SpanishCastleAle
Well-Known Member
Congrats! Well done! Please post pics of the trip!
Pilsner Urquell Homebrew Contest
- Thread starter Cburke501
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Yes!! We'll get you in the brewhouse too!!
michaeltrego
Well-Known Member
Hey! I'm still in shock...and still driving back to the north country. I'll post pics and more details tonight. It was a blast hanging with Phil and Rich - what a great event! Congrats again Phil - you are the man!
My girlfriend and I were there last night and it was such a great time. I've been to Czech Republic a few times and have never seen beer poured in that fashion that before.
Congrats to Mike and Phil! (Mike I think I met your son in line for the bathroom) Psyched to see members of the forum represent and as a novice to home brewing really humbled to see your guy's experience recognized like that. Nice Job!
Congrats to Mike and Phil! (Mike I think I met your son in line for the bathroom) Psyched to see members of the forum represent and as a novice to home brewing really humbled to see your guy's experience recognized like that. Nice Job!
I was up there smiling and thinking to myself, "man, I can't stop smiling"
I brewed it on Memorial day. I used WLP800 from a 1 liter starter (actually 2 X 500 ml). Started it at 48 F and then to 50 F after 3 days. 28 days in primary then kegged and forced carbed. After kegging it sat at ~65 F for 2 weeks before I had room in my lager chamber. Lagered for 3 weeks at 35 F, then bottled and kept in the fridge for another 10 days. I had pulled maybe 5 pints prior to bottling to get rid of any yeast
michaeltrego
Well-Known Member
It was fantastic to meet fellow HBTers Phil Jensen and Rich Buceta, and sorry we didn't get a chance to meet everyone else that was there -- we should have held up a HBT sign or something. It was purely by chance that I sat down next to Phil!
I uploaded a bunch of photos here...
Hospoda was a great venue, and the Pilsner Urquell on draft as fantastically fresh. There was a glass floor where the patrons stood waiting for a beer, which revealed the keg cellar below and there must have been at least 30 kegs of PU down there. The server had a very structured process for pulling a draft -- rinse/scrub the mug, immersion in a cold water bath for a while, and then fill the mug with an appropriate level of beer/foam depending on the style (see the Hospoda website for details). I drank Creme all night.
The judging took about two and half hours, and it must have been very difficult for them to give all 50 entries a fair evaluation in such a short time. Towards the end Phil's wife and I were lurking around the judging area to see what we could see. I saw both of our entry numbers in the final six, so we had our fingers crossed right until the end. Man, what a great feeling!
Major congrats to Phil -- take a lot of pictures in Prague to share with the HBT team back home -- have a great trip!
michaeltrego
Well-Known Member
Thanks Rich -- I agreed with Phil, a collaboration brew at Singlecut to break in your new equipment! Best of luck with all your planning.
Ok, some notes for you DC and Chicago folks. My wife and I made it safely home and are having some of my beer and mentally comparing it to what we had last night. Like I said earlier, the stuff we were drinking was definitely different from what we were used to. A little darker, a little fuller bodied, very smooth and a long lingering bitterness. I thought I was making all these tweaks to set it apart from what "I knew" PU to taste like and I now realize that it ended up a lot closer to what we were drinking at Hospoda that I had thought. The stuff we were drinking is probably pretty darn close to what they drink in the Czech Republic. I think they may have made some changes to their shipping and the contest is part of an advertizing push about this. I was just lucky that my tweaks to my impression of the standard imported version made it more like the stuff you get in the Old World. The original is better than mine - more refined. The mouthfeel is very similar. The bitterness in mine is actually a little smoother, probably a few less IBUs, but the real stuff is a little creamier. Mine has some subtle notes of iced tea and the original had just the slightest hints of some toastyness - pretty similar, but slightly different. My wife thinks my water was still a little too hard, and I think she may be right. It was 1/2 distilled.
Threat thread guys. Congrats. I can't wait for this winter to jump back in to lagers.
I can testify to these tasting notes, at least as far as the Pils U. version is concerned. I didn't have the pleasure of trying Phil's brew but I'm sure if the judges (who were definitely IMPRESSIVE including the Prague breweries Head Brewer. He had the gut to prove it!) liked it best it was amazing. :rockin:
Both my friend Nathan and I made the final round, but neither of us won (he took second, I didn't place). The guy who won has a Czech wife, clearly she gave him some sort of secret recipe.
