Prague After Dark

Blackprinz at 10% is too much for just about anything. There'll be no subtlety at all and nothing but burnt roast flavor.
Have a look at this article: https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-czech-dark-lager/
I find that series quite useful in sussing out what a recipe should look like for a particular style.
And really study the BJCP guidelines. When it comes to traditional styles, its always a solid reference for goals in aroma, flavor and body as well as for getting an idea about what sort of ingredients are most commonly used.
 
Here is a recipe that is apparently based on a recipe for Pivovar Kout na Šumavě Koutský tmavý speciál 14° (which I know nothing about). I have been wanting to do a variation on this for some time.

77% Pils
10% Munich
10% Caramunich II
3% Carafa II

22 IBU Saaz at 60 min
13 IBU Saaz at 30 min

Bohemian Lager Yeast
 
Cheers for the read JA im gunna have a crack at brewing that linked recipie soon. Sounds like an all round delicious brew. I've had a few cracks at this Swartz bier without a lot of success.
 
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Blackprinz at 10% is too much for just about anything. There'll be no subtlety at all and nothing but burnt roast flavor.
Have a look at this article: https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-czech-dark-lager/
I find that series quite useful in sussing out what a recipe should look like for a particular style.
And really study the BJCP guidelines. When it comes to traditional styles, its always a solid reference for goals in aroma, flavor and body as well as for getting an idea about what sort of ingredients are most commonly used.

I'm sure you're right, I've pretty much new to all grain, stepped it back to 5%. Think I'll give it a try in about 3 weeks, should be the next time I have an open fermenter.
 
That looks pretty nice to me, @Trialben, though I think I might reverse the percentages of Munch and Victory if I were brewing it.
Here's a similar beer that I brewed last fall: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/678872/dark-lager-lite
It's a little lighter style but designed around the same sort of flavor palette. This one turned out with just the right hint of roast to compliment the malty sweetness and the rice lightened it up and helped it attenuate. With a lingering "Autumn" around here that sees more 90 degree days than 70 degree ones until well into November or sometimes even December, the dark beer season needs some lighter offerings.
 
That looks pretty nice to me, @Trialben, though I think I might reverse the percentages of Munch and Victory if I were brewing it.
Here's a similar beer that I brewed last fall: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/678872/dark-lager-lite
It's a little lighter style but designed around the same sort of flavor palette. This one turned out with just the right hint of roast to compliment the malty sweetness and the rice lightened it up and helped it attenuate. With a lingering "Autumn" around here that sees more 90 degree days than 70 degree ones until well into November or sometimes even December, the dark beer season needs some lighter offerings.
I will have to give it a bit more thought there JA. I was using the one pound each victory and caramunich the author gave in that recipie blog link above. Reason I went Munich over Vienna was a.bit more malty flavour but I do like your reasoning on adding more as it seems to be on the sweeter side as per style is what I'm picking up.

Not too dry and not overly roasty I think that's where the victory is playing a supporting role? I hear Vienna described as more roast then malty and Munich as giving more malt. I see you added a touch of both.

Here is what I was going to ask is how to replicate that floor malted flavour with the malts? hence the Munich addition in recipie.
 
I will have to give it a bit more thought there JA. I was using the one pound each victory and caramunich the author gave in that recipie blog link above. Reason I went Munich over Vienna was a.bit more malty flavour but I do like your reasoning on adding more as it seems to be on the sweeter side as per style is what I'm picking up.

Not too dry and not overly roasty I think that's where the victory is playing a supporting role? I hear Vienna described as more roast then malty and Munich as giving more malt. I see you added a touch of both.

Here is what I was going to ask is how to replicate that floor malted flavour with the malts? hence the Munich addition in recipie.
All very sound reasoning and I don't think you'd go wrong with the recipe you came up with. I'm just going by my experience with Munich and Victory. There's a little cross-over in the flavors and I've sort of gotten used to a certain ratio between the two. As regards the Vienna in my recipe, because it's a lighter version (think Michelob Classic Dark from the '80s) I went toward that lighter malt. For a true Czech Dark Lager or Schwartzbier I'd lean more on the Munich.
As for the Floor-Malted flavor, I'm not certain that I'd be able to pick it out of a line-up of Pilsners. I just happen to have a great source of Czech Pilsner and it happens to be Floor-Malted so that's what I use. ;)
 
I had @Ozarks Mountain Brew and a few others talk me down from truly roasted grains in a schwarzbier that's just about to finish up. Great advice from them. It will be missed when the keg finishes (probably this weekend).

