You will need:

1.  50 ml plastic test tubes with screw-on caps

2. 4-6 ball mason jars – pint or quart

3. 2-4 1/2 -1 gallon glass jars with caps

4. sanitizing solution

5. 1 gallon of distilled or pre-boiled and cooled water

6. a previous batch of brew from the primary

7. plastic feeding syringe

8. refrigerator space

The process basically consists of using distilled water and primary trub and pouring it into successively smaller containers to strain out the yeast from suspension.   Of course it is always necessary to sanitize everything real well before and during every stage.  I go as far as to sanitize a cloth, wring it out, and keep it above the containers as I pour them off into to other containers.

I pour a gallon of distilled water (pre-boiled cooled H2O can be substituted) onto the yeast cake and trub in the carboy after siphoning the beer from the primary fermenter.  Then I swish it around until the stuff on the bottom loosens and the mixture is a cloudy off-white color.

After that, I pour the mixture into a couple of sanitized 3 liter glass growlers or 1 gallon Gallo Wine jugs – about half way filled up – cap them, and let that sit in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours.  It begins to settle out.  The remaining liquid above what has settled is suspended yeast.  Its a milky yellow color.

I pour that liquid only into 4 to 6 sanitized quart or even pint mason jars, cap them, and let them sit in the refrigerator over night.  The next morning, I pour off the liquid on the top should be a coppery piss yellow, until the remaining is half yellow liquid and half white yeast.

Then I put the top of the Mason Jars back on and swirl each vigorously until mixed well.  I have a 60 ml feeding syringe that is sanitized.  I pull up the liquid and place it into 50 ml plastic test tubes (you can use a number of items for this instead, but long and narrow are the best as they reduce surface area.)  The test tubes are then placed in the refrigerator one more time for about 1/2 to 1 day.

The last step is to pour or suck up 1/2 of the clear liquid from the top half of the tube and replace it with glycerin (you can get at most brew stores or buy from a pharmacy) so that 1/2 the tube is yeast, 1/4 is water and 1/4 is glycerin.  If you have less yeast, say 1/3, then make it equal parts water and glycerin as well. Shake very well. This can then be frozen solid but needs to be packed in ice in your freezer to maintain temperature.  I use snow packed from the winter in a small soft nylon cooler.

When you want to use, simply thaw in the refrigerator over night, take it out and leave it for about 4 hours at room temperature and pitch into a starter.  It may be enough to pitch a whole brew, but I would not risk that.  It can last up to 3 years that way – possibly more.  I have been able to use yeast 25 months later so far.  The WLP 300 Hefeweizen is a sturdy strain for this.  Some keep better than others, the Bavarian Lager Wyeast did not really survive this, but since then I have increased the amount of yeast in the tube with relative success.  Its a fun process for me and well worth the effort.  Good luck and happy brewing!

Fast-forward to today. Of course, my technique and knowledge is quite a bit different: more informed, more experienced, technical, scientific, mathematical, methodical, and the end result shows.   The one thing I can most attribute the success to is understanding the water.  Don’t get me wrong, correct recipes, all-grain brewing, fresh ingredients, and sanitized equipment all have their important place, but water profile took this to a new level completely.  With the correct understanding of water, you can easily make great tasting beers particularly true-to-style.  I can remember brewing my first Pilsner beer after that.  The flavors, textures, and subtleties of the style were remarkable; malty, crisp, and spicy notes in complete concert.  If you cannot obtain deionized RO water, look into ways to manipulate your water to achieve a more favorable water profile by buying spring water or better yet, distilled water (which serves quite perfectly as does RO deionized) and watch your craft grow!

What is hard water, you ask?

0-50 ppm is considered soft water
51-110 ppm is considered medium hard water
111-200 ppm is considered hard water
> 200 ppm is considered very hard water
Temporary hardness is determined by measuring bicarbonates. The hardness that bicarbonate ions impart is temporary because it is easily precipitated and is removed when water is boiled or treated with certain acids.