Really fun event, great to meet a bunch of people I'd emailed with, decent food (although I thought the Urquell they had on tap was less than stellar).
Really fun event, great to meet a bunch of people I'd emailed with, decent food (although I thought the Urquell they had on tap was less than stellar).
Rhoobarb
Well-Known Member
You guys are really making me look forward to this. I don't think my Pils has an ice cube's chance in hell of winning, but I think it'll be a great experience. My wife and I will be there tomorrow night.
Big congrats to you both! Damn fine job.
Big congrats to you both! Damn fine job.
You'll have a blast!! Someone should have an HBT sign to hold up so everyone can find everyone. I wish we had done that in NYC
Rhoobarb said:
My wife and I will be there as well. This is my first pilsner so I'm with you on the chances of winning but I'm really looking forward to the event and checking out the Revolution Brewery for a little pre-game drinking.
My wife an I will be there. Not only is this my first pilsner, it will be my first Lager. I don't feel like I have much chance either. Mine could use more bitterness.
Wish I didn't have to work the next day, so I could stay overnight and not have to drive back to Wisconsin the same night.
Wish I didn't have to work the next day, so I could stay overnight and not have to drive back to Wisconsin the same night.
Lilrascal said:My wife an I will be there. Not only is this my first pilsner, it will be my first Lager. I don't feel like I have much chance either. Mine could use more bitterness.
Wish I didn't have to work the next day, so I could stay overnight and not have to drive back to Wisconsin the same night.
Well this is my second year doing lagers, finally got temperature control, but I typically make a Helles > Dunkel > Bock so I can re-pitch the yeast. If I could go back I would have pitched more yeast in my pilsner. It's clean and the carbonation is good but I feel like I'm getting some fruity ale flavors when it warms up and it could be a little more bitter as well. I'm going to bring an extra bottle in case anyone would be willing to give me some feedback. At least I don't have to work on Saturday.
Good Luck!
Well I still can't believe it, but I got 3rd. :rockin: I am pretty happy considering this competition was my first attempt at ever even making a lager. Like I said before, I knew mine was a real clean good pilsner, just lacked some of that hop character of the real Pilsner Urquell. I got a little nervous when I saw the judges tasting them next to PU to compare. They said competition was close and they had narrowed it down to 8. Couldn't believe it when my name was called.
Got to talk to judges afterwards, and they confirmed my thoughts, about needing just a little more hops. One judge said there were a clear top 4. Another said he had mine in 2nd. Although disappointed in not getting the trip to Prague, I way exceeded my expectations.
Here I am on the left standing next to Vaclav Berka, Pilsner Urquells Brewmaster. Winner in the middle, with second on the right.
Got to talk to judges afterwards, and they confirmed my thoughts, about needing just a little more hops. One judge said there were a clear top 4. Another said he had mine in 2nd. Although disappointed in not getting the trip to Prague, I way exceeded my expectations.
Here I am on the left standing next to Vaclav Berka, Pilsner Urquells Brewmaster. Winner in the middle, with second on the right.
Congrats! That makes a pretty good showing for HBT - 3 of 9 top place finishes!
My next personal goal is to see if I can rebrew it and have it turn out just as well.
My next personal goal is to see if I can rebrew it and have it turn out just as well.
I'm glad you folks did so well! I guess it proves what a great site this is. Congrats y'all!
Thanks. The 3rd place finish, has definitely inspired me to continue brewing and improve my process. I must say that I have learned so much from this site, and its members. While I have been brewing for only a short time, the knowledge and inspiration of the folks here have made it possible to jump right into the hobby.
My thoughts as well. So much started coming back to me from my wine making days. It was easy to apply that to beer brewing since I showed up here. Being a quick study helps. I'm enjoying this so much more than wine making. I can put more imagination into it,imo.
That was you Rascal? Congratulations! My wife and I were sittting at the table up front by you. I was wearing a black and blue checkered shirt and congratulated you and the others upon your winning.
