At first glance, Munich Helles seems to be one of the simpler beer styles to brew. Mostly Pilsner malt, light touch of noble hops then ferment and enjoy. However, I have found it to be a very elusive style to nail down. Is it the quality of the malts used? Decoction or at least a step mash? The yeast strain, count and viability? Lagering and conditioning time? Exposure to Oxygen? Who knows....
The other problem is once you've tried the truly exceptional German examples from Augustiner, Paulaner, HB, Ayinger, Steigl and others the bar seems to be set too high to achieve this level of drinkability and flavor.
While researching for this recipe, I came across an excellent lager fermentation resource from White Labs. I decided to try the "Warm Pitch Method" they listed (#3):
"This method relies on warm yeast pitching temperatures to promote a stronger fermentation and more quickly achieve finished beer. It is a popular method in many craft breweries, allowing for less yeast and shorter fermentation times while still producing great lagers. Pro Tip: Pitching warm allows for shorter lag times and an earlier growth phase. Most ester formation is created within the first 24 hours of growth phase and slows when the fermentation temperature is lowered, maintaining a clean beer profile."
So I ended up using this schedule:
3 Days at 60F
10 Days at 55F
2 Days at 62F
Cold crash
For yeast, I chose the White Labs WLP833 German Bock Lager Yeast, which is reported to be the Ayinger strain.
My final recipe is here
The other method I used was to force myself to lager this beer longer than I wanted. Of course I had to taste test the beer along the way for science ;) It was clear by 2 weeks in the keg but the flavors kept improving and it seems to peak at 45 days out. So perhaps all those stories about brewing the Oktoberfest beers in March then lagering until August or September really do yield the best results.
The end result was excellent. Extremely balanced with a strong malt backbone. I attribute this partly to the slightly lower attenuation of this yeast and the malty end result this strain is purported to produce. This was perhaps the best Helles I have ever made.
Sounds great...hope there is some left for me to try when I come out to visit! Seems like it would be interesting to do an experiment to see if the fermentation conditions were what made a difference or something else (like just the lagering time). Prost!