Tripping Animals •in Bocca Al Lupo Recipe

Heat strike water

Heat approximately 28 L of brewing water to 74°C to account for heat losses and reach a mash-in temperature of 65°C.

Mash-in

Add crushed pilsner, Vienna, and Carapils malts to the mash tun and pour in the strike water. Stir well to fully hydrate and remove clumps. Target mash temperature: 65°C. Hold for 60 minutes.

Mash rest

After 60 minutes, perform a diastatic check (iodine test). If conversion is complete, raise temperature to 72°C and hold 10 minutes for a mash-out to improve lautering (optional).

Sparge

Recirculate first runnings until clear, then vorlauf into the kettle. Sparge with 15 L of water at 75–78°C until you collect the desired pre-boil volume (target ~26–28 L in the kettle).

Bring wort to a boil

Bring the kettle to a vigorous rolling boil, watching for boilovers as the wort reaches the boil.

Bittering addition

At the start of a 60-minute boil, add 25 g Saaz hops for bittering. Begin the 60-minute timer.

Flavor/aroma addition

With 15 minutes left in the boil, add 25 g Saaz hops and 5 g Irish moss (if using) to help with clarity.

End of boil & whirlpool

At flameout, turn off the heat. Add 30 g Saaz hops directly to the hot wort and stir to create a whirlpool. Let the wort sit in the whirlpool for 15–20 minutes to extract aroma while allowing trub to settle.

Cool wort

Cool the wort rapidly to yeast pitching temperature (8–12°C) using a plate chiller or immersion chiller. Transfer the cooled wort into a sanitized fermenter, leaving behind most trub.

Oxygenation and pitching

Aerate or oxygenate the cooled wort thoroughly (aim for 8–10 ppm O2 if oxygenating). Rehydrate or prepare the lager yeast according to manufacturer instructions and pitch once wort is at 8–12°C. Add yeast nutrient if using.

Primary fermentation

Ferment at 10–12°C until vigorous activity slows (usually 7–10 days). Monitor gravity; expect final attenuation consistent with style (target original gravity around 1.046–1.050 and final around 1.010–1.012 depending on efficiency).

Diacetyl rest

Once gravity is nearing terminal, raise temperature to 15–16°C for 48–72 hours to encourage diacetyl cleanup by the yeast.

Lagering

After the diacetyl rest, reduce temperature gradually to 1–3°C and lager (cold condition) for 4–6 weeks to develop clean lager character and clarity.

Packaging

When fermentation and lagering are complete and final gravity is stable, prime with 100 g dextrose (dissolved in boiling water and cooled) for bottling or force-carbonate if kegging. Bottle or keg, then condition at fridge temperatures until fully carbonated (typically 1–2 weeks at 4–7°C).