Despite not winning (or even placing) it was a great experience. Can't say I'm not disappointed, but not really surprised either. I've made Pilsners before, but I took a few risks with this one. Due to a screw up in my recipe formulation (forgot to punch in new AA% for the hops I used - DUH!) my beer was woefully underhopped. I took a wait-and-see approach. Unfortunately, with my schedule "wait-and-see" became "too late to do anything". I was quite happy with the clarity, but it was also a bit too light. Really, it came out more like a decent Helles, but made for a crummy Pilsner. Just makes me want to re-double my efforts to perfect my process. I was really hoping to get score sheets or some kind of feedback, particularly when one considers the caliber of the judging. I asked and was told it was something they were looking into.
Gotta give a big thanks to Pilsner Urquell for putting this together, and hosting such a fantastic event!
Congratulations again, to you and all the winners!
Chris
Despite not winning (or even placing) it was a great experience. Can't say I'm not disappointed, but not really surprised either. I've made Pilsners before, but I took a few risks with this one. Due to a screw up in my recipe formulation (forgot to punch in new AA% for the hops I used - DUH!) my beer was woefully underhopped. I took a wait-and-see approach. Unfortunately, with my schedule "wait-and-see" became "too late to do anything". I was quite happy with the clarity, but it was also a bit too light. Really, it came out more like a decent Helles, but made for a crummy Pilsner. Just makes me want to re-double my efforts to perfect my process. I was really hoping to get score sheets or some kind of feedback, particularly when one considers the caliber of the judging. I asked and was told it was something they were looking into.
Gotta give a big thanks to Pilsner Urquell for putting this together, and hosting such a fantastic event!
Congratulations again, to you and all the winners!
Chris
King of Cascade
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2008
- Messages
- 656
- Reaction score
- 7
Well I still can't believe it, but I got 3rd. :rockin: I am pretty happy considering this competition was my first attempt at ever even making a lager. Like I said before, I knew mine was a real clean good pilsner, just lacked some of that hop character of the real Pilsner Urquell. I got a little nervous when I saw the judges tasting them next to PU to compare. They said competition was close and they had narrowed it down to 8. Couldn't believe it when my name was called.
Got to talk to judges afterwards, and they confirmed my thoughts, about needing just a little more hops. One judge said there were a clear top 4. Another said he had mine in 2nd. Although disappointed in not getting the trip to Prague, I way exceeded my expectations.
Here I am on the left standing next to Vaclav Berka, Pilsner Urquells Brewmaster. Winner in the middle, with second on the right.
Way to go sixty...
My wife posted a few random pics on her facebook page. You'll have to forgive the quality - forgot the camera and had to use our phones.
Pilsner Urquell Competition
Pilsner Urquell Competition
Yes I remember you. Thanks for the congratulations. It would have been nice to know who was HBT's. It was kind of funny, because my wife and I were pretty much just talking between ourselves the whole night. Once I was announced as the final 8, it was nice to have people come up to us to talk and congratulate.
Joe
I sure hope they decide to do it again next year. Though I am sure intrest will be higher next year making it hard to get one of those 50 spots. Maybe the top 3 will automatically get invited back.
I sure hope they decide to do it again next year. Though I am sure intrest will be higher next year making it hard to get one of those 50 spots. Maybe the top 3 will automatically get invited back.
While it would be nice to enter again, they might discourage that for the winners. I'm hoping that they I might be able to be one of next years judges! That would be cool. :rockin:
michaeltrego
Well-Known Member
Congrats lilrascal - great stuff! Did you try any unique tweaks to the standard bohemian pils recipes? This was my first real pilsner, and decoction too. I added some munich to kick up the malt profile and added a whirlpool addition of saaz to enhance the aroma a bit.
I kept it pretty simple. No decoction, a single infusion temp. Addition of Carahell and Carafoam. Also had a whirlpool addition of Saaz. I will probably try to tweak it a little, but want to try to stick to changing one thing at a time.
Joe
Tonedef131
Well-Known Member
That's me on the right, I took second. I don't post here anymore but friend linked me to this thread and it's cool to read other peoples experiences.Here I am on the left standing next to Vaclav Berka, Pilsner Urquells Brewmaster. Winner in the middle, with second on the right.
