helles extract brew, will it be ok?

[tomc]

I would like to try to brew a helles style beer. Something delicate but slightly malty. Not an American lite beer or American lager(Bud etc) but a very clean, light body, slightly malty, very balanced/no noticable hop bitterness or aroma, low carbonation lager.

I have a fridge with an external temperature regulator so I can do a lager.

Is it reasonable to try to make such a helles from extract (with small amounts of specialty malts)? It would basically have to be perfect, no off flavors at all. Is this homebrewable?

A few technique details. I've been doing a 2-3 gallon boil. Should I try to do a full boil for this? Will it make a noticable difference? And about the water I've been using tap water(fine so far) but for this beer should I filter it to make sure I don't have any strange flavors?
Anybody have an extract recipe for such a beer? Any suggestions for techniques, particular malt extracts, yeasts, clarifiers, etc?

 

[Yooper]

You can certainly brew an excellent beer from extract, so that shouldn't be a concern. If you can lager and maintain proper fermentation temperatures, that would be the key. Healthy yeast (a big starter) would also contribute greatly.

 

[Yooper]

I don't have a recipe but saw this: MoreBeer | Pilsner Malt Extract

That would make a nice extract for this beer, and German noble hops would be the hops to use. Maybe we could help convert an AG recipe if you find one.

 

[tomc]

"Healthy yeast (a big starter) would also contribute greatly."

I've been using a single Wyeast smack pack. Is that not enough for this application?
Making a bigger starter would be a first for me. But probably good experience.

 

[Yooper]

In my opinion, a wyeast smack pack is rarely enough yeast for most 5 gallon batches. I always make a starter.

Here's a great resource on yeast pitching rates: Mr Malty Pitching Rate Calculator

 

[WhirlingBastard]

I just brewed a Helles last weekend. I did not use a starter. I rehydrated 11.5 grams of Saflager W-34/70. I have it sitting at 52 degrees and I noticed a good kraeusen about 30 hours later and doing great.

I actually would have done a started but plans changed and I was able to brew that day instead. So no time for a starter.

 

[Bobby_M]

As mentioned, you'd really want to get some Pils LME and not some generic extra pale. You can steep 1/2lb of Vienna for a touch of character. Bitter with a noble hop. WLP830 works well.

 

[panduji68]

Obviously a little late on this post, but I have become a huge fan of the Helles style lagers even though I'm typically a hop head. Although it is one of the most simple beers as far as ingredients go, it is also one of the most difficult to get right because there's no one thing that's prominent to hide any mistakes.

My favorite commercial example of a Helles is Weihenstephaner because it doesn't have that metallic taste and is very bready or biscuity in the nose with a VERY slight hop character to it. Trying to duplicate this at home with an extract based brew was an absolute nightmare. But I finally nailed it.

The secret I discovered is to use a very small amount of melanoidin and biscuit malt for steeping mixed in with a pilsner grain. For a 5 gallon batch, I use 1lb of pilsner grain, .25lb melanoidin, and .25 biscuit malt grains.

I also use DME pilsner extract (6 pounds) as opposed to pilsner liquid extract because the wort comes out too dark for the style using liquid extract. Even if you boil half of the liquid extract for the full hour, and boil the last half for the last 15 mins, it is still slightly too dark. Using DME with the same process yields a much lighter end product.

1.5 ounces of Hallertau hops for the full one hour boil, .5 ounces off Hallertau in the last 5 minutes gives the perfect barely bitter and barely hoppy aroma that is Weihenstephaner, right along with that wonderful barely biscuity aroma from the pilsner, biscuit and melanoidin steeping grains.

Saflager W34/70 for the yeast... Two packs rehydrated no starter, pitched at 50 degrees, fermented at 50 for two weeks, d-rest for three days at 68 degrees, then down to 32 degrees lagering for 6 weeks.

I love this beer!