International Pale Lager That's Grolsch!

This sounds like a great recipe!! I might do this for my first grain expierience.

Questions are:

Hallertau Hersbrucker what if i cant get these hops ? any substitute ?

The yeast ? Any alternatives ?

what how is it supposto ferment at 54-42f ? ? This is not possible without a fridge dedicated is this ? ? I know lagers are supposto be fermented cooler, but is this even attemptable with say room temps around 69-74 ? ?

I think it depends on the yeast. You cannot do it properly w/o these temps but you can try to do something similar with Nottingham at 14 or 15 C, or better yet with saflager
s-189. I'm just trying my first "faux" lager, with the latter yeast, as we speak... so I'm just talkin theory

I made a 10 gallon batch last night. I'll let you know how it turns out!

gicts said:

I made a 10 gallon batch last night. I'll let you know how it turns out!

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Bump = Well, how is it?

Hannable1975 said:

Bump = Well, how is it?

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Empty! Haha it was fantastic and nearly identical, if not better than Grolsch i like to think there was a touch more body I did have a little trouble getting the yeast to drop from the second keg, but that was my haste. I'll be brewing it again!

thanks for the recipe!!

has anyone ever tried using saflager on this one?
unfortunatly i only have s23 and w34/70 in my country (lager-wise), any recommandations?

im really into trying this one next week!

browed it today, my first lager ladies and gentelman :rockin:
made it with a regular mashing and batch sparging method, seems great!
over shot the the OG a bit so i had to add around 4 liters of fresh water to the boil to get around 1.060
colour is beautiful, aroma is great!, we'll see how it will ferment and ill post on.

(btw, using different yeasts - s34/70)
30-35 liters batch

21 days in and FG is 1.011
bottled today and it looks and tastes awesome!!
(gonna lager in bottle) ill upload a photo in a month or so

shaigl said:

21 days in and FG is 1.011 bottled today and it looks and tastes awesome!! (gonna lager in bottle) ill upload a photo in a month or so

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Great! Hope it turns out as good as you hope. I am looking to do this one also, I always loved the flavor profile of this style. I'll be standing by to see the picture and your comments on the flavor.

for the 'dry' facts:
brew was fermenting for 21 days at 7-8C. no dyc rest (was out of the country and when i came back fermentation was already done).
no cold crushing before bottling.
no clarifiers.
bottled 12 days and 10 hours ago - been carbing for 7 days in the fridge (same as fermenting temp: 8C) and another 5 days and 10 hours in room temp (around 20C).

the beer is amazing!
starting with a nice, smooth, bright lager taste an gradually turning into a mild hoppy taste towards the end. foam on top is just beautiful, im just shocked at how good my first lager turned out and feeling like a proud father!
(sry im not good with describing tastes, never done that before).

i really wanna thank the original publisher of this thread for the recipe and all the other guys around the forum for sharing the info, im learning a lot!
i would like you guys to excuse my spelling as well, english is not my first language.

for the results:
i took a beer that was carbonating at room temp to see if its ready. shoved it in the freezer, surrounded by ice cubes, for about 40 min and cracked it open.
the photo is infront of you.

cheers!

Shaigl, would you mind posting the recipe as you have modified it? Thanks.

I noticed the original poster listed the hop schedule, but later he says to drop the battering hops at a different time which leaves me confused. I really want to make this as I love Grolsch, and would love to have it on tap all the time! So any help would be greatly appreciated.


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Bottoms_Up said:

Shaigl, would you mind posting the recipe as you have modified it? Thanks.

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Hey mate, sorry for the late reply but I've just seen yours now.

That's my recipe for 50 liters:
10kg German 2 row pils
250gr 10L crystal
125gr German Munich

Mash at 65C for 45 min
Batch sparge at 75C for 20 min

Hops are the same as the original only down to 45 min boil
(Full hour boil but hops after 15)

8C fermentation for about 3 weeks with w-34/70 with 1 liter starter for every 10 liters batch (always worked for me).

Hope it helps! Cheers


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Btw I'm looking for another interesting set of hops for this one if anyone has ideas for it


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Thanks for the recipe, shaigl. As for the hops, I think that Halertauer and Saaz are quite standard for Grolsch. The only thing I would change is the Northern Brewer bittering hops. I've used them a lot in the past for other German pilsners, but always wondered what the "harsh" taste was. I changed to Perle, and the harsh taste disappeared, improvoing the results significantly. So when I make this recipe, I'll exchange the Northern Brewer hops with Perle. Premiant is another option - very smooth for a bittering hop. Or I'll use a combination of Perle and Premiant which I did with my last lager, which turned out quite good. The Halertauer and Saaz will stay.

