Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

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Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by f00b4r » Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:34 pm

This is intended to be the first in a series of recipes that are either award winning or favourite recipes from well established brewers. It should allow a brewer to take a proven recipe and use it to help gain an understanding of a particular style, use as a solid base to experiment from and also allow novice brewers to focus on tuning their process (knowing the recipe part is taken care of). As well as the recipe there will also be some discussion around the beer, style and how the brewer approaches brewing.

If you like German, seasonally appropriate beer, then we are opening with an absolute corker, that will be perfectly timed to be ready for the summer. This Märzen (March beer - here is how to pronounce Märzen correctly, https://bit.ly/3tchY7p) won 'Best of Show' for Nick Davis in the 2022 Scottish Nationals competition a few weeks ago, beating out all the other entries. Nick has a particular interest in German and Belgium beers and regularly wins awards for his creations, as well as being very involved in the Anglian Craft Brewing homebrew club and generally being a nice all round bloke.

In Nick’s own words: “It’s an amber (leaning towards the dark side of amber…possibly light copper), malt focused German lager, clean toasty, bready malt flavours, bitterness levels just enough to provide balance but not contributing any significant levels of flavour, well attenuated moderately dry finish. Medium bodied but not sweet or cloying. I was trying to brew a beer that simply was representative of the style and through several recipe iterations have adjusting ratios and quantities of malts to get to the desired flavour balance.”


If you use Brewfather you can import the recipe directly: https://share.brewfather.app/N1YQjR3fWLG4Xp

The 23L recipe kit was calculated using default Brewfather G30 profile, adjust if needed to your own system using the detailed information below.

The recipe is also available on The Malt Miller as a recipe kit: https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product ... t-comp-22/

The details:

Batch size: 23L (in FV)
OG: 1.059
IBU: 23.5
Colour: 19 EBC
FG: 1.013
ABV: 6.1%

54% Weyermann Pilsner malt (5 EBC)
42% Weyermann Munich malt (15 EBC)
4% Weyermann Caramunich III malt (150 EBC)

Single step infusion mash at 66C for an hour followed by a 15 minute mashout step at 77C.
Boil time: 75 minutes

Hops: Magnum @ 60 minutes to achieve 23.5 IBU.

Fermented using Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager (make an appropriate starter):
10C for 7 days
Ramp up to 14C for 3 days
Crash cooled to 4C for 4 days
Lager at 2C for 4 weeks (in secondary, keg or bottles)
If bottling with dextrose as priming sugar use a rate of 5.5g per Litre.

Water profile target:

Ca: 85
Mg: 10
Na:6
SO4: 70
Cl: 95
HCO3: 70



The BJCP guidelines for the Märzen style (including commercial examples - don’t get too hung up on these though unless you are brewing specifically for a competition!). I have also taken the liberty of fixing the typos from their broken ‘u’ key 😜:

Märzen (BJCP 2021 style ‘6A’) appears under the “Amber Malty European Lager” category, alongside Rauchbier and Dunkles Bock, in the latest 2021 BJCP guidelines, the full details of which can be seen below:

6A. Märzen

Overall Impression: An amber, malty German lager with a clean, rich, toasty, bready malt flavour, restrained bitterness, and a well-attenuated finish. The overall malt impression is soft, elegant, and complex, with a rich malty aftertaste that is never cloying or heavy.

Aroma: Moderate malty aroma, typically rich, bready, somewhat toasty, with light bread crust notes. Clean lager fermentation character. Very low floral, herbal, or spicy hop aroma optional. Caramel-sweet, biscuity-dry, or roasted malt aromas are inappropriate. Very light alcohol might be detected, but should never be sharp. Clean, elegant malt richness should be the primary aroma.

Appearance: Amber-orange to deep reddish-copper colour; should not be golden. Bright clarity, with persistent, off-white foam stand.

Flavour: Moderate to high rich malt flavour often initially suggests sweetness, but the finish is moderately-dry to dry. Distinctive and complex maltiness often includes a bready, toasty aspect. Hop bitterness is moderate, and the floral, herbal, or spicy hop flavour is low to none. Hops provide sufficient balance that the malty palate and finish do not seem sweet. The aftertaste is malty, with the same elegant, rich malt flavours lingering. Noticeable sweet caramel, dry biscuit, or roasted flavours are inappropriate. Clean fermentation profile.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, with a smooth, creamy texture that often suggests a fuller mouthfeel. Medium carbonation. Fully attenuated, without a sweet or cloying impression. May be slightly warming, but the strength should be relatively hidden.

Comments: Modern domestic German Oktoberfest versions are golden – see the Festbier style for this version. Export German versions (to the United States, at least) are typically orange-amber in colour, have a distinctive toasty malt character, and are often labeled Oktoberfest. Many craft versions of Oktoberfest are based on this style. Historic versions of the beer tended to be darker, towards the brown colour range, but there have been many ‘shades’ of Märzen (when the name is used as a strength); this style description specifically refers to the stronger amber lager version. The modern Festbier can be thought of as a lighter-bodied, pale Märzen by these terms.

