Recipe Type: All Grain Yeast: wy2278 Yeast Starter: yes Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: none Batch Size (Gallons): N/A Original Gravity: 12.33 P Final Gravity: 2.56 P IBU: 40 Boiling Time (Minutes): 90 Color: 4-5 SRM Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 12, 3.9C increasing to 8.9C Additional Fermentation: none Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 40 @ 0.6C Tasting Notes: Very soft, clean, slightly sweet, well balanced malt and hop.
Pilsner Urquell Knockoff
Traditional three decoction
Very soft (hardness <30, Ca <8, SO4 <6, TDS < 35) brewing water
Not specific for volume, multiply for your volume.
ex; 5gal batch uses 4Kg malt
Mash in, thoroughly kneading Moravian malt (if you can't find Moravian then use Bohemian) using 1.85 L water per 1kg malt at 32.2 C about 10 min.
Pull the first decotion. Slowly increase decoction temp to rest at 65 C for 10min, then ramp slowly (5 to 10 min) to boiling. boil 5 min covered. Return the decoction to the mash tun gradually ( ~5 min ) stirring well to bring the mash temp to 52.8 C. Any remaining decoction may be force cooled to the mash temp and returned to the mash. Mash Ph ~5.2. Rest about 5 min, then..
Pull the second decoction. Repeat the process above with ~ 40% of the heavy mash. Return the decoction slowly ( about 20 min ) to the mash tun, again stirring to maintain even temp increase to 65 C. Maintain temp with boiling water infusions which helps thin the mash. Rest for 60 min, then..
Pull the third decoction. This time, drain off about half of the thin mash and boil for about 5 min. Stirring plays a big part in this. Return the decoction to the mash and stir for 5 min at a mash temp of 75.6 C.
Lauter/sparge for 60 min.
Boil wort 90 min. Use fresh Saaz hops(~4 AA) at a rate of 350g/hL(~ 78g/6.4gal of wort) in three portions, 45% at start of boil, 30% at 55min left, 25% at 15 min left befor flameout.
Pitching. Cool to 3.9 C and pitch WY2278 or equivalent at a rate of 15 million cells per mL.( Ex./ One activator pack added to 1 liter of wort, then,after ferment,add 1 more liter of wort and ferment. This should yield ~ 15 millon cells/ ml when pitched into 9 gal of wort) Bring the temp up to 8.9 C over a period of about 12 days.
That's interesting about the low fermentation temperature. I was once talking to a German trained brewer about a Czech pilsner I was making and I mentioned I was fermenting it at 10C, and he looked shocked, and said it should be 4C and 10C was too quick. I thought he was winding me up, and figured he was talking about lagering temperature. Interesting to see it here
Low start temps reduce diacetyl and esters as well as fusels at a time when the yeast starts actively producing them ( respiration ). Less initial diacetyl and the less you have to reduce at the end of fermentation.
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How do you BBQ an elephant....first you get your elephant....
4C is incredible though. You never hear about a pitching/ferment temp that low in HB circles. Pilsner Urquell has a hint of diacetyl, too - it's part of the flavour profile. I usually go in at 7 - 8 C for my lagers and ferment at 9C raising to 10 - 11C at the end.
Just because you're lagering doesn't mean you have to do a diacetyl rest. If it's prominent in the produced beer, than you may need to employ one. Some lagers just don't need it.
All-Grain - Pilsner Urquell knockoff
Linear Mode
