Czech Premium Pale Lager Ocas Lishky (Pilsner Urquell Clone)

[pjj2ba]

Very nice looking!

 

[poptotwoboys]

I brew Pilsner beer exclusively, typically SMaSH beers. This looks like something I may need to give a twirl.

Great thread! I've read some of the threads that quickly disintegrated because of critical posters. Cheers to pjj2ba for maintaining the friendly tone.

 

[aqualung23]

I brew Pilsner beer exclusively, typically SMaSH beers. This looks like something I may need to give a twirl.

Great thread! I've read some of the threads that quickly disintegrated because of critical posters. Cheers to pjj2ba for maintaining the friendly tone.

Yeah im new on here and some people on here seem like insufferable ****** bags, picking apart other peoples recipes like a bunch of overanalytical nerds. I think some people have forgotten what brewing beer is actually about.

 

[Crashola]

It's been a while since I made this, but I need to give it a review. Great stuff! Urquell is my absolute favorite beer in the world. Period. And we rarely get it here on draft. As an aside, the new packaging for the bottles has increased the quality tenfold here in the U.S.

But back to the review. Carefully brewing this recipe yields outstanding results. When my wife and i tried our first taste, we both said it tastes like Plzen! This is now a regular in our home.

 

[jonpecan]

This is to be my first lager - I can't wait! Before I had little interest in investing in equipment for lagering, until I started falling in love with czech pilsners, particularly PU.

pjj, a question, which reveals my pilsner-noobism: Are you using a particular bohemian pilsner malt? In any case, do you think the recipe would taste significantly different with other pilsner malts or 2-row, or otherwise make a big difference in other respects?

I'm looking to buy bulk grain, and I'm not sure if my LHBS will be able to order bohemian pilsner malt. And hell, if 2-row could pull this off, why not save a few?

 

[makellr]

In the original posting "F B" means Franco-Belges for the Pilsener malt. When I asked PJ about it he let me know that he was investigating other malts. To me it seems that the most important things about this recipe are:

1) The interesting mix of character malts that are simulating decoction

2) The attention to detail in the mash

3) Amazing efficiency...Be sure to adjust the efficiency of this recipe if you give it a try.

With the other malts, I suggest that any high-quality Pilsener malt will be just fine.

Happy brewing!

 

[jonpecan]

Thanks makellr, definitely wasn't expecting franco-belges. Will consider obtaining!

 

[jonpecan]

This was my first lager of any kind, and I did not do a diacetyl rest. Alas, I found myself with some significant diacetyl. I'm curious whether this recipe requires a diacetyl rest, or if the rest is unnecessary if the fermentation and lagering times are followed to the minimum specifications. There were plenty of reasons why I could have triggered diacetyl independently - may have happened due to some of my practices, along with my shortened secondary/lager time (other kegs kicked unexpectedly). Despite the diacetyl in my botched batch, still a delicious brew underneath! Thanks for the recipe, I have another batch going to work out the kinks.

 

[castermmt]

Diacetyl rest is necessary, if you want to keep it from spoiling the flavor of the beer. I do it on all my lagers and have never had any issues with diacetyl off flavors. This is a kick ass brew, you should have a go at it again and enjoy the experience.

 

[Brettomomyces]

Gearing up to make this beer, going to ferment it alongside a german pils so I can use my ferm chamber better.

Question to Pjj, what is your opinion of base malt choice for this? Should I seek out the FB pilsen?

 

[Dacapster]

Brewed this last weekend, Missed the OG by .003 with a double decoction....Best ever!, after 1 week in primary its just now settling down
WLP800 starter

 

[slsBrewing]

I should mention, that out of all of the crazy ingredients I use, the one that finally made the beer taste like a BoPils was the home-toasted malt.

Any updates or tweaks to this recipe? Earlier in the thread you mentioned reducing the pils to lower ABV and reducing the aromatic malt.

I'm wondering how you feel about aromatic vs melanoidin; or using them at all? I'm kinda nervous about using these. I'm definitely going to toast some pils as you described (1/2lb @ 350F for 30min) and do a step infusion mash. Do you still feel the aromatic malt is worth adding and at what quantity? Thank you.