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/528444/cwrw-twll

If I fiddle around with things it will only be to try out different yeasts.
Looks tasty Mark! What flavours you get out of these malts you get a subtle roasty chocolate thing going on? I've got some caraffa 1 but I'm gunna stick with using the Thomas Fawcett chocolate malt.
How'd you find the color Mark at 33srm it'd have some nice ruby highlights around the edges of the glass.
 
I've got some caraffa 1 but I'm gunna stick with using the Thomas Fawcett chocolate malt.
The Carafa and the Chocolate, Coffee, etc are pretty interchangeable as far as I'm concerned. If it's got the same Lovibond number, it's going to do pretty similar things in the brew..
 
Looks tasty Mark! What flavours you get out of these malts you get a subtle roasty chocolate thing going on? I've got some caraffa 1 but I'm gunna stick with using the Thomas Fawcett chocolate malt.
How'd you find the color Mark at 33srm it'd have some nice ruby highlights around the edges of the glass.

Yep, lovely creamy chocolate with a hint of roast if you manage to stop it over-attenuating and keep the water profile neutral. Color is pretty much black. Maybe a hint of brown in the right light. Perfect for me.

And I'm pretty sure it would fail as a schwarzbier in a BJCP comp.
 
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Yep, lovely creamy chocolate with a hint of roast if you manage to stop it over-attenuating and keep the water profile neutral. Color is pretty much black. Maybe a hint of brown in the right light. Perfect for me.

And I'm pretty sure it would fail as a schwarzbier in a BJCP comp.
Ah who needs standards when you love the beer they can either join you or lump it ;)! In the end you brew for what tastes good in your belly baby!

Yep I'm really looking forward to getting this brew happening to me it's quite an appealing beer low abv sessionable light roasty chocolate flavours hopefully a nice creamy off white head mmm mmm you can count me in!
 
Been working on a Tmavé Pivo recipe, this is what I've come up with so far...

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/851263/prague-after-dark

Any thoughts? This is just a future brew, probably won't be anytime REAL soon.
Did you end up brewing this Bulin?
I'm getting itchy feet on my Czech dark lager I'm aiming on next weekend to get this
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/880790/dark-knight-lager
Fermenting.
I've made a .heap more changes from the Link JA posted above I couldn't get victory but biscuit malt is nearly the same I've read from around the forums. Also changed from UK choc malt to slightly lighter roasted caraffa 1 but upped the percentage to nearly 10% and changed my crystal to dark crystal malts just 20 lovibond darker. Dropped the carahell and increased my munich addition. Gunna try a slow ramp from 60c to 66c to begin mash then sit there for an hour.
Looking forward to this one.
 
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Did you end up brewing this Bulin?
I'm getting itchy feet on my Czech dark lager I'm aiming on next weekend to get this
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/880790/dark-knight-lager
Fermenting.
I've made a .heap more changes from the Link JA posted above I couldn't get victory but biscuit malt is nearly the same I've read from around the forums. Also changed from UK choc malt to slightly lighter roasted caraffa 1 but upped the percentage to nearly 10% and changed my crystal to dark crystal malts just 20 lovibond darker. Dropped the carahell and increased my munich addition. Gunna try a slow ramp from 60c to 66c to begin mash then sit there for an hour.
Looking forward to this one.

I have everything on hand except the Kazbek, going to order some and this will be the brew after next, going to make another batch of Dirty Boh(emian) first.
 
NorCal HAD Kazbek for $.99 an ounce...just bought their last 13 ounces. Just made a couple more tweaks to the recipe. I think it's ready to roll.
 
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Been working on a Tmavé Pivo recipe, this is what I've come up with so far...

Hey Bul! Is the posted recipe the adjusted version, ie: less blackprinz as J A suggested? With the cold weather, I can do some lagering now and a dark Czech looks interesting.

based on a recipe for Pivovar Kout na Šumavě Koutský tmavý speciál 14° (which I know nothing about). I have been wanting to do a variation on this for some time.

Iliff, did you get to do this one and if you did, how'd it do? Saaz certainly seems to me to be the historically accurate choice of hops for this brew so it too holds interest!
 

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