Opinions on this recipe

Brewer's Friend 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
T

TRedVR6

Member
Joined
May 17, 2005
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
I received an ingredient kit for a beer called St Peter's Pilsner for Christmas. I'm not very familiar with pilsner's so I'm looking for your opinions on this recipe. This is what is included in the kit...

1 package light DME with Perle bittering hops already mixed into the dry malt
1 package crystal malt specialty grains
1 package Saaz flavoring hops
1 package Saaz finishing hops
1 package (11.5 grams) Fermentis Saflager s-23 Dry Ale Yeast

Starting gravity is 1.041-1.046 and ending gravity is 1.011-1.015.

How do you think this beer will taste? I usually make/drink darker beers so I am not sure if I will like it. Would you make any changes to improve this recipe?

I also have a couple of questions after reading through the instructions.

The instructions say that the kit contains a lager yeast and says to place the primary fermentor into a cool place (40F-55F) once fermentation starts. Well the packet of yeast that was included with the kit definitely says Ale yeast, but I am considering using a liquid yeast like Wyeast Czech Pilsen Lager yeast instead. I would place the fermentor in my garage which stays pretty cool during the winter (I live in NH), but ultimately the temperature is dependent on the weather. Is the flucuation in temperature going to affect the lager yeast in a bad way? Should I just use the dry ale yeast included with the kit and ferment indoors?

They also suggest adding a pound of light colored honey to the last 2 minutes of the boil. Is there a prefered type of honey to use or can I just pick up any honey from the grocery store?

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
TRedVR6 said:
I received an ingredient kit for a beer called St Peter's Pilsner for Christmas. I'm not very familiar with pilsner's so I'm looking for your opinions on this recipe. This is what is included in the kit...

1 package light DME with Perle bittering hops already mixed into the dry malt
1 package crystal malt specialty grains
1 package Saaz flavoring hops
1 package Saaz finishing hops
1 package (11.5 grams) Fermentis Saflager s-23 Dry Ale Yeast

Starting gravity is 1.041-1.046 and ending gravity is 1.011-1.015.

How do you think this beer will taste? I usually make/drink darker beers so I am not sure if I will like it. Would you make any changes to improve this recipe?

I also have a couple of questions after reading through the instructions.

The instructions say that the kit contains a lager yeast and says to place the primary fermentor into a cool place (40F-55F) once fermentation starts. Well the packet of yeast that was included with the kit definitely says Ale yeast, but I am considering using a liquid yeast like Wyeast Czech Pilsen Lager yeast instead. I would place the fermentor in my garage which stays pretty cool during the winter (I live in NH), but ultimately the temperature is dependent on the weather. Is the flucuation in temperature going to affect the lager yeast in a bad way? Should I just use the dry ale yeast included with the kit and ferment indoors?

They also suggest adding a pound of light colored honey to the last 2 minutes of the boil. Is there a prefered type of honey to use or can I just pick up any honey from the grocery store?

Thanks for any suggestions!
Click to expand...

give me the pounds of whatever you using not how many packages and i will tell you everything you need to know. As for the tempature in your garage, i would say the fluctuations in the temperature may cause off flavors in your beer. Ive noticed when using lager yeast that if the temp does not stay within 5 to 7 degrees of desired temp, I get off flavors, stalled fermentations, etc..... I usually like clover honey or if you could find it wild mountain honey gives really good honey flavor. Make sure your honey is pure with no preservatives in it. I used a honey with preservatives in it and it stopped my fermentation. anymore questions just ask
 
Odd, all of the references I find say S-23 is a lager yeast. If it was an ale yeast the name would be Safale S-23.

Saflager S-23 Lager Yeast
S-23 is a genuine German style dried lager yeast, developing the best of its lager notes under low-temperature fermentation (46-50O F). Good flocculation with excellent attenuation. The right choice for the production of a wide range of lager and pilsner beers.

With the Perle and Saaz hops, I'd stick with your basic clover honey. If you wrap your fermenter in a quilt in the garage that will damp out the temperature variations.

Taste? Should be good. Nothing like Butt or Curs
 
david_42 said:
Odd, all of the references I find say S-23 is a lager yeast. If it was an ale yeast the name would be Safale S-23.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. Isn't pilsner a lagered beer to begin with?
 
Pilseners should be lagered to get that real crispness. All the yellow beers I've made with ale yeasts have come out perfectly drinkable, but real thick in body... draught style maybe...

That recipe sounds to me to be a very Czech style, bitter, dry beer. We need the relative amounts of things in that recipe to know more. ... but the only surprise to me is crystal malt, which I would guess will lend an amber hue to the thing. Not entirely out of character. Sounds like you'll be brewing up an Zyviech or Okicim style beer. Give er a shot.
 
I might recommend buying a liquid yeast instead. I quit using dry yeast after my first beer with liquid yeast.

Also, I am guessing the crystal malt is about 10"L or 20"L, and probably no more than 1/2 lb.

I always use honey from the HBS, but if it's too much a drive for you, I saw this "Gyoza" brand honey in the mexican food section of king soopers. Just honey, with a bit of real honeycomb inside it. That might be the trick (I even saw some bee pieces in the bottom).
 
I only have a bathroom scale to measure the quantities of the ingredients so these weights are approximate. The kit included 5 lbs of light DME including the Perle bittering hops. I'm guessing that the crystal malt is <1/2 lb. I cannot measure the bittering and finishing hops because the amounts are too small for my scale. They are hops pellets and look to be equal amounts.

The yeast says Dry Ale Yeast on the package, but under characteristics it indicates "Genuine bottom fermenting commercial yeast for lager and pilsner beers production."
 

Similar threads

G
Kolsch recipe - need help
Replies
31
Views
2K
superiorsat
S
C
Cold ipa yeast question
Replies
8
Views
606
rtstrider
rtstrider
D
Small batch (1 Gallon) ingredients
Replies
8
Views
384
hotbeer
hotbeer
Zippy123
Feedback on recipe to split mash for two different beers
Replies
2
Views
415
Zippy123
Zippy123
Jkrags
Light Lager Stuck Fermentation
Replies
11
Views
521
VikeMan
VikeMan
Williams Brewing 300

Latest posts

Back
Top