Philsner Old Scratch

[Philsner]

Here's an unbelibeable Best Of Show win for you.

In 2006, I went to the 25th GABF in Denver. While there, I toured the Flying Dog Brewery and really enjoyed their Old Scratch Amber Lager, even bought the T-shirt. I knew that I had to create my own version sometime.
Fast forward to the Music City Brewers monthly meeting, Aug. 6th 2007. Five of us decided to brew before the meeting, in the driveway of the Club President. It was 98 deg. (36.7 C) and I knew that I didn't want to drag my all grain equipment out in that heat. Looking for a shortcut, I devised a partial mash procedure that I could do in my boil kettle.

Philsner Old Scratch (MCB, BOS 2007)

Ingredients for 6 gallons, Partial Mash
3.52 lb. (31.2%) Marris Otter - John Bull LME (15 deg L) [1596.6 gm.]
3.00 lb. (26.6%) Muntons Amber DME (20 deg L) [1360.8 gm.}
0.75 lb. (6.7%) Munich Malt (8 deg L) [340.2 gm.]
1.50 lb. (13.3%) Caramel Amber Malt, F.B. (30 deg L) [680.4 gm.]
0.50 lb. (4.4%) Paul's Crystal (65-90 deg L) [226.8 gm.]
1.50 lb. (13.3%) Crystal Malt (20 deg L) [680.4 gm.]
0.50 lb. (4.4%) Flaked Soft White Wheat (2 deg L) [226.8 gm.]
0.5 oz. pellet Perle hops, 6.9% alpha acid [14.2 gm.] 60 min.
0.5 oz. whole Northern Brewer hops, 6.2% alpha acid [14.2 gm.] 60 min.
1.0 oz. whole Cascade hops, 6.0% alpha acid [28.3 gm.] 5 min.
1.2 oz. whole Cascade hops, 6.0% alpha acid [34.0 gm.] 0 min.
0.6 tsp. WYeast Nutrient, 15 min.
1 capsule Servomyces Yeast Nutrient, 15 min.
0.6 tsp. Irish Moss, 15 min.
WYeast 2112 California Lager yeast (no starter)
9 gal. fresh spring water from the spring in my backyard.
Calcium (Ca): 37 ppm Magnesium (Mg): 6 ppm
Sodium (Na): 2 ppm Sulfate (SO4): 1 ppm
Chloride (Cl): 6 ppm bicarbonate (HCO3): 96 ppm
pH: 8.32

Brewers Specifics:
Crush all of the grain and put it into 2 grain bags. Put the bags in 4 gal. of 154 deg (67.8 deg C) spring water in the boil kettle. (just enough water to cover the grain bags) Hold the partial mash at 154 deg (67.8 deg C) for 60 min., poking the bags around occasionally. Drain the grain bags on a piece of alum. window screen clipped to the top of the boil kettle. Sparge or rinse the grain in the bags with 2 gal. of 170 deg (76.7 deg C) spring water. Add spring water to the kettle, to bring the volume to 7.5 gal. Stir in the LME and DME while heating to a boil.
Boil 75 minutes, skimming off the hot break during the first 15 min. Add the 60 min. bittering hops, the 15 min. yeast nutrient and Irish Moss, the 5 min. flavor hops, and the 0 min. aroma hops at flame out. Let the aroma hops steep for 15 min. while setting up the counter flow wort chiller. Chill to 80 deg (26.7 deg C), that was all the cooling to be had out of the ground water) into a 6.5 gal. carboy. Took the carboy home and put it in a temperature controlled chest freezer, set the temp. to 50 deg (10 deg C) and pitched the yeast pack.
Fermented in primary for 30 days at 50 deg (10 deg C) Racked to 2nd 6.5 gal. carboy and held at 69 deg (20.5 deg C) for 5 days. Rack to 5 gal. corney keg., put back in freezer and bring the temp. down to 33 deg (.5 deg C) Lager for 7 days, then carbonate at 25 psi for 3 days at 33 deg (.5 deg C) shaking keg twice a day. Lower pressure to 12 psi for 1 day, bottle from the keg and the next day turn 2 bottles in for the MCB competition to be held in 2 weeks.
This beer was 8 weeks old when judged BOS, and I still don't believe it.

Target Original Gravity: 1.062
Approx. Final Gravity: 1.018
SRM: 18.6
IBU: 27.2