Ten Snack Recipe

Prepare and heat

Clean and inspect all equipment. Heat strike water to approximately 55°C (131°F). Preheat mash tun by rinsing with hot water, then drain.

Decoction style single decoction mash (target mash schedule)

Target total mash thickness around 3.0 L/kg (roughly 2.4 - 3.5 L/kg acceptable). Add crushed floor-malted pilsner (and other malts) to the mash tun and stir in strike water to reach a mash temperature of about 50°C (122°F). Rest 15 minutes to allow protein rest and gentle enzymatic development.

Decoction 1 — boil a portion

Draw approximately one-third of the mash (by weight/volume) into a separate pot. Bring this decoction quickly to a vigorous boil for 10–12 minutes stirring to avoid scorching. Boiling the decoction will darken malt and increase maltiness and body. After boiling, return the decoction to the mash tun and mix thoroughly to raise the overall mash temperature to a saccharification rest around 65–67°C (149–153°F). Hold 30–40 minutes and test starch conversion with iodine; conversion should be complete (no blue-black color).

Optional second decoction (for fuller body)

If you want a slightly fuller malt base, pull a smaller decoction (10–15% of mash), heat and simmer 8–10 minutes, then return to raise mash to a mash-out of ~72°C (162°F).

Mash-out and vorlauf

If you did not perform a second decoction, perform a mash-out by raising to 72°C (162°F) for 10 minutes. Vorlauf (recirculate) until wort runs clear enough to lauter without excessive grain loss.

Sparge

Run off into the kettle and sparge with approximately 15 L of 75–78°C (167–172°F) sparge water to collect about 28–30 L of wort pre-boil.

Bring wort to boil

Bring wort to a vigorous, rolling boil. Watch closely to avoid boilovers, especially early in the boil.

Bittering hop addition (60 minutes)

Add 55 g Sládek hops at the start of a 60-minute boil for a moderate bittering backbone that complements maltiness. Boil for 60 minutes total.

Clarifier addition (15 minutes)

Add 1 tsp Irish Moss or Whirlfloc with 15 minutes left in the boil to help protein coagulation and improve chill haze stability.

Aroma/whirlpool addition (flavor/ herbal top notes)

At flameout or with 5 minutes remaining, turn off heat and add 30 g Sládek hops. Allow the wort to steep/hop stand in the whirlpool for 15–25 minutes while the trub settles; maintain temperature around 75–85°C (167–185°F) if possible to favor volatile hop oils that give herbal/spicy notes.

Chill

Chill the wort quickly to yeast pitching temperature (10–14°C for lager yeast or 18–20°C if using a clean ale lagering hybrid schedule). Use plate chiller or immersion chiller to minimize oxygen pickup after chilling. Transfer to fermenter leaving most trub behind.

Pitch yeast

Aerate or oxygenate the cooled wort to ~8–10 ppm dissolved oxygen. Rehydrate or make a starter of the chosen lager yeast (if using liquid) and pitch to achieve healthy cell counts appropriate for an original gravity around 1.046–1.050. Target fermentation temperature: 10–12°C for a traditional lager profile or 14–16°C for a clean, quicker lager-like ale if you lack refrigeration control.

Primary fermentation

Ferment until the vigorous phase subsides (usually 5–10 days at target temp). Monitor gravity; final attenuation should be expected around 75–79% depending on yeast and mash. If fermenting cold, allow 2 weeks primary.

Diacetyl rest (if using lager yeast)

If using true lager yeast, raise temperature to 16–18°C for 48 hours once main fermentation is complete to encourage diacetyl reabsorption.

Lagering/Conditioning

After diacetyl rest, cool beer down gradually to near 0–2°C and lager for 3–6 weeks to develop clarity and a clean profile. If you fermented warm, cold crash and condition at 2–4°C for 1–3 weeks to settle yeast and mellow flavors.

Dry hop (optional)

For a fresher herbal/spicy top note, add 20 g Sládek hops to the fermenter after primary fermentation has slowed (around day 4–7) and leave for 3–5 days before cold crashing. Remove hops if required to reduce vegetal extraction.

Carbonation and packaging

If bottling, prime with 140 g of corn sugar (dissolved in a small amount of boiling water and cooled) for approx. moderate carbonation (2.2–2.6 vols CO2). Bottle and condition at 18–20°C for 10–14 days, then cold condition. If kegging, force carbonate to 2.2–2.6 vols CO2 at 3–4°C and serve.

Serving

Serve chilled (6–8°C) in a tulip or Pilsner glass to appreciate the herbal and spicy Sládek hop notes over the full malt base.