Pilsner - How does it look?

[PearlJam]

I am working on this recipe which the base is something like an Urquell

As I am new to this I would just like it if the experienced brewers can just review it for if it all makes sense.

I am not sure how to get the info from Beersmith to post the detail easily, I have however attached the file from BS.

I will try to figure something out when I get back from work

View attachment Pilsner.bsmx

 

[PearlJam]

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6,30 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5,61 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5,00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4,60 gal
Estimated OG: 1,053 SG
Estimated Color: 4,2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 37,8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72,00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 77,7 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8 lbs 2,5 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2,0 SRM) Grain 1 81,3 %
15,9 oz Vienna Malt (3,5 SRM) Grain 2 9,9 %
8,1 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2,0 SRM) Grain 3 5,1 %
6,0 oz Munich Malt (9,0 SRM) Grain 4 3,7 %
0,78 oz Galena [12,50 %] - Boil 60,0 min Hop 5 35,4 IBUs
0,35 oz Saaz [3,75 %] - Boil 15,0 min Hop 6 2,4 IBUs
2,00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10,0 mins) Fining 7 -
0,28 oz Saaz [3,75 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0,0 min Hop 8 0,0 IBUs
1,0 pkg Pilsen Lager (Wyeast Labs #2007) [4,20 o Yeast 9 -

 

[gspot]

It will probably be good (haven't met many I couldn't find something to like about). BUT, if you're interested in brewing to style, I'd lose the Vienna and Munich and go all Saaz.

Doing a German pils this weekend and it's all pilsner malt with a touch of dextrine, and all Hersbruecker hops.

Also, don't forget the soft water which is ultra important for a Czech pilsner (and any light-colored beer for that matter).

 

[kh54s10]

I assume you have the cooling capability for a lager.

You should also be making a large yeast starter, if you haven't already planned for that.

 

[kombat]

Agreed with above, also make sure you aerate the s*** out of it if you're unable to properly oxygenate.

 

[JonM]

If you don't have the ability to make a huge starter (like 2L with a stir plate or 2 gallons without) you can get great results with dry 34/70 lager yeast.

 

[giraffe]

Just a side note, wyeast2007 is the st louis budweiser yeast (i know its name is confusing). Probably not the strain you want. 2001 and 2278 are the two pilsner urquell strains. 2000 is the Budvar strain which is a little easier to use than the urquell strains.

 

[PearlJam]

Thanks guys. I will probably have to go for the 34/70 yeast it seems due to availability.

I have a converted fridge with temperature control. My big concern is how low will I be able to cool the wort after boil with the ice bucket technique

 

[JonM]

Get two packs of 34/70 - one won't do it.

 

[PearlJam]

Thanks guys.

This is how I have it at the moment:

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6,30 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5,61 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5,00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4,60 gal
Estimated OG: 1,053 SG
Estimated Color: 3,6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 38,8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72,00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 77,7 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8 lbs 13,1 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2,0 SRM) Grain 1 88,9 %
1 lbs 1,6 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2,0 SRM) Grain 2 11,1 %
2,33 oz Saaz [3,75 %] - Boil 60,0 min Hop 3 32,0 IBUs
0,99 oz Saaz [3,75 %] - Boil 15,0 min Hop 4 6,7 IBUs
2,00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10,0 mins) Fining 5 -
0,28 oz Saaz [3,75 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0,0 min Hop 6 0,0 IBUs
2,0 pkg Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70) Yeast 7 -

The reason for some strange weights is that I work in kg, etc and just changed it to lbs, etc for ease of reference for you guys who understand lbs better. But the % of bill will still make sense. Not sure if it was even necessary to convert.

What is your view on decoction or is it not necessary?

 

[joshesmusica]

Honestly, I decided against saaz for the bittering charge. It may not be absolutely 100% to style, but I would've had to use 75-80grams of saaz in order to get the IBUs I wanted, whereas I used 15grams of warrior to get the same IBUs.

