Chocolate Orange Municher Alt

For the annual New Year's party, I like to brew a couple of different thing specifically for it--just to give options. I already started the first, which is my third batch of Light Cherry Cyser; so I thought--what would be a good foil--an opposite--to the cyser?

Malty, low to no hop, drier than the cyser but still not dry, and carbonated, and I wanted some flavours in there which would be popular...so I decided on chocolate and orange.  My aim here, is for a clean, malty beer, which doesn't taste particularly beerlike.  Because the cyser has Belgian yeast driven esters, I wanted to go to the opposite with a lager. However, I'm not 100% sure I can keep the contents of the carboy at 50* so am brewing it "alt" style; i.e. cold fermenting with top cropping yeast, raising the temp towards the end of fermentation to allow the yeast to clean up any diacytle, then giving it a month (or so) of cold conditioning before bottling.  The yeast chosen is the Wyeast Irish Ale, which is cleaner at cold temps, and apparently "likes" dark worts.

So, onwards to the recipe.  Because I felt like making a German style of beer, I decided to use all German malts (with the exception of a small amount of British brown malt for colour and complexity).  Going traditional, I left out any crystal malts--not sure why, actually; I could have easily included .5 to 1 lb of 60 and 120.
     
 
OG          1.068 sg          
FG          1.015 sg          
ABV         6.2%              
Bitterness  10.4 IBU (Tinseth)
Color       28.6 srm (Morey)  

Fermentables
================================================================================
Name                            Type   Amount    Mashed  Late  Yield  Color    
Munich Malt                     Grain  4.000 lb  Yes     No    80%    9.0 srm  
Pilsner (2 Row) Ger             Grain  2.000 lb  Yes     No    81%    2.0 srm  
Sugar, Table (Sucrose)          Sugar  1.300 lb  No      No    100%   1.0 srm  
Brown Malt (British Chocolate)  Grain  9.000 oz  Yes     No    70%    65.0 srm
Briess - Chocolate Malt         Grain  8.000 oz  No      No    60%    350.0 srm
Melanoiden Malt                 Grain  7.000 oz  Yes     No    80%    20.0 srm
Molasses                        Sugar  4.000 oz  No      No    78%    80.0 srm
Oats, Flaked                    Grain  3.500 oz  Yes     No    80%    1.0 srm  
Total grain: 8.969 lb

Hops
================================================================================
Name              Alpha  Amount    Use   Time        Form    IBU
Styrian Goldings  3.3%   0.700 oz  Boil  1.000 hr    Pellet  10.5

Miscs
================================================================================
Name               Type    Use      Amount     Time  
Cocoa Nibs         Herb    Boil     4.000 oz   0.000 s
Cloves             Spice   Boil     1.000 tsp  0.000 s
Sweet Orange Peel  Flavor  Primary  0.000 tsp  0.000 s

As you can see below, I decided to experiment with how I raised my temperature after each rest, using a blend of decoction, and water additions.  Note that the hop measurements are suggestions only--the IBU's are the goal.  Likewise the steps in the mash--do your own calculations, because the ones I used are for my system.

Mashed in with 1.25 q/lb of water, to 122 degrees.  Rested while the 4.2 quarts of water and thin decoction came to a boil (20 minutes).  While mashing, I steeped the chocolate malt separately with cold water.  Next step was 148 for 30+ minutes.   Pulled 2 quarts of mash, and brought to a boil for 10 minutes before adding to raise the temp to 154.  Adding another gallon of water to mash out.  Bag squeezed, then steeped in 6 quarts of 150 degree water for a second mash.

Added 1 oz of gently toasted cocoa nibs at first wort, along with 0.6 oz of the Styrian Goldings.  Hops are bagged, nibs are not.  At boil, I added 1.5tbsp of Hershey's cocoa powder to the brewpot.

1oz nibs at 45 minutes.

Remaining nibs at 25 minutes.

9-14-16; OG 1.068.  Look at that chocolately brown goodness.  You may note that no orange or cloves have been added--I will be adding orange zest and cloves later, after fermentation dies down in order to help preserve the flavour.  Fermentation was two stage, with about 10 days at 55*, then at normal room temp until the 9th.

10-9-16; Racked to secondary with two oranges of zest steeped in brandy, with 4-5 cloves.  FG is 1.012.  I think that at bottling I will be adding milk sugar, maybe malodextrine, and carbonating low.  Began cold crashing.

11-7-16; Bottling, adding 4oz of lactose for sweetness/body, and 2.7 oz to carb.  Both dissolved in a small amount of the beer.  Labeled COM '16, with 26 12oz bottles and 2 Belgians.  7.35% ABV, and 82.3% Apparent Attenuation.




Second running was mashed for about 30 minutes.  0.7oz of Styrian goldings was added at flame out to steep while the wort was cooling.
The gallon of wort received the dregs from the Graveyard Gose, and Farmhouse Wheat; so a blend of lactobacillus strains, an unknown ale yeast (possibly US-05), 49th State Brewing's Saison strain, and my wild garden capture from last year.

9-14-16; OG 1.042