Tried the Helles a couple of days ago. It's good. The fermentation went really well. I fermented at 52-50F for almost three weeks. Then I raised the temp to 60F for a diacetyl rest for two days. Then I transferred it to a keg to lager it.
I've read two methods for lagering. The first says to get it to around 34-33F and the other says to get it -10F from fermentation. The last time I made the Helles I lagered it at 33F. This time I went with the -10F method. I don't really think it matters.
Let me just say that the Mexican Lager yeast is super clean. Just like I remember at White Labs. It gave off a sulfur odor during fermentation just like the WLP830 did but there is no DMS in the final product. The Helles from last year had a sulfur type quality to it when I began to lager it and it went away slowly as it lagered. It took a month before it was almost undetectable. I could detect it because once I got a mouthful of that the first time it seemed like I was hypersensitive to it. Which leads me to a flaw detection theory that I will get to in a sec here. The Mexican yeast produced a lager that was drinkable right after the three weeks were over. In fact I can hardly tell a difference between it now and when I kegged it.
The beer itself came out around 6.2% ABV (finished at 1.011) which is a little high for a Helles. I will shoot for 4.5% in the future. It's not bitter. Maybe a little too sweet. Although I'm not sure if that is a perceived sweetness due to the amount of alcohol. It has a nice malty character to it. It has almost no hop smell. But the most interesting part of this beer is the character the Noble hop added to the brew. I don't think I was supposed to have a large bitter addition of Hallertau Mittelfruh. I think it supposed to be added to a 4.5% beer. When we add enough for a 6.2% beer then we get a real floral, citrusy, almost tart character. Because I added too much it will be easy now for me to identify Hallertau Mittelfruh when I encounter it in the future. Which leads me to this next little bit of personal tidbit...
It seems to me that when I want to learn what something in the beverage smells/tastes like what I need to do is have some over-exposure to it. Once that happens, I then become sensitive to it. Now I am sure I can detect Hallertau Mittelfruh again when used in beer at reasonable levels. Because of my last Helles, I can detect even minuet amounts of DMS. Because I made that danky red a while back, I know what oak is going to taste like even in small amounts.
Ok. Gotta go. Claresta came with her boy and gave me beer. It's nap time now.