A bicarbonate measurement greater than 100 ppm is undesirable because  it contributes to the alkalinity of water, which in turn imparts harsh and bitter flavor to beer, exactly my problem with the first several brews.   Highly alkaline water creates an imbalance in pH affecting adequate mash conversion and, if used for sparging will extract undesirable harsh grainy flavors.

Permanent hardness is determined by the measure of calcium and magnesium ions, the calcium being more significant. It is that portion of total hardness remaining after the water has been boiled.
Generally speaking, permanent hardness and the calcium ion lower the pH of water. A certain amount of permanent hardness is desirable in the homebrewing of all-grain beers-where enzyme conversion works best at a mash pH of 5.2-5.6, where the enzymes in the mash responsible for converting starch to sugar work optimally. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to the all-grain brewer that he is cognizant of his mash pH if he wants to achieve optimal efficiency.  Likewise, hop utilization is also affected by pH level. The best wort pH for optimum hop utilization is between 5.0-5.4.
The pH scale describes how acidic or basic (alkaline) a solution is. The scale ranges from 0-14: 7.0 is neutral; less than 7.0 is acidic, becoming more so as it heads toward 0.0; greater than 7.0 is alkaline, becoming more so as it heads toward 14.0.   A measurement of pH of the brewing water will not give an indication of what the mash pH will be. The mineral content, particularly calcium, is more influential than the apparent pH of the brewing water. Its measurement is affected by temperature.  The pH of a solution at 150 degrees F will be .35 less than at 65 degrees F. For example if a 150-degree mash had a pH of 5.4 then a reading at 65 degrees F would indicate a pH of 5.75.
Your pH can be approximately measured using “pH papers” or “pH meters”, which are accurate only at room temperature so hot water samples must be cooled before the reading is taken.  Also, many pH meters work this way as well especially the more inexpensive ones.

If the pH of the mash is too low (too acidic) the addition of calcium carbonate will work well to raise it.  In some cases, especially if you are making a very dark beer, you may have to settle for a mash pH as low as 5.0 but under no circumstance should you add more than 2 teaspoons of calcium carbonate to a five-gallon mash.  If the pH of the mash is too high (too basic/alkaline) the addition of calcium in the form of calcium sulfate (gypsum) or calcium chloride is the most acceptable way to lower it.  In either event starting with ½ teaspoon additions at a time is recommended.  Mix well and recheck the pH after each addition. If this is not available or if you would like to brew with very soft water, then the addition of phosphoric acid can accomplish acidification of the mash.  Teaspoon additions can be added incrementally until the desired pH is achieved.

There is, also, a technique called an “acid rest” which can be employed to lower the pH of the mash by varying degrees.  The enzymes responsible for this are most active at a resting temperature of 95 degrees F for 15 minutes to a half an hour.

It is much easier to add minerals than to remove them. The home brewer who intends to make a variety of adjustments and is using very soft, distilled or deionized reverse osmosis (R/O) water is very fortunate. The adjustments are only a matter of adding one or more mineral salts to achieve the desired qualities. Various mineral salts can be added to water and we strongly urge the home brewer to acquire at least a basic understanding of water chemistry before adding any chemical to water that will be used for consumption. The following information will give the home brewer some indication of the amounts of mineral salts needed in order to achieve an increase in ion concentrations.

