First Pilsner

[Eskram]

I'm going to be making this recipe this weekend. I finally have a temp-controlled freezer I can do lagering in.

3.3 lbs. Gold Malt Extract
2 ½ lbs. German Pilsner Grain (cracked)
½ lbs. Lager Grain (cracked)
½ lbs. Belgian Aromatic Grain (cracked)
3 oz. Saaz Hops
½ oz. Saaz Hops
½ oz. Saaz Hops
1 pkg. Wyeast -2278 Czech Pils Yeast

Mash grains in 1½ gal. 160°F water for 60 min. Sparge with 1 gal. 170°F water. Return liquid to pot, add malt & 3 oz. Saaz & boil for 30 min. Add ½ oz. Saaz & boil 30 min. Remove from heat & add ½ oz. Saaz. Steep for 10 min. Strain into enough cold water to make 5 gal. & pitch yeast when 80°F or below. Ferment at 70°F or lower if possible.

Anything I should do differently?

I have a few n00b questions as well... The recipe doesn't have any lagering instructions. What kind of lagering schedule should I use? When do I add the yeast - after it's at temp, or pitch, wait for fermentation, then put in freezer?

 

[Rhoobarb]

This might help.

 

[Eskram]

Ah, thanks.

 

[Sir Sudster]

Eskram, have you already bought your grains? If not, try tasting that belgian aromatic before you buy it . If it is strong to the taste it will be the same in the beer. I used aromatic once and apparently used too much.. 1lb in 10gal ..and it was overwhelming.

 

[Eskram]

Yeah, I've already got them. They were cracked into the same bag as the rest of the grains, so I don't think I can try one.. lol

This is the recipe kit from my LHBS, so I hope they took that into consideration. I guess I'll find out tomorow how the wort tastes.

 

[Sir Sudster]

Didn't realize it was a kit. It'll be fine.

 

[Eskram]

Ok, tard questions, round 2.

I got some good yeast on Monday, which I let do it's thing until last nite - the smack pack was fully inflated, so I went ahead and brewed the pilsner.

I added the yeast, and put it into my lagering fridge @58F around midnite. This morning at 9am, I noticed no activity, but I did see that there was sanitized water climbing up the blow off tube, so I pulled it off. In the process, I managed to dump a few ounces of sanitized water into the fermenter.

Tonite when I got home, there is still no activity at all. Did the sanitizing solution kill the yeast somehow or do lagers jsut take a bit longer to get going than ales? Normally, my ales are spewing and blowing crap out of the blowoff tube by now.

 

[Rhoobarb]

IIRC, the one lager I brewed did not 'take off' like a typical ale. It was a much slower, less violent fermentation. Maybe some others with more lager experience will chime in here.