Wednesday 2 June 2021

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1939 Heineken Bok

I’ve always had a soft spot for Amstel Bok. I’ve heard a rumour that it’s actually the old Heineken Bok recipe from before they changed it to Tarwebok. Which gives me high hopes for this recipe.

In essence, it’s a souped-up version of Beiersch. All the same malts are there, though the proportions are a bit different. The end result is a beer of pretty much the same colour and bitterness, just 2% ABV stronger. Again, some of the colour comes from liquid caramel in addition to the three coloured malts.

Just a single type of Hallertau hops, harvested in 1938. As with all of Heineken’s beers, most of the hops were added later in the boil. That’s if I’ve interpreted the records correctly.

This example was brewed 7th August, meaning it must have had at least 2 months lagering since the Bokbier season didn’t kick off until October.

1939 Heineken Bok
pilsner malt 14.50 lb 93.07%
caramel malt 60 L 0.33 lb 2.12%
caraamber 0.50 lb 3.21%
carafa III 0.15 lb 0.96%
caramel 1000 SRM 0.10 lb 0.64%
Hallertau 90 mins 0.33 oz
Hallertau 60 mins 0.50 oz
Hallertau 30 mins 0.67 oz
OG 1070
FG 1017
ABV 7.01
Apparent attenuation 75.71%
IBU 16
SRM 17
Mash double decoction  
Boil time 90 minutes
pitching temp 48º F
Yeast WLP830 German Lager


Mash in at 35º C (95º F) 5 minutes
Warm whole mash to 52º C (126º F) 20 minutes
Rest whole mash at 52º C (126º F) (protein rest) 15 minutes
Draw off first mash and without a rest bring to the boil 30 minutes
Boil first mash 10 minutes
The rest of the mash remains at 52º C (126º F) 40 minutes
Mash at 70º C (158º F) 25 minutes
Rest whole mash at 70º C (158º F) (saccharification rest) 30 minutes
Draw off second mash and without a rest bring to the boil 15 minutes
Boil second mash 10 minutes
Mash at 76º C (169º F) and mash out 20 minutes

 



1 comment:

A Brew Rat said...

Interesting that they have both carafa III and caramel in the recipe. I would have thought, if you are going to use them for color adjustment, why not use one or the other?