1 teaspoon of gypsum (calcium sulfate) in 5 gallons of water will increase (roughly) the concentration of:
Calcium (Ca²+) ion……………………………..55 ppm
Sulfate [(SO4)² -] ion…………………………135 ppm

1 teaspoon of pure table salt (sodium chloride) in 5 gallons of water will increase (roughly) the concentration of:
Sodium (Na +) ion…………………………….135 ppm
Chloride (Cl -) ion………………………………209 ppm

1 teaspoon of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) in 5 gallons of water will increase (roughly) the concentration of:
Magnesium (Mg ²+) ion……………………….52 ppm
Sulfate [(SO4)²-] ion………………………….207 ppm

1 teaspoon of Calcium Chloride flakes in 5 gallons of water will increase (roughly) the concentration of:
Calcium (Ca²+) ion……………………………..95 ppm
Chloride [2(Cl)²-] ion…………………………..84 ppm

For the optimum water profile, I recommend you start with Deionized RO water as a base.  It is pure and has a neutral PH.  From here you can add mineral salts consistent with the style you are brewing.  The most important and common is gypsum.   However, be aware that not every recipe calls for gypsum and you can get Calcium and Sulfate minerals from other sources as well.  My guide is always Brewerslair.com.  They have an excellent water profile calculator and the only one I have found that not only tells you what the profile of the intended water supply is, but how to achieve it with mineral salt additions, go to http://brewerslair.com/index.php?p=brewhouse&d=calculators&id=cal06&u=eng.  It may take a couple of minutes to learn, but it works wonderfully.  The only other thing you will need is a pretty accurate scale (0.01 gram accuracy)  as the measurement to achieve, say Pilsen water profile in teaspoons for example, would not be reasonable.  Pilsen water, measured in ppm can be as low as single digits.  Its hard to get .12 teaspoons of anything!  Burton water, by contrast, can be over 200!  Learning how to mimmick the water profile of the intended style can aid you in achieving a greater control over the brewing process.  You can also learn both how to remain true to style and, with some practice and trial-and-error, you can tweek your own levels for the desired characteristics you most enjoy.  I hope this is informative.  Please feel free to comment or send questions.

Now earlier I mentioned that each season, spring and fall, has its own pros and cons.  In the fall, you mostly have to work about keeping the fermentation temperature cold enough.  I’ve been in some pretty sticky situations where the temperature is a regular 45-50 degrees outside, so I decide, “Hey lets brew a lager!” and two days later, Mother Nature decides to bring back summer.  That’s when the ice bath is nice.  I usually keep three or four 1 – 2 cup glade plastic containers in the freezer overnight.  When I wake up in the morning, I take a little water out and put the large ice cubes into the tub, place the water back into the containers and freeze all day.  At night, I simply do the same thing.  Now primary fermentation will only need to last for 3-7 days, so you won’t have to do this for a long time.  After which you have a few decisions.  If the weather continues to be cold, you can lager in the cold bath for an extended period of time.  The longer you lager the beer, the colder the garage stays all day and night and the less you need to monitor this process.  I have done this with great results.  However, some people are not committed enough to do this.  I would not recommend you lager beer if you are not committed – or if you do not have extra refrigerator space.  A refrigerator can maintain a constant 36-40 degrees, which is cold enough for lagering beer.  After primary fermentation, place it in the refrigerator for lagering up to three months.  I have read several publications that have gone on at length about award-winning lagers that have not been aged at all.  I would not recommend this, but lagering as short as two weeks can produce great results.  I recommend a month at 40 degrees for safe measure.

If “too cold” is your problem, then easily this can be taken care of by buying that thermostat fish tank heater.  Unless your garage temperature is Zero, you should be able to maintain desired temperature range for fermentation or lagering (32-55).  A 10-30 gallon tank heater will be sufficient.  Currently as I write this post, my garage is a balmy 20 degrees and my heater keeps the fermenter at or around 50 degrees – perfect for lagering my maibock.  When it is ready to cold lager at or around 32 degrees, I will simply turn off the heater and watch the temperature.  If it looks like it will freeze, I can keep the heater on low.

Aside form having a separate modified refrigerator for lagering, this method is the best I have found.  It uses the elements instead of buying another brewing tool or instrument.  For those historical sticklers running your foot pumps and cask conditioning, consider this a great way to stay completely true to style and history.  Feel free to post a comment or contact me if you have questions.  I’d be happy to oblige.

