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FIELD OF VISION II · COMPLETE RECIPE

Helles Itch

A fast pseudo-Helles: brewed in Iowa, compressed into a festival schedule, and cold-conditioned on purpose.

BATCH5.5 galOG1.046–1.048FG1.008–1.010ABV≈4.9%IBU18.7YEASTLutra
Helles Itch beer label

Grain bill

  • 8 lb 4 oz German Pilsner malt
  • 1 lb 4 oz Vienna malt
  • 8 oz Weyermann Barke Munich malt

Water

  • 8.25 gal RO or distilled water—all strike water, no sparge
  • 4.0 g calcium chloride
  • 2.0 g gypsum
  • 2.5 mL 88% lactic acid initially
  • Target room-temperature mash pH: 5.25–5.35

These mineral additions assume RO or distilled water. Don’t copy them unchanged into tap water and blame the recipe.

Hallertau schedule

  • 0.65 oz Hallertau Mittelfrüh at 4% AA — 60 minutes
  • 0.85 oz Hallertau Mittelfrüh at 2.9% AA — 60 minutes
  • 0.70 oz Hallertau Mittelfrüh at 2.9% AA — 10 minutes

Yeast and kettle additions

  • 1 L active Lutra starter; pitch all at 68–70°F
  • ½ tsp yeast nutrient at 10 minutes
  • ½ Whirlfloc tablet at 10 minutes
  • Optional: ½ tsp unflavored gelatin for rapid clearing

Mash and boil

  1. Heat treated water to 156°F and mash in all 10 lb of grain.
  2. Hold at 150°F for 60 minutes. Stir or gently recirculate during the mash.
  3. Optional: mash out at 168°F for 10 minutes.
  4. Lift, drain, and squeeze the bag. Target 7.3–7.5 gal pre-boil at roughly 1.037–1.039.
  5. Boil uncovered for 75 minutes, following the hop and kettle-addition schedule.
  6. Chill promptly to 68–70°F and transfer about 5.5 gal.

Fermentation

  1. Pitch the active starter at 68–70°F.
  2. Hold 68–72°F until terminal gravity.
  3. After gravity is stable, keep it warm another 24–48 hours.
  4. Drop to 50°F, then cold crash at 34–36°F for 24–48 hours.
  5. Add gelatin cold if using, then closed-transfer into a completely purged keg.

Carbonation and packaging

  1. Carbonate at 12 PSI and 35–36°F for 5–7 days, targeting 2.4–2.5 volumes.
  2. Keep it cold under serving pressure; every extra day helps the lager-like finish.
  3. For cans, chill the beer, lines, filler, and cans. Purge each can, fill from the bottom, cap on foam, and seam immediately.
  4. Store every can cold through the trip.

What actually happened

The festival batch started at 1.048 and finished around 1.003–1.004—drier and stronger than the original target. “Measured twice. Recalibrated anyway.”