Bottoms_Up said:

Thanks for the recipe, shaigl. As for the hops, I think that Halertauer and Saaz are quite standard for Grolsch. The only thing I would change is the Northern Brewer bittering hops. I've used them a lot in the past for other German pilsners, but always wondered what the "harsh" taste was. I changed to Perle, and the harsh taste disappeared, improvoing the results significantly. So when I make this recipe, I'll exchange the Northern Brewer hops with Perle. Premiant is another option - very smooth for a bittering hop. Or I'll use a combination of Perle and Premiant which I did with my last lager, which turned out quite good. The Halertauer and Saaz will stay.

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i had the harshness problem as well. i solved it by just lagering the beer longer.. would try the sub for the NB next time ill brew it

Hi my dudes, I think I will make this tomorrow.

I brewed this last night. I scaled down to 1 gallon, o.g. came out 1.056 so I am happy

I am using Safale S-23 lager yeast at 57f after reading a few peoples experiences with S-23. I used this yeast because I have another one fermenting with this yeast and I only have one mini fridge to ferment in.

I will post with results in several weeks.

Following! My dad loves grolsch and I would love to make a batch for him.

Looking at getting in to all grain but it's me and 3 friends that do it right now and the problem is getting them to want to spend a little more time making a beer. allmost have them convinced to try lol
I'm building a list of equipment that I will need to buy to go from extract to all grain that I will by when I get some cash but in the mean time I was looking up recipes to try and this one caught my eye but I'm not realy sure what they are talking about in this part
May use MT or insulated MLT to reach rest temperatures. Mash in using 11 qts at 134f to rest at ~ 122f. After 5 min. pull the heaviest 40-45% of mash to the decoction vessel. Use a kitchen strainer and get only enough liquid to fill the spaces between the grains.
I'm guessing u mash using 11qt of water at 134 till it hits 122f and after another 5 min and note realy sure by what they mean with the heveist40-45%. And only enough liquid to fill spaces betwine the grain

Bradsc said:

Looking at getting in to all grain but it's me and 3 friends that do it right now and the problem is getting them to want to spend a little more time making a beer. allmost have them convinced to try lol
I'm building a list of equipment that I will need to buy to go from extract to all grain that I will by when I get some cash but in the mean time I was looking up recipes to try and this one caught my eye but I'm not realy sure what they are talking about in this part
May use MT or insulated MLT to reach rest temperatures. Mash in using 11 qts at 134f to rest at ~ 122f. After 5 min. pull the heaviest 40-45% of mash to the decoction vessel. Use a kitchen strainer and get only enough liquid to fill the spaces between the grains.
I'm guessing u mash using 11qt of water at 134 till it hits 122f and after another 5 min and note realy sure by what they mean with the heveist40-45%. And only enough liquid to fill spaces betwine the grain

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Decoction mashing is a little tricky, especially if this is going to be your first all grain. The 11 quarts are added to the grain at 134C so that when combined, the resultant temperature of the water and grain (grain is at room temperature) should be about 122F.

Instead of decoction mashing, try the regular method of mashing, as described by shaigl. He revised his recipe in Message #14 - mash at 65C for 45 minutes, and batch sparge at 75 C for 20 minutes.

The difference in the resulting taste shouldn't be overly noticeable.

There are a lot of time since receipt was posted, can anybody help me?)
Can i start fermentation in carboy for 3 week and after that put beer in the bottles? and than wait 4 weeks. Must will i add something in the bottles before put beer inside? i dont have keg... Thanks a lot

3 weeks is probably ample time as long as you pitch enough yeast. I would use dry lager yeast if this your first go. Ferment temp will need to be controlled for the lager. Like around 50. Sanitize bottles and you them will need to add priming sugar before bottling. I add corn sugar to small amount of boiling water. Add to bottling bucket, rack beer so it mixes, bottle and cap. Rest at room temp for about 2 weeks. Chill for 2 weeks and drink. Cheers

Dog House Brew said:

3 weeks is probably ample time as long as you pitch enough yeast. I would use dry lager yeast if this your first go. Ferment temp will need to be controlled for the lager. Like around 50. Sanitize bottles and you them will need to add priming sugar before bottling. I add corn sugar to small amount of boiling water. Add to bottling bucket, rack beer so it mixes, bottle and cap. Rest at room temp for about 2 weeks. Chill for 2 weeks and drink. Cheers

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Thnks a lot for answer! Will try to do

Just made it. Waiting chill now.
Made in Speidel Braumeister 20L
I took 21L of water on 65C for 45min and 75C for 20min on mashing.
Than watered mash by 2L of hot water (80C).
Boil 90 min and put everything as in recipe.
Chill to 13C and will put another yeasts Bohemia Lager M84.

I cant understand, why i have just 12L now, where is another?

Did your preboil volume reach your predicted level? Did you boil off more than you predicted? Did you calculate the grain absorption correctly? I wouldn't worry much about you first batches and total volume. What about the dead space in your system. Calculate those and plug those into some software. You can also pay attention to your fermentation losses. I've been there. I brewed an IPA batch that post boil was 16.5 gallons. I got a little over 10 gallons after dry hop and fermenter losses. The Speidel looks awesome.