Grains:

10.58 Lbs American 2 Row

3.57 Lbs   Munich Malt    (Great Western)   get it here ( http://www.northamericanmalt.com/Products.asp)

1.53 Lbs    Carastan (he actually said C15 – get it here ( http://www.northamericanmalt.com/Products.asp)

Hops:

1.41 Oz    Perle   90 Min

1.13 Oz    Saaz     Flame Out

Water

No water treatment – Half tap water and half  RO Deionized – Rogue uses local tap from Oregon)

5   gal mash water

5    gal sparge water

Strike water at 160 degrees

60 minutes mash at 152 degrees

Mash Out 170 degrees 1o minutes

Sparge should take 30 minutes

Pitch Wyeast Pacman Ale Yeast 1764 Strain at room temp and wait for 6 hours for a strong fermentation to take place.  Ferment for 5 days at 60 degrees before racking to secondary

Secondary at 60 degrees for 2 weeks

I have not tested the beer, I am waiting for secondary to complete.  I’ll keep you posted!  Jamil says his recipe is a clone.

AKA:
Helles Bock, Heller Bock, Frühlingsstarkier (spring strong beer)

Pronunciation guide for English-speakers:
“My Bock”

Definition:
Maibock (literally: May Bock) is the Bavarians’ strong, golden lager favored during the brief transition between the severe winters along the northern edge of the Alps, when people hunker down indoors, and the hot summers, when people flock to the beer gardens.

In much of Bavaria, including Munich, breweries produce different beers for the different seasons. Because Bavaria has a continental climate, the difference between summer and winter tends to be extreme. Correspondingly, the seasonal variations in Bavaria’s brews are extremes, too…and no beer style follows the changing seasons more closely than the Bock beer, Munich’s strong, malty lager. There is a Bock beer for each season, except summer, when the straw-blond Munich Helles becomes the signature beer garden brew.

The first Bock beer of fall makes its appearance towards the end of November, brewed with fresh new hops and malt from the new harvest. In Bavaria, this marks the beginning of Starkbierzeit (strong beer time), which means Bock beer season. While “normal” blond lagers have an alcohol-by-volume level of about 4.5 to 5%, the “mildest” Bock beers start at around 6% alcohol and the strongest versions may have about 12% alcohol, which puts them on a par with wine. While most Bock beers are dark-amber to hazelnut brown in color and exceedingly malt-accented, the Maibock is brewed entirely with pale malts for a warm golden hue. It is also more aggressively hopped than others bocks for a refreshing finish. Thus Maibock, like the lusty month of May, is a transitional a brew. It still has some 6 to 7% alcohol as do its wintry cousins, but its brightness and bitterness already foretell the perpetually blues skies of summer when the straw-blond Helles and the pale and more strongly carbonated Weissbeer predominate.

Brewing yeast naturally produce diacetyl, a vicinal diketone known as 2,3 butanedione (C4H6O2). Diacetyl is made from alpha-acetolactate which is then decarboxylated into diacetyl. In other words, at low concentrations, it gives a slippery mouth feel to the beer, and at higher concentrations it gives off a buttery aroma, like pop corn. This can overwhelm malt and hop flavor and aroma. At higher temperatures (65-75º F) the yeast will re-absorb the secreted diacetyl and re-metabolize it into acetoin and 2,3 butanediol, which have no flavor or aroma character.

