Imperial Pils Recipe

[Whargies]

Ok, so this is my first attempt at making an imperial pils let alone my first beer by myself. I've done some brewing with my buddy and I've only done most of the physical work. This time I'm actually making the recipe so here it is.....

Batch Size: 6.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.075 SG
Estimated Color: 5.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 80.4 IBU
Estimated ABV: 8.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

15.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)
3.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
1.50 lb Vienna Malt(3.5 SRM)
0.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (First Wort 60 min)
1.00 oz Perle [8.00 %] (60 min)
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (40 min)
1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (20 min)
1.00 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (20 min)
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (15 min)
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (15 min)
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00%] (10 min)
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (10 min)
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (5 min)
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (1 min)
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (1 min)
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (1 min)
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (1 min)
1 Pkgs Pilsner Lager (White Labs #WLP800)

What do you think? I'm open to all suggestions!

 

[Mainer28]

I've never made an Imperial Pils, but you will need a massive starter or 2 packages of the lager yeast.

 

[lowlife]

looks like a lot of work with all the hop additions, I like mine with all saaz 3 additions but everyone likes different things.

 

[g-star]

17% CaraPils is way too much. I'd cut it down to 5% and mash around 154F if you want more body.

As has been mentioned, a HUGE starter is mandatory. Get it going 2-3 days in advance, not sure how big but at least a few liters.

Hop schedule looks nice, albeit a bit labor intensive.

 

[Nateo]

6 different hops? Man, that is way too many hop varieties, IMO. My conception of "imperialized" recipes is "take the essence of the base beer, and magnify it." Odell makes a nice imperial pils. Pilseners are really simple. Saaz and pils malt. I agree with lowlife, but to each their own, YMMV, etc.

Also, Mainer28 is incorrect. According to Jamil's pitching rate calculator, you'll need 2 packs in an 8L starter, or 6 packs without a starter.

 

[jeffjm]

My first imperial pils is just about done in the primary after two and a half weeks. I thought about using carapils and decided not to. Instead I decided to add a pound of boiled and cooled corn sugar about halfway through fermentation. My intent was to help lower the FG and dry the beer out. I am very curious what the difference between the two grain bills will be.

The comment about a huge starter is dead on. Mr. Malty said I needed about 650 billion cells for an OG of 1088. At that point, I figured it was impossible to overpitch, so I made a gallon starter of 2124, and also pitched all the yeast I could harvest from my Dortmunder Export. I had two and a half inches of krausen within 24 hours. When pitching, I aerated longer than normal, and then re-aerated by rocking the carboy for five minutes twelve hours after pitching.

I can't say much about hops, other than that I used all the noble and noble-derived hops in my freezer.
You might want to look at high-alphas such as Magnum for your bittering additions to keep vegetable matter in the kettle to a minimum. I used about eight ounces total and had a nasty problem with clogged valves and pumps.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

With all the malt in there you won't need any carapils at all. If you don't eliminate it I'd at least cut it back. I just recently tried Rogue's Morimoto Imperial Pils and as you can see from the link, it's just Pils malt and Sterling hops. Not sure why it says 16* Lovibond, looked like just a nice deep golden color to me but was quite cloudy.

Also agree about the yeast. Just brew a low grav lager and use some/most of the cake for the IP imo.

I'd also boil it a bit longer, like 90 minutes. I have an IP conditioning right now, will be a couple months before I get to it.

 

[Whargies]

I want to thank you guys for your input and after some thinking and came up with this:

Batch Size: 6.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.078 SG
Estimated Color: 5.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 79.8 IBU
Estimated ABV: 8.2 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

16.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
1.50 lb Vienna Malt(3.5 SRM)
0.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
1.00 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (First Wort 90 min)
1.00 oz Styrain Goldings [5.40 %] (60 min)
1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (40 min)
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (20 min)
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (15 min)
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (15 min)
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00%] (10 min)
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (10 min)
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (5 min)
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (1 min)
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (1 min)
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (1 min)
2 Pkgs Pilsner Lager (White Labs #WLP800)

I took some of your advice and dropped 2 of the 6 hops and trimmed all hop addtions 20 min and below to 0.50 oz. When I dropped the cara pils back to 5.3% it dropped my ABV below 8% so I boosted the base malt up to hit back up around the 8% area.... So here it is my very first recipe in the flesh. I'm hoping this will turn out to be a good imperial pils.

 

[944play]

I'm planning a pils-and-a-half, about 7%. Simplicity is the watchword here:

14 lbs German pilsner
2 oz Spalt Select 5.6% @90 43 IBU
1 oz Spalt Select 5.6% @10 5 IBU
1 oz Spalt Select 5.6% @5 4 IBU
Wyeast 2308 slurry

RO+CaCl2, mash low and slow, ferment cool then ramp, lager for days. Process, not recipe.

 

[1Mainebrew]

Don't forget to adjust your efficiency on such a big beer. Most big beers lose efficiency points because of the decrease sparge volume.