This is one of my favorite styles to brew but this is the first time I've brewed any beer specifically for a competition and was very happy with how it turned out. Even though I didn't win, it was a great comp since it was free and on the way to the Great Taste of the Midwest, so I didn't really have anything invested in it. I would have stuck around and talked to the judges but I was with a large group of people who probably didn't feel like waiting plus we had reservations at The Publican.
I would be very interested to know what yeast everyone who entered used.
Rhoobarb
Well-Known Member
Had a great time, even though I didn't place. I didn't expect to. The food was terrific and the PU was very fresh. Congrats to all. My wife and I were pulling for the person who ultimately won to win b/c he drove all the way from Ohio.
It was nice to meet you. I did stop by to speak with some of the judges. They were real complimentary, and confirmed my suspicions on what I could have done to improve on it slightly. I went with Wyeast 2001 Urquell yeast.
Tonedef131
Well-Known Member
You too, and that is especially impressive since you are new to lager brewing.
I did 10 gallons and fermented half with 2001 and half with 802. I ended up entering the 802, which finished about 3 points higher than the 2001. Outside of being less dry, it also was maltier and had an interesting fruit note that I thought would make it stand out.
Here is the national press release:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Pilsner-Urquell-Crowns-Three-prnews-126704349.html?x=0&.v=1
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Pilsner-Urquell-Crowns-Three-prnews-126704349.html?x=0&.v=1
Congrats again Tonedef.
I used WLP 802 as well. Would you say it attenuated lower than expected for you? At @ 72% I thought it was kinda low, especially since the specs say 75-80%. However, White Labs' mini-ferment data shows an attenuation of 71%, so I dunno. I also noticed the fruitiness.
I used WLP 802 as well. Would you say it attenuated lower than expected for you? At @ 72% I thought it was kinda low, especially since the specs say 75-80%. However, White Labs' mini-ferment data shows an attenuation of 71%, so I dunno. I also noticed the fruitiness.
mklawz
Well-Known Member
I used both WL800 and WL802. I did a taste test with some very senior members of BJCP, along with Mark Naski from The Stables in St. Louis (he is extremely well versed in this style), and it was decided (unanimously), that the WL800 was a better beer. We sampled them both alongside decent Pilsner Urquell. I dont know what happened to the WL802, but it was really hazy while the WL800 was perfectly clear. Also the 802 had a slight fruitiness that Kyle mentioned. Oh, FWIW, Mark claims to have some PU yeast and said there is no way in h*ll that the WL802 is their proprietary strain.
I didn't even make the top 8, but I didn't exactly brew for this comp either. In fact my beer was already brewed before I even learned of the comp. Had I done the proper taste-testing and sampling earlier than I did, I should have re-brewed it but unfortuantely I didn't take the whole thing serious enough!
Good time with a few friends though.
michaeltrego
Well-Known Member
I used WLP800 stepping it up to a 3L starter for a 10 gallon batch. Fermented at 50 degrees for 2 weeks, then 53 degrees for 2 more weeks until complete (OG 1.052 FG 1.010). I thought it was clean and cleared very well.
Tonedef131
Well-Known Member
For me it finished at 1.010 and had peerless clarity after 2-3 weeks of lagering. 802 is supposedly the Budvar strain, so very much Czech in origin but you are right it's not the Urquell strain. I've heard several sources say PU use a blend of around 7 strains, one of which is 2001, but in the book they gave us at the comp they said they still use the same single strain Joseph Groll brought from Bavaria...so who knows. I like 2001 a lot but as I said I figured a lot of people would use it since it's labeled as the Urquell strain so I figured I would give 802 a shot to make my beer stand out. As much as I love 2001, I think 801 might be my new go to for Bohemian lagers. I have a U Fleku clone fermenting right now, so we will see how it does in dark beers.
Also I know a lot of people brewed their beers really early or entered ones that were brewed far in advance before the comp was announced. Personally I think freshness made a big difference in my beer, I'd love to know how long the first and third lagered their beers before the comp.
I brewed mine around sometime around beginning of June. Lagered end of June and whole month of July right up to the day before the contest when I bottled it. To be honest that is one thing I need to get better at is record keeping.