 

[pjj2ba]

I still like the aromatic, but the toasted malt is what I used to finally give me the czech flavor. Without it, it just ended up more like a German pils.

 

[GoeHaarden]

Primary and secondary at 50 F. Lager just above freezing. I normally ferment in primary for 2-3 weeks and then keg it and keep the keg at 50 F for another week or two before dropping to lager temps - sort of a secondary.

I took a trip Czech a few years ago, and fell in love with the PU I got over there. Straight from the tank was amazing. Nothing has been able to fulfill that void in my life since, and I want to give this recipe a whirl...

Curious about your yeast preparation? In your OP you stated that you used a 1L starter. Is this still the case? What temp do you prepare your lager starter at?

This will be my first lager and I'd like to get it right when I do it...

 

[Tommydee]

Im considering a simpler grain bill, but tempted to try toasting my pilsner malt. I have same problem as earlier poster, as I outsource my milling to the LHBS, and not sure one can roast malt after it has been ground...he OP gave a suggestion, but has anyone successfully roasted malts after grinding? .I guess I could just ask LHBS to give me a pound unground, then roast, and hit with a rolling pin...,

 

[stella_tigre]

Sipping on our first glass of this, brewed Dec 3, maybe not fully lagered yet, but since we used 34/70, it's already pretty clean.

Very tasty, clean with a crisp dry finish but you can taste the toasted malt, and what I assume is the aromatic malt, a hint of...fruity?

Thinking if we can keep our dirty paws off of it for a while it will only get better.

Will most probably do this again, for a nice changeup of our ipas, pale ales, amber ales, etc. Thinking there's a lot more pilsners in our futures too.
Thanks for the recipe!

 

[andremarron]

This is spot on. If I had access to the same malt, and their brewery, then I would use their recipe and brew it the way they do. I however, have access to none of that. Just a reminder, when I first created this recipe, my intent was not to make an exact clone of PU, or at least to clone the PU that I was used to (the rules last year were a little vague). I was lucky in that my choices for "adulteration" made it taste more like what the Europeans were used to. To critique my own recipe (in terms of perfecting the clone), it is too "hot" (5% ABV). I need to reduce the base malt a bit, and probably also the aromatic malt, but not to the same degree. My beer was a little bit "sweeter/richer". Color and bitterness were spot on. My foam is better . I could drop the oatmeal, but I just love a thick long lasting head on a beer Now one thing I always wonder about my set up is that while I don't use a decoction, I do use direct heating, and am subjecting the mash to ~ 25 min. total of heat at the bottom of the mash (minimal stirring). I'm thinking that I'm getting some Maillard reactions occurring this way - but not what I would get with a decoction

 

[andremarron]

This is spot on. If I had access to the same malt, and their brewery, then I would use their recipe and brew it the way they do. I however, have access to none of that.

Just a reminder, when I first created this recipe, my intent was not to make an exact clone of PU, or at least to clone the PU that I was used to (the rules last year were a little vague). I was lucky in that my choices for "adulteration" made it taste more like what the Europeans were used to.

To critique my own recipe (in terms of perfecting the clone), it is too "hot" (5% ABV). I need to reduce the base malt a bit, and probably also the aromatic malt, but not to the same degree. My beer was a little bit "sweeter/richer". Color and bitterness were spot on. My foam is better . I could drop the oatmeal, but I just love a thick long lasting head on a beer

Now one thing I always wonder about my set up is that while I don't use a decoction, I do use direct heating, and am subjecting the mash to ~ 25 min. total of heat at the bottom of the mash (minimal stirring). I'm thinking that I'm getting some Maillard reactions occurring this way - but not what I would get with a decoction

Congratulations for the awards, and thank you for posting the recipe.
I will try my first PU clone and I am betting on your recipe among so many others out there. It's been some time since you posted it, I wonder if you managed to perfect the clone, making the corrections suggested above or any other improvements?