 ppm), dilute it 1-to-1 with distilled water and add 1/8 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1/4 tsp. chalk. It can be lagered for 3 to 4 weeks. Begin at 45° F and slowly decrease the temperature to 34° F over 2 weeks. This beer will peak between 1 and 3 months after it is carbonated and will last at cellar temperatures for 7 months.
