Munich Helles 40L Brewing Journal

Started 22nd November 2025

Helles for Christmas. This will be fermented at 10c using WPL860 yeast for around 10 days, raised to 18c for a diacytel rest for 24 hours then cold crashed for 1 week.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Recipe	Measure
Brew Length	40L
Pilsner Malt (EBC 3.5)	9000g
Munich Malt (EBC 25)	700g
Melanoiden Malt (EBC 50)	100g
Saaz pellets (Start of Boil)	100g
Yeast (Using Starter)	WLP860
Mash Liquor	24.5 Litres
Strike Heat	72C
Mash Temperature	66C
Mash Time	1 Hour 30 Minutes
Sparge Temperature	77C
Mash Efficiency (estimated)	75%
Boil Time	1 Hour 30 Minutes
Fermentation Temperature	10C
Expected OG	1053
Actual OG	1055
Expected FG	1013
Actual FG	1008

Water Treatment:

Recipe	Measure
CaCo3 Adjustments
Calcium Carbonate CAC03	130 ppm
Calcium Carbonate Required	30 ppm
Adjustment Necessary	100 ppm
CRS per Litre Required	5 ml /10L
Total CRS to add to Mash (25L)	12.5 ml
Total CRS to add to Sparge water (8+25L)	16 ml
*Chlorine Treatment*
Campden Tablets (half in mash, half in sparge)	1 tablet
Calcium Adjustment (using brupaks calculation)
Calcium in Water	ppm
Calcium Required	180 ppm
Adjustment	ppm
DLS (using GW Calc it suggests adding none)	1 Tsp

Water Schedule:

This brew will be batch sparged, so the water will be scheduled as follows:

Mash = 24.5L using 12.5 ml of CRS +1/2 Campden Tab
Sparge 33L 16ml CRS + 1/2 Campden Tab
Top Up = 8L
Final Batch Sparge = 25L

Mashing:

I am using my SS Brewtech infussion mash tun, which will need to be preheated.

12L of water at 79C added to mast tun.
HLT topped back up and set for 78C
Water treated with 12ml CRS and 1/2 Campden tab.
24.5L of water added to the mash tun, which settled quickly to 72C
Doughed in + 1 tsp of gypsum
Temperature dropped to 65C. which is perfect.
mash will now be left alone for 1.5 hours.
10 minutes left on the clock and mash tun thermometer is showing as 65c

Sparging

33L of sparge water was heated to 79C and treated.
Recirc started and run for 10 minutes.
Added top up of 8l
Pumped wort into boiler stopping once wort was no longer visible on sight glass
Added 25L of water at 80c to Tun and stared re-circ for 15 Min.
Pumped wort to boiler, stopping just as turbid last runninbgs appeared in the pipes.

Boiling

Boiler switched on as soon as first few litres of wort were drained from mash Tun.
All hops added at start of boil.
Last 15 minutes. added Immersion coil inserted to ensure sterilised.
Some boiling wort was drawn into pump/pipes to sterilise.
Recirc started as soon as flame out.
Post boil gravity = 13.5 brix, 1055.
Pumped into fermenter once below 25C.
Fermenter chiller is on to reduce to around 10C.

Fermentation:

Process:

A 1.8L yeast starter of Yeast WLP860 was started 2 days before.
When the wort was at 15C full contents of the starter was pitched.
The chiller connected to my fermentation vessel is on and set to 10C.
22/11/25 18:00 Yeast pitched, temperature 15C
Took over 24 hours to show signs of activity
23/11/25 21:00 thin foam has formed
24/11/25 Good thicj Krausen clean
25/11/25 Fermenting well at 10c
On holiday so left alone for 11 days
07/12/25 Raised temperature to 17C
08/12/25 Brix reading was 6.3 which is SG 1008
09/12/25 - Chilled down as low as possible to 0C
16/12/25 - Kegged