Schell’s Firebrick Clone

The August Schell Brewing Company, of New Ulm, Minnesota, has been around since 1860, surviving Prohibition and remaining in the hands of descendants of August Schell ever since. In the 1990s, they began producing craft beers alongside their Deer Brand American-style Pilsner. Firebrick, a Vienna-style lager, is one of their year-round offerings. It is named after the bricks surrounding the old boilers at the brewery. It won a bronze medal at the 2002 GABF.

We present both all-grain and extract versions of the homebrew clone recipe, in both English and metric units. For homebrewers, the biggest hurdle to producing a good clone will be the fermentation. Build a large yeast starter — at least a gallon (4 L), but 5.5 qts. (~5.5 L) would be better — to raise a big pitch of healthy yeast. Also, keep the fermentation temperature steady at the correct temperature and afterwards give the yeast time to absorb any residual diacetyl.

Schell’s Firebrick clone

All-grain (English units)
recipe information supplied by David Berg, brewer

 

DESCRIPTION

Firebrick is a Vienna-lager-style amber lager, brewed by August Schell Brewing Company, New Ulm, Minnesota (established 1860). It is well-balanced beer with a nice, malty flavor and aroma.

 

INGREDIENTS (for 5 gallons)

 

Water

carbon filter or treat water with one Campden tablet per 20 gallons

dilute your water to 50 ppm carbonate ions or just below, if needed

add calcium, if needed, to around 50–60 ppm

add both gypsum and calcium chloride to adjust calcium levels

aim for roughly equal levels of sulfate and chloride in your water

Malts (for an OG of 1.051 at 70% extract efficiency and 16 SRM)

6 lb. 15 oz. 2-row pale malt

1.0 lb. Munich malt

1.0 lb. Vienna malt

13 oz. caramel malt (40 °L)

3.3 oz. Carapils malt

0.66 oz. black malt

Hops (for 24 IBUs total)

Liberty Hops (14 IBUs)

0.93 oz. (at 4%alpha acids), boiled for 60 mins

Liberty hops (10 IBUs)

0.85 oz. (at 4%alpha acids), boiled for 30 mins

Yeast (for FG of 1.014 and 4.7% ABV)

Wyeast 2035 (American Lager) or Wyeast 2272 (North American Lager) yeast

make a 4-qt. yeast starter

Other

1/4 tsp. yeast nutrients

1 tsp. Irish moss

4.75 oz. corn sugar (to prime for 2.6 volumes of CO₂)

 

PROCEDURE

Make yeast starter 2–3 days ahead of time and let it ferment to completion. (Ferment the starter at ale temperatures, or slightly above.) Heat 12.5 qts. of strike water to 155 °F (or whatever temperature is required to mash in at 144 °F on your system). Step mash with rests at 144 °F for 25 minutes, then 162 °F for 15 mins. Mash off to 170 °F. Collect around 6.5 gallons of wort and boil wort for 60 minutes (to reduce to about 5.25 gallons). Add hops at times indicated. Add yeast nutrients and Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil. Cool wort to 50 °F. Transfer to fermenter, yielding 5.0 gallons. Aerate throughly and pitch the sediment only from yeast starter. Ferment at 57 °F. Let the beer sit on the yeast until diacetyl, if present, is reduced.

 

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Schell’s Firebrick clone

All-grain (metric units)
recipe information supplied by David Berg, brewer

 

 

DESCRIPTION

Firebrick is a Vienna-lager-style amber lager, brewed by August Schell Brewing Company, New Ulm, Minnesota (established 1860). It is well-balanced beer with a nice, malty flavor and aroma.

 

INGREDIENTS (for 19 L)

 

Water

carbon filter or treat with one Campden tablet per ~80 L

dilute your water to 50 ppm carbonate ions or just below, if needed

add calcium if needed, to around 50–60 ppm

add both gypsum and calcium chloride to adjust calcium levels

aim for roughly equal levels of sulfate and chloride in your water

Malts (for an OG of 1.051 at 70% extract efficiency and 16 SRM)

3.15 kg 2-row pale malt

450 g Munich malt

450 g Vienna malt

370 g caramel malt (40 °L)

94 g Carapils malt

19 g black malt

Hops (for 24 IBUs total)

Liberty Hops (14 IBUs)

26 g (at 4%alpha acids), boiled for 60 mins

Liberty hops (10 IBUs)

24 g (at 4%alpha acids), boiled for 30 mins

Yeast (for FG of 1.014 and 4.7% ABV)

Wyeast 2035 (American Lager) or Wyeast 2272 (North American Lager) yeast

make a 4-L yeast starter

Other

1/4 tsp. yeast nutrients

1 tsp. Irish moss

135 g corn sugar (to prime for 2.6 volumes of CO₂)

 

PROCEDURE

Make yeast starter 2–3 days ahead of time and let it ferment to completion. (Ferment the starter at ale temperatures, or slightly above.) Heat 12.5 qts. of strike water to 68 °C (or whatever temperature is required to mash in at 62 °C on your system). Step mash with rests at 62 °C for 25 minutes, then 72 °C for 15 mins. Mash off to 77 °C. Collect around 25 L of wort and boil wort for 60 minutes (to reduce to about 20 L). Add hops at times indicated. Add yeast nutrients and Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil. Cool wort to 10 °C. Transfer to fermenter, yielding 19 L. Aerate throughly and pitch the sediment only from yeast starter. Ferment at 14 °C. Let the beer sit on the yeast until diacetyl, if present, is reduced.