To succesfully perform a diacetyl rest, increase the temperature to 60–70º F for 24-72 hours. The best time to do this is when the bulk of primary fermentation has finished. Usually, when the blow off CO2 bubbling has decreased to 5-6 bubbles per minute and the trub has settled. Either increase the refrigerator temperature to 60º F or remove the lager from the refrigerator and let sit at a cool room temperature (65-70º F) for 24-72 hours. Raising the temperature will not affect the lager, as the important part of fermenting with lager yeast takes place during the first 3/4 of the ferment. Then rack the lager off the lees/trub (yeast bed) into a clean carboy and decrease the temperature again back to 45-55º F for secondary fermentation (Conditioning Phase). Often times if the yeast had enough oxygen and bio-mass during the primary ferment, the secondary fermentation stage will not experience a high degree of continued fermentation. However, it is important for the yeast to clean up house after the party that just occured during primary fermentation. The yeast will finish off the complex sugars (maltotriose) and breakdown metabolic by-products produced during primary phase. This is why secondary fermentation is really more or less a conditioning phase. However, when you decrease temperatures for lagering (cold conditioning), this is considered the secondary fermentation. If fermentation is complete and you have done a diacetyl rest, it is safe to go ahead and drop the temperature for lagering.

1.  measuring spoons and cup

2.  sauce pot and lid

3.  1 qt water

3.   1/2 cup dried malt extract (further known as  DME)

4.   airlock and rubber stopper

5.   Yeast (dried, smack pack, or slant) note: if you use a smack pack or dry yeast, scissors will be needed as well

6.   Glass growler or other glass container  1/2 – 1 gallon (1L Flat Bottom Flask if you wanna get fancy)

7.   brewery cleaner or sanitizer

8.   Yeast nutrient

9.   Hops

10.  Funnel

Step #1

After you have obtained the materials.  I suggest you clean an sanitize everything.   Start with the sink.  I sanitize the sink and fill it with about 3-4 gallons of sanitizing solution.  Then I place everything, including the yeast smack pack, slant or dry packet in the solution and let it sit.  of course, it is not necessary to sanitize the DME or water.  Wipe them down with a clean rag that has ONLY been used for sanitizing.  Reserve this rag for only this purpose.

Step#2

After letting the sanitized materials air dry, you are ready to move to the next step.  Place the saucepan on the stove and pour the quart of water into it to start a boil.  Watch for a boil-over!

Step #3

After a rapid boil is formed, remove the water from the heat and put the DME into the hot water.  You remove it because you can minimize the chance that you will scorch the DME on the bottom of the pan.  Remember, this is a mini brew and should be treated as such, so it should theoretically be the same as any full volume brew.  After adding the DME, replace the pan to the heat

Step #4

Now you have a rapid boil, make sure that you don’t boil over – the heat may need adjusting after the DME is added.  The next step is to add hops.  I only use a few pellets or two or so whole hops.  This will basically preserve the integrity of the brew, as it will be added to your finished product later on, you’ll want to mimmick the final product.

Step#5

After a 15 minute boil, I add ice cubs to the sink containing the sanitizing solution and take the saucepan off the burner. This way the outside of your saucepan is clean when you pour the wort into the glass starter container. Make sure the water level is not so high that it will leak into the wort!!  Place it into the ice bath and let is sit for 5-15 minutes.  Use a thermometer to gauge the temp, you are looking for room temperature.

Step#6

After the cool bath has brought the temp down to room temp, it is time to pitch the yeast.  Pace the sanitized funnel on top of the sanitized glass container and get the saucepan from the sanitizing solution, wipe the edge where you want to pour from, and pour the contents into the funnel and down into the glass container.  Wring out the sanitized rag and use it to open the yeast slant (or use scissors to cut the yeast smack-pack) and pour the yeast into the funnel.

Step#7

Finally, fill the airlock to the desired level with sanitizing solution and place the rubber stopper into the opening at the top, then the airlock.  Swirl the solution in the container for 15 seconds and let sit in a dark, room temperature area of the house until activity begins.

Keep everything clean and sanitized.  Make sure you know what temperatures the yeast works best at, and pitch the yeast at the temperature you plan to ferment.  There are schools of thought on this last point.  Some say get the fermentation starting at room temp and after 4 hours, cool it down.  Many methods work and produce good beer.  I cannot tell you all the sure-fire ways to make a perfect brew.  You have to find out for yourself what works.  But this method works very well for me and I have never had a spoiled batch or botched fermentation.  I wish you have fun with your brew!