Is a 90-min boil mandatory with pilsner malt to drive off DMS precursors?

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Elysium

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I am wondering if it is a must to have a 90min boil instead of a 90min one with pilsner malt. So far with pale ale malts I have only done 60min boils.
 
It is said that pilsner malt has more DMS precursors than other malt, and it seems to be standard practice to boil lagers for 90 because of this. Can you get by with 60? Maybe. But a 90 minute will probably give a bit cleaner lager.
 
I boil from 180 to 90 minutes. Depending how much I screw up on over sparging. Hehehe. A lot of people go with 90 no matter what malt they use.
 
SMM is the precursor to DMS in a boil. It goes along a 40 minute half life while brewing. So at 40 minutes into the boil, 50% is removed. At 80 minutes, 75%

I prefer 90 minute boils anyway but its the standard boil time.
 
I have used pilsner malt in a 60 minute boil with no DMS; none that I noticed anyway... Granted pilsner wasn't the only base malt. That said, I have started doing 90 minute boils as a standard based on recommendations I picked up from the many BrewStrong and Beersmith podcasts I have been listening to.
 
It mostly depends on whether the malt used is well modified or not. The less modified ones need the extra boil time to get rid of DMS precursors.
 
It mostly depends on whether the malt used is well modified or not. The less modified ones need the extra boil time to get rid of DMS precursors.

Well, I thought there is pilsner malt and that's it. When it is "more modified", it is kilned more and becomes pale ale malt. I might be wrong on this one though.

Eventually I boiled it for 90 mins....calculated the extra water that boiled off and got the desired 6.4 gallon batch in the end.
 
Malts are listed as being well modified or not. Here's an example of a well modified one; http://www.midwestsupplies.com/pils-castle.html

I hear you. Thanks for the info.
Now....I think it is time to find out what the story is with weyermann malts.....those are the ones I work with. On their website no information is given about the actual modification.

P.S. just found this one.... http://www.midwestsupplies.com/bohemian-pilsner-malt-weyermannr.html

Doesnt say anything about the modification.
 
Their pils malt isn't as well modified & needs the 90 minute boil,as do most pils malts not listed as well modified.
 
Their pils malt isn't as well modified & needs the 90 minute boil,as do most pils malts not listed as well modified.

Understood. Even the weyermann pale ale malt? That doesnt say anything either....but I assume it is well-modified if it is kilned longer....dunno. Just a guess.
 
I haven't tried the Weyerman's pale ale malt yet,but others I've used seem to be well modified even if they don't say so. I've used pale malt & marris otter from crisp in the UK with great results combined with Rahr 2-row. Clear & good malt profile.
 
I haven't tried the Weyerman's pale ale malt yet,but others I've used seem to be well modified even if they don't say so. I've used pale malt & marris otter from crisp in the UK with great results combined with Rahr 2-row. Clear & good malt profile.

Well, I guess trial and error is on the way then. :)

I order 55lbs of pale ale malt and bohemian floor pilsner that they list as maris otter-like malt. We'll see. Thanks for the info.
 
Floor malting is the classic way of doing it,& some maltsters in the UK still do it that way. It may be marris otter like in flavor,but might not be well modified.
 
Floor malting is like baking bread with stone ground flour. It has its own rewards. :)
 
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