History: As the name suggests, brewed as a stronger “March beer” in March and lagered in cold caves over the summer. Modern versions trace back to the lager developed by Spaten in 1841, contemporaneous to the development of Vienna lager. However, the Märzen name is much older than 1841 – the early ones were dark brown, and the name implied a strength band (14 °P) rather than a style. The amber lager style served at Oktoberfest from 1872 until 1990 when the golden Festbier was adopted as the standard festival beer.

Characteristic Ingredients: Grist varies, although traditional German versions emphasised Munich malt. The notion of elegance is derived from the finest quality ingredients, particularly the base malts. A decoction mash is traditional, and enhances the rich malt profile.

Style Comparison: Not as strong and rich as a Dunkles Bock. More malt depth and richness than a Festbier, with a heavier body and slightly less hops. Less hoppy but equally malty as a Czech Amber Lager, but with a different malt profile.

Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.054 – 1.060
IBUs: 18 – 24
FG: 1.010 – 1.014
SRM: 8 – 17
ABV: 5.6 – 6.3%

Commercial Examples: Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen, Hofmark Märzen, Paulaner Oktoberfest, Saalfelder Ur-Saalfelder, Weltenburger Kloster Anno 1050




I also had some discussion with Nick around the beer and his brewing:

1 - Can you give me a description of the beer?
 
“It’s an amber (leaning towards the dark side of amber…possibly light copper), malt focused German lager, clean toasty, bready malt flavours, bitterness levels just enough to provide balance but not contributing any significant levels of flavour, well attenuated moderately dry finish. Medium bodied but not sweet or cloying. I was trying to brew a beer that simply was representative of the style and through several recipe iterations have adjusting ratios and quantities of malts to get to the desired flavour balance.”
 
2 - Any changes you would make on a re-brew or things you think where it might be improved? You are going to re-brew it right? ;)
 

“From the original recipe that I brewed I would perhaps aim for ever so slightly a lower level of IBU’s (the recipe that I supplied you does actually reflect this tweak). The beer was brewed at the strong end of the style and I pushed the IBU’s a little bit into “out of style” region…I’d perhaps drop from 26IBU, which my brew was, to 23IBU (as per the recipe I sent you) I might also try a paler version of CaraMunich in an effort to lighten the colour a bit.”
 
3 - Why those particular choice of malts? Do you think you need to go German for German beers and any preference for particular maltsters?

“I don’t really have any malt preferences. First priority is generally getting the malt type and colour that I’m after….once that is achieved then simply because of the sub-varieties available then Weyermann seems to offer the most choice. Maybe one day I will have to try Bestmalz. If I’m looking for pale malts and I’m doing a Belgian style then often I will plump for Dingemans because it err….feels like the right things to do!!! If I’m brewing something a bit more British then I tend to gravitate towards Simpsons and Crips rather than Fawcett or Warminster…..again there’s no real logic to it…maybe its just a “mood thing” and sometimes something just takes my fancy.”
 
4 - To decoct or not decoct, that is the question? Do you usually do it with some beers and did you not do it this time because you thought the speciality malts may have made this less of an issue or for another reason?
 
“I’ve never tried decocting, brewing on a Braumeister (as this beer was) does not lend itself easily to Decoction techniques….though it is possible as long as you take a little bit of care regarding what buttons get pushed and when….I’ve had “malt volcanos” before when I’ve set the BM pump going without the top plate and filter being in place!!! Now that I’ve got a Grainfather G40 I might look into decocting the odd dark German beer. Unfortunately I don’t get the chance to sample other homebrewed beers that have been decocted very often, so its difficult to provide comment/comparison.”
 
5 - Do you think this beer is close to any commercial examples and if so which?

“When I first set out to brew a Marzen I was looking to replicate Weltenbergers Anno 1050 which is a particular favourite of mine. My brew comes out noticeably darker and with a slightly richer malt balance….perhaps it is close to Hacker-Schorrs Oktoberfest Marzen if anything.”
 
 
6 - You used a very neutral battering hop, why?

“Hop flavour is not a significant aspect of the Marzen style, neither in aroma or flavour, the hops are there to provide balance to prevent the beer straying into overly sweet territories and allowing the malt qualities to shine through. Magnum is an exceptional hop to achieve this.”
 
7 - What brewing system have you used and owned?
 

“This particular beer was brewed on a Braumeister BM20, which I’ve used from Feb 2016 until the beginning of this year. For 2 years prior to the BM I had the typical starter 3V system with a tea urn as an HLT, converted cool box as a mashtun, and plastic boiler with an element as a kettle. Recently I’ve taken delivery of a Grainfather G40.”
 
8 - What are your useful things do you think you have learnt over the years?

“Obviously the main ones are the oft quoted sanitation and fermentation temperature control. I wont delve into the world of low oxygen brewing and start spouting about closed transfers and stuff because I largely don’t do them with the beers I brew, though obviously I try to keep splashing at a minimum…and I partly think that the LODO brigade have almost managed to spawn a new industry designed to empty brewers pockets in the fear that they are going to get oxygenated beer if they don’t blindly follow LODO principles.”
 
