Starr Hill Brewery: Jomo clone

Starr Hill Brewery: Jomo clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.011
IBU = 24 SRM = 11 ABV = 5.4%

This year-round offering from Starr Hill is fermented with Southern German lager yeast, its crisp, clean taste, and noticeable hop aroma are effectively balanced with a slight malty sweetness. Jomo has won multiple awards, including two gold medals (2004, 2011) at the Great American Beer Festival.

Ingredients
7.25 lbs. (3.3 kg) Pilsner malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) crystal malt (20 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) dark Munich malt (9 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Belgian aromatic malt
6.25 AAU Hallertau Tradition hops (60 min.) (1.25 oz./35 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager) or White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager) yeast
3/4 cup (150 g) dextrose (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of 161 °F (72 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 149 °F (65 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes before starting the lautering process. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 4 gallons (15.1 L) of sparge water and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredients list. Chill to 50 °F (10 °C), aerate, and pitch yeast. Ferment at 50 °F (10 °C) for 4 days, or until the beer reaches 1.024 SG. At that time, increase the temperature to 58 °F (14 °C) for an additional seven days. Once the beer reaches final gravity, bottle or keg and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. Cold conditioning at near-freezing temperatures can be done prior to or after packaging, and should last for at least six weeks.

Partial mash option:
Substitute the Pilsner malt in the all-grain recipe with 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Pilsen liquid malt extract. Place crushed grains in a large grain bag. Bring 1 gallon (4 L) of water to approximately 162 °F (72 °C) to reach a mash temperature of 149 °F (65 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Remove grain bag, then wash the grains with 1-gallon (4-L) hot water. Let the grains drain fully. Top off to 6 gallons (23 L) of water, then add the liquid malt extract and stir until completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil for 60 minutes Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.

Tips for Success:
Starr Hill Brewmaster Robbie O’Cain points to three key elements to brewing their Vienna lager: Temperature, time, and water. First, mash on the low end of the temperature spectrum (149 °F/65 °C) to improve attenuation and produce a very fermentable wort with few long-chain sugars.

Second, temperature control is very important for fermenting lagers, as well as for the lagering phase. If you like brewing lagers and haven’t already done so, converting an old dorm or full-size refrigerator, or chest freezer, into a fermentation chamber (utilizing a temperature controller) is a great project (there are many design ideas for building one of these on the Internet). Sometimes lager strains can produce sulfur compounds during fermentation that can give off weird odors. If you take your time in the conditioning phase, these should disappear. Also, take your time letting this beer lager at cold temperatures. “This beer is about patience,” Robbie says.

And third, Starr Hill brews with very soft water, so if your water has a solid mineral base you might consider diluting your mash or boil water with a distilled water (or at least use something bottled that’s softer than yours).