 

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Schell’s Firebrick clone

Malt extract and grains (English units)
recipe information supplied by David Berg, brewer

 

INGREDIENTS (for 5 gallons)

 

Water

(*₁) for steeping the grains (really a small partial mash), treat 2.0 gallons of naturally soft, distilled or RO water with 1/4 tsp. gypsum and 1/4 tsp. calcium chloride

(*₂) for the rest of the water, use tap water that tastes good, and is carbon filtered or treated overnight with one Campden tablet (for up to 20 gallons)

Malts (for an OG of 1.051 and 16 SRM)

4.0 lb. light dried malt extract

1.0 lb. Munich malt

1.0 lb. Vienna malt

13 oz. caramel malt (40 °L)

3.3 oz. Carapils malt

0.66 oz. black malt

Hops (for 24 IBUs total)

Liberty Hops (14 IBUs)

0.93 oz. (at 4%alpha acids), boiled for 60 mins

Liberty hops (10 IBUs)

0.85 oz. (at 4%alpha acids), boiled for 30 mins

Yeast (for FG of 1.014 and 4.7% ABV)

Wyeast 2035 (American Lager) or Wyeast 2272 (North American Lager) yeast

make a 4-qt. yeast starter

Other

1/4 tsp. yeast nutrients, boiled for 15 minutes

1 tsp. Irish moss, boiled for 15 minutes

4.75 oz. corn sugar (to prime for 2.6 volumes of CO₂)

 

PROCEDURE

Make yeast starter 2–3 days ahead of time and let it ferment to completion. (Ferment the starter at ale temperatures, or slightly above.) Place the roughly 3.0 lbs. of crushed grains in a large nylon steeping bag. Begin heating 1.5 gallons of water(*₂) to a boil in your brewpot. In a large kitchen pot (at least 8 qts.), heat 4.1 qts. of brewing liquor (*₁) to 161 °F. In a third pot, heat 2 qts. of brewing liquor(*₁) to 170 °F. Slowly submerge the steeping bag into the large kitchen pot and stir to break up any clumps. Steep the grains (this is really a small mash) at 150 °F for 60 minutes, stirring every 7 or 8 minutes. Place a colander over your brew pot and lift the grain bag into it. Pour the “grain tea” (wort) through the bag to filter out any solid pieces of grain, then rinse the bag with 2 qts. of water(*₁) at 170 °F. Add water(*₂), if needed, to make at least 3.0 gallons of wort. Stir in a little less than half of the malt extract. Bring wort to a boil and boil for 60 minutes. Add hops, yeast nutrients and Irish moss at times indicated. Stir in remaining malt extract with 10 minutes left in the boil. (Dissolve in wort before adding.) Cool wort to 50 °F and rack to fermenter. Add water(*₂) to make 50 gallons. Aerate well and pitch yeast from the starter. Pitch the sediment only, not the starter beer. Ferment at 57 °F. Let the beer sit on the yeast until diacetyl, if present, is reduced.

 

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Schell’s Firebrick clone

Malt extract and grains (metric units)
recipe information supplied by David Berg, brewer

 

INGREDIENTS (for 19 L)

 

Water

(*₁) for steeping the grains (really a small partial mash), treat 8 L of naturally soft, distilled or RO water with 1/4 tsp. gypsum and 1/4 tsp. calcium chloride

(*₂) for the rest of the water, use tap water that tastes good, and is carbon filtered or treated overnight with one Campden tablet (for up to ~80 L)

Malts (for an OG of 1.051 and 16 SRM)

1.8 kg light dried malt extract

450 g Munich malt

450 g Vienna malt

370 g caramel malt (40 °L)

94 g Carapils malt

19 g black malt

Hops (for 24 IBUs total)

Liberty Hops (14 IBUs)

26 g (at 4%alpha acids), boiled for 60 mins

Liberty hops (10 IBUs)

24 g (at 4%alpha acids), boiled for 30 mins

Yeast (for FG of 1.014 and 4.7% ABV)

Wyeast 2035 (American Lager) or Wyeast 2272 (North American Lager) yeast

make a 4 L yeast starter

Other

1/4 tsp. yeast nutrients, boiled for 15 minutes

1 tsp. Irish moss, boiled for 15 minutes

135 g corn sugar (to prime for 2.6 volumes of CO₂)

 

PROCEDURE

Make yeast starter 2–3 days ahead of time and let it ferment to completion. (Ferment the starter at ale temperatures, or slightly above.) Place the roughly 1.4 kg of crushed grains in a large nylon steeping bag. Begin heating 5.7 L of water(*₂) to a boil in your brewpot. In a large kitchen pot (at least 8 L), heat 3.9 L of brewing liquor (*₁) to 72 °C. In a third pot, heat 2 L. of brewing liquor(*₁) to 77 °C. Slowly submerge steeping bag into large kitchen pot and stir to break up any clumps. Steep the grains (this is really a small mash) at 66 °C for 60 minutes, stirring every 7 or 8 minutes. Place a colander over your brew pot and lift the grain bag into it. Pour the “grain tea” (wort) through the bag to filter out any solid pieces of grain, then rinse the bag with 2 L of water(*₁) at 77 °C. Add water(*₂), if needed, to make at least 11 L of wort. Stir in a little less than half of the malt extract. Bring wort to a boil and boil for 60 minutes. Add hops, yeast nutrients and Irish moss at times indicated. Stir in remaining malt extract with 10 minutes left in the boil. (Dissolve in wort before adding.) Cool wort to 10 °C and rack to fermenter. Add water(*₂) to make 19 L. Aerate well and pitch yeast from the starter. Pitch the sediment only, not the starter beer. Ferment at 57 °F. Let the beer sit on the yeast until diacetyl, if present, is reduced.