“The other thing I see so much on forums is new brewers seemingly being almost terrified into the belief that, the slightest process error or something that doesn’t go right or perhaps dropping an un-sanitised spoon briefly into their wort, will lead to a ruined beer. They should be reassured that as long as they take reasonable care it is actually damned difficult to completely ruin a beer….yeast have a great capacity to overcome whatever nasties might be trying to get at your sweet wort first.”
 
“My big thing is TIME….don’t rush the process, don’t rush the fermentation (but get the beer off the yeast reasonably quickly…say no more than 3 weeks), let beer rest in secondary if that’s your thing….give your beer time….time will help clarity, it will help clean up off flavours and it will allow a richer depth of flavours to develop…especially in darker more complex beers.”
 
“Finally….one thing I’ve started doing in the last year or so….if brewing a beer where there is a desire for a good hop character…both flavour and aroma….consider omitting the traditional 60 minute boil hop addition, and back load all your additions to the last 15 minutes….I find that this often delivers a lovely clean bitterness whilst still allowing the flavour qualities to shine….additions at 15,10 and 5 minutes work a treat. Add further whirlpool and dry hop additions as you wish.”


Nick with his very fancy trophy:
Nick and trophy.jpg
nick and BOS trophy
Nick and trophy.jpg (938.67 KiB) Viewed 3674 times

f00b4r
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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by f00b4r » Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:36 pm

Please feel free to ask any further questions, I am sure Nick or others can oblige with answers. We are looking to do this on a monthly basis with other styles and brewers, feel free to get in touch if you would like to get involved. :-D

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by bitter_dave » Sat Mar 19, 2022 9:03 am

Excellent post. Thanks for doing this. Not sure I’ve ever had a Marzen, but if I did try and make one there is plenty of useful info here. I look forward to later instalments!

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by Jocky » Sat Mar 19, 2022 1:19 pm

Great post, good to see in depth brewing experience described.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by MarkA » Sat Mar 19, 2022 3:23 pm

Really interesting post, thanks!

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by WalesAles » Tue Mar 22, 2022 8:26 pm

Great post!

What is LODO?

(Shit, I`m gonna get creamed for this question) [-o< #-o

WA

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by f00b4r » Tue Mar 22, 2022 9:57 pm

Good to see you guys like the idea.
James, I might be hitting you up for one month too. :wink:

Wales Ales, LODO is low oxygen brewing, where brewers try to remove almost all oxygen from the hot side (brewing liquor, mashing, etc). There are parallels with it in SOME commercial breweries but it is pretty controversial.

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by ozroger » Wed Mar 23, 2022 12:23 am

LODO - I do all my brews this way now, using Speidel's kit (Braumeister 50). I also condition (water spray) my grain before milling. Good beers (obviously award winning Scottish beers 8) ) can be made without techniques like these, but it doesn't make my brew day any longer, so - why not? The absence of that lovely malty aroma in the brew shed during the mash says to me that the aroma is staying in the mash!

I was in the olive growing and olive oil production (small scale) until three years ago when we sold our olive "press". We produced good oil. The olive paste is malaxed (churned) for 30 to 40 minutes before being piped into the decanter (centrifuge) where the oil is separated from the crushed olive paste. One technique used by some millers to produce better oil is to malaxe the crushed olives under a nitrogen blanket in modified malaxing tanks to help prevent oxidation. Necessary? No - good oil can be made without a nitrogen blanket, however some producers feel it's worth going the extra mile. (As do some breweries using LODO)

Similar examples abound in many different areas - mag wheels on competition cars to reduce the "unsprung weight"; car tyres inflated with nitrogen (why? I never understood this in the case of a motor vehicle, but some guys do it). As they say, "whatever floats your boat". :wink:

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by f00b4r » Fri Apr 08, 2022 2:17 pm

The Malt Miller recipe kit has just been updated with selectable yeast and logo:

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product ... t-comp-22/

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by Stanna » Sat Jun 11, 2022 4:01 pm

Received from the malt miller today, going to brew it in the morning.

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by Stanna » Sat Jun 11, 2022 4:12 pm

Quick question 75 min mash, Magnum hops added @ 60 mins, is that 15 min boil then add the hops or boil for 60 mins then add hops ?.

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by f00b4r » Sat Jun 11, 2022 4:15 pm

Stanna wrote:Quick question 75 min mash, Magnum hops added @ 60 mins, is that 15 min boil then add the hops or boil for 60 mins then add hops ?.
15 minute boil then add the Magnum hops. Timings for hops are usually expressed as how many minutes from the end of the boil.

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by Stanna » Sat Jun 11, 2022 7:25 pm

Thanks.

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by f00b4r » Sat Jun 11, 2022 7:27 pm

Stanna wrote:Thanks.
No worries, let us know how it turns out for you. Image

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Re: Award winning recipes: Nick's Märzen (Scottish Nationals 2022 Best Of Show) - 2022-03

Post by MashBag » Sun Jun 12, 2022 7:18 am

Brilliant post. I want to brew since now, and I have never tasted it. Will done indeed.

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