Dog House Brew said:

Did your preboil volume reach your predicted level? Did you boil off more than you predicted? Did you calculate the grain absorption correctly? I wouldn't worry much about you first batches and total volume. What about the dead space in your system. Calculate those and plug those into some software. You can also pay attention to your fermentation losses. I've been there. I brewed an IPA batch that post boil was 16.5 gallons. I got a little over 10 gallons after dry hop and fermenter losses. The Speidel looks awesome.

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I already find my mistake.
I've taken more malt than needed
Took 5kg of pils and 1kg of munich and 1kg of cristal.
Malt crashing did my dad and i forgot to check how many malt he take(
Oh, seems first time always with mistake... Will know.

Now 12L of young beer stay in 30L bottle for fermentation in fridge in 8C. And i dont know how understand when yeasts will finish.:cross:

I responded to this from my cell and it didn't show. I would get a hydrometer and check gravity in a week. Make sure you sanitize your thief when pulling your sample, and don't return it to the fermenter. Checking the gravity is the only sure way to know when it is finished. When constant over a few samples it is finished and ready to bottle. If you have the ability to raise the temp, I would raise it to 19C when the airlock begins to slow. It is called Diacetyl rest and will help the yeast clean up. I do this when I reach 80% of expected attenuation. It may take a little while because 8C is a little on the cool side. I like to slowly raise the temp on my fermenting lagers to keep them moving.

just finished this recipe today. couldnt get northern brewer so substituted perle for it as per the hop chart i have. and used safelager 34/70 for the yeast. ill let you know how it came out in about 2 months

just racked from secondary to carboy for lagering nice smell and flavor, little darker than original but that might be my grains. following the original recpe so will lager for 4 weeks.

Jim_Holmes said:

just racked from secondary to carboy for lagering nice smell and flavor, little darker than original but that might be my grains. following the original recpe so will lager for 4 weeks.

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I'm curious - why didn't you lager right in the keg? And why the large amount of airspace?

Bottoms_Up said:

I'm curious - why didn't you lager right in the keg? And why the large amount of airspace?

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didnt put it in the keg because i wanted to try to get the beer a little clearer before kegging dont know if anything else is going to fall out of suspension or not thought id give it a try. as for the headspace since this is the second racking thats all the beer i could get off the cake i use 8 gallon ferment buckets with spigot and if you try to get too much out of them you wind up with a big cloud of trub going with it. to offset the headspace i did flush the better bottle with co2 before transferring so at least its not just air on top.

Jim_Holmes said:

didnt put it in the keg because i wanted to try to get the beer a little clearer before kegging dont know if anything else is going to fall out of suspension or not thought id give it a try. as for the headspace since this is the second racking thats all the beer i could get off the cake i use 8 gallon ferment buckets with spigot and if you try to get too much out of them you wind up with a big cloud of trub going with it. to offset the headspace i did flush the better bottle with co2 before transferring so at least its not just air on top.

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I usually just put it in the keg and flush out any trub later (pour away the first cloudy part). Should be fine if you flushed it with CO2. How did you manage to flush it? Do you have a special fitting on your CO2 line?

Bottoms_Up said:

I usually just put it in the keg and flush out any trub later (pour away the first cloudy part). Should be fine if you flushed it with CO2. How did you manage to flush it? Do you have a special fitting on your CO2 line?

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just stuck the co2 line in the bottle to the bottom and cracked the valve for a bit (ive been told co2 is heavier than air and will displace the air) then racked into the bottle . this is only my 2nd attempt at a lager so im still learning and trying to figure out a system.

Jim_Holmes said:

just stuck the co2 line in the bottle to the bottom and cracked the valve for a bit (ive been told co2 is heavier than air and will displace the air) then racked into the bottle . this is only my 2nd attempt at a lager so im still learning and trying to figure out a system.

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Oh, so you took the ball lock off the gas line?

Bottoms_Up said:

Oh, so you took the ball lock off the gas line?

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yes, i took the fitting off the line, then sprayed the line with sanitizer and fed it into the bottle to the bottom. hopefully it works out ok. looks like its clearing a little more got a dusting of trub on the bottom of the bottle

the real question here is, does it give a real grolsch hangover?

As a "twentenaar", i've drunk grolsch most of my youth, and one thing always got me was the weird headache/hangover it gives compared to other eurolager.

Jim_Holmes said:

just stuck the co2 line in the bottle to the bottom and cracked the valve for a bit (ive been told co2 is heavier than air and will displace the air) then racked into the bottle . this is only my 2nd attempt at a lager so im still learning and trying to figure out a system.

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Thanks - that should do the trick. Let us know how close the result is to the original.

Kharnynb said:

the real question here is, does it give a real grolsch hangover?

As a "twentenaar", i've drunk grolsch most of my youth, and one thing always got me was the weird headache/hangover it gives compared to other eurolager.

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I wonder if Grolsch contains some fusel oils?