Everything else looks good. Water is important for the style as well. Though you can still make a good pilsner with most good water profiles. I would at least try to make sure your pH ends up in the proper range though, if you have a lot of residual alkalinity, you could end up with a very high mash pH.

I often type all the recipes I put on here in grams. It probably does make it easier to convert it though, you'll likely get more advice that way, since they won't have to convert it. But you're right, the percentages will still tell the story.

I've got a bo pils in the fermenter right now actually. I used saflager 34/70. It was 25L at 1.050 OG, and I went ahead and pitched 3 packs, just to be sure. The nice thing about that strain is it seems to perform very well at a wide range of temps. I went ahead and did the first 5 days at 13C. I was at 1.012 by day 5, so I started raising the temp 1C every 12 hours after that. Here's what I'm basing my fermentation profile off of:

http://brulosophy.com/2016/02/08/fe...ager-yeast-saflager-3470-exbeeriment-results/

http://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

And here's a good source for the recipe (from the guy who helped write the book, "Brewing Classic Styles."):

http://byo.com/malt/item/1929-bohemian-pilsener-style-profile

 

[gspot]

That seems like a lot of Cara pils, imo. Personally, I'd up the pilsner by a pound and halve the dextrine. Seems like I googled it when I was designing my recipe, and the concensus was around 5%, but I can't remember anymore.

 

[JKaranka]

Yeah, lots of Carapils. Half a pound should be plenty (you could just use 100% Pilsner malt).

 

[TheBigLebrewsk1]

I like use a 2l pilsner malt, 2 oz of melanoidin and to recreate what Pils Urquell says about using copper kettles, 2 oz crystal 10l. W 34/70 is technically a German yeast and a wlp800 is the urquell yeast but I don't really notice any differences with it except a thousandth or two points off of finishing. You want to finish at 1.013-1.015, maybe manipulate this threw mash temp.

 

[PearlJam]

Thanks for all the input. I will be working on the recipe through the day and post back the next version

 

[slym2none]

It will probably be good (haven't met many I couldn't find something to like about). BUT, if you're interested in brewing to style, I'd lose the Vienna and Munich and go all Saaz.

Doing a German pils this weekend and it's all pilsner malt with a touch of dextrine, and all Hersbruecker hops.

Also, don't forget the soft water which is ultra important for a Czech pilsner (and any light-colored beer for that matter).

I can't see using another hop as a bittering addition as a problem.

*shrug*

 

[joshesmusica]

I would think too that if you're not going to do a decoction that you would want to add some kind of malt to the mash in order to somewhat emulate that. Is that a wrong assumption?

 

[PearlJam]

So far the final recipe:

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
4,50 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2,0 SRM) Grain 1 100,0 %
39,00 g Saaz [3,75 %] - Boil 60,0 min Hop 2 19,6 IBUs
47,00 g Saaz [3,75 %] - Boil 30,0 min Hop 3 18,1 IBUs
2,00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10,0 mins) Fining 4 -
24,00 g Saaz [3,75 %] - Boil 10,0 min Hop 5 4,4 IBUs
8,00 g Saaz [3,75 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0,0 min Hop 6 0,0 IBUs
2,0 pkg Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70) Yeast 7 -


Decided to give decoction a go! So it is a single malt with triple decoction.

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[JKaranka]

Smashin'

 

[gspot]

Looks awesome! One little thing: the label on my pkg of Irish Moss says 1 tsp per 5 gal for 15 minutes. Not saying that you've got too much and that it won't work just fine, but you might want to look into that just to make sure. That's going to be a tasty beer!

 

[PearlJam]

Looks awesome! One little thing: the label on my pkg of Irish Moss says 1 tsp per 5 gal for 15 minutes. Not saying that you've got too much and that it won't work just fine, but you might want to look into that just to make sure. That's going to be a tasty beer!

Well spotted. Thanks. That is an oversight on my part