Pilsner Recipe Advice

[adrian078]

I've been lurking here for a while and this is my first post.

I just bought a brew fridge and the guy that sold it threw in a couple of cans of cooper's lager + some 1kg of brew enhancer 1. I don't want to waste the ingredients but I don't want to brew it as is. I thought I'd try and turn it into something similar to a Czeck Pilsner....or just something more tasty.

It's probably a bit late for this since I've already bought my ingredients, but I thought I'd run my ideas past you lot and see what you think.


200g Carapils + 200g Carahell - steep 30 mins 65 degrees C.
200g Pilsen Light Malt Extract
15g Saaz 10 mins
15g Saaz At turn off

1.7 kg Coopers Lager
1kg Coopers Brew enhancer 1
Wyeast 2001 Urquell Lager - (Starter - I stepped a 2.7L up to 5.5L)

Ferment @12 degrees, after 10 days diacetyl rest for 2 days, condition in primary @3 degrees (4 weeks)


So here's my questions:

1) I'm aiming for around 4.5 to 5% alcohol content -- will the above work?

2) If I use the brew booster and the extra malt, will the beer turn out too sweet? Do I need some hops at the beginning of the boil to balance it? I've got some golding hops sitting around too if it needs more bitter (wouldn't be a Czech pilsner though or maybe it never will be with a coopers lager kit

3) Any other suggestions to improve this??


Thanks All!

 

[estricklin]

I'm not sure how fermentable the Brew Enhancer is, as it contains dextrose and maltodextrin. I"m also not super great with the metric system but in Beersmith this comes to around 4% or so.

Usually is a wise idea to boil some hops for the whole hour, otherwise it could be lacking in bitterness.

Anyway I think what you've got will work pretty well, so let us know how it turns out either way!

 

[adrian078]

I'm not sure how fermentable the Brew Enhancer is, as it contains dextrose and maltodextrin.

Brew Enhancer 1 - 60% dextrose, 40% maltodextrin

So this won't ferment? I'm quite new to brewing so I don't understand 100%

I"m also not super great with the metric system but in Beersmith this comes to around 4% or so.

What would you do to increase the alcohol to 4.5% Less water? More DME? None of the above? I've another 200g of DME left.

Usually is a wise idea to boil some hops for the whole hour, otherwise it could be lacking in bitterness.

Will 10-15g (about 0.35 of an ounce) do it?

 

[poptotwoboys]

Yes, the fermentable sugars come from the grain and the malt extract. You can add more dry malt extract to the boil. Look online for a recipe calculator. It will help you formulate your recipe and determine the bitterness range. There are lots of free online if you do not have access to Beersmith or Promash.

Use a recipe calculator and it will help you quantify the amount of water you need, when and how much hop to add to the boil. It can also determine if you are brewing with in the style guideline of a Pilsner.

How did you formulate the recipe in the OP?

 

[adrian078]

How did you formulate the recipe in the OP?

Just looking at recipes in a brewing book I have...these are all extract or grain recipes though. So the brew enhancer and the coopers can are curve balls.

Ok so if I use the recipe calculators.....what do I put in for the coopers kit? The ones I've seen have options for LME or DME. Do I could it as 1.7kg of LME?

 

[adrian078]

I just found this spreadsheet for modifying kit beers.

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/29655-kit-and-extract-beer-spreadsheet/

Not sure how accurate it is but seems quite detailed. If I go by this and if I'm using it correctly I should get a 4.8% bottled beer using the above recipe (23 litres). Also I found if I add 30g hops at the start of the boil, this will bring the bitterness up to where I need it.

 

[poptotwoboys]

Excellent, glad you found what you need. I used this web site in the past:

www.brewersfriend.com/
Brewer's Friend is a set of tools and information to help you brew your very best, every time. Easy to use for beginners ...

Great source for various tools online, I would guess there are many other sites as well.


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