Recipe Critique - First Lager Attempt

[goofiefoot]

My brewing buddies fell in love with the Double Mountain Pilsner last year on a PNW trip, so they've asked me to come up with a recipe. Since I haven't tried it, I only have the description from DM's webiste:

» PILSNER «
Matt's own "Bohemian Rhapsody", featuring traditional ingredients used in a distinctly Northwest recipe. We aged this beer for between six and nine weeks -- two to three times our normal program -- to give our Czech lager yeast enough tie to do its thing, and to allow the flavors to mellow and merge. The result was a hophead's Pilsner that was supremely satisfying.
Brewed with organic Pilsner malt, Czech lager yeast, and Sterling hops. 5.5%ABV, 50 BU


I just read Jamil's Pilsner article in BYO, and I like the idea of not going through the decoction process, so I'd like to do single infusion. In looking at other pilsner recipes, it looks like many folks use Carapils or the like for head retention, so I've thrown it in on this one. Feel free to tear it down if need be. Thanks in advance!

Here's my attempt:

Batch size - 10g
Efficiency - 70%
OG - 1.055
FG - 1.013
IBU - 49
Boil - 90 mins
Starter - 2 gal (with 3 vials - yikes!)

22# - German Pilsner Malt
1# - Carapils
2oz - Sterling Hops (60 mins)
2oz - Sterling Hops (30 mins)
2oz - Sterling Hops (Turn Off)
White Labs WLP802 or Wyeast2278 (suggestions?)

Single Infusion
148-150° (75 minutes), 1.75 qt/lb

Cool to ferment temp (55°), pitch yeast
Ferment 2 weeks or until done
Transfer to cornies and lager at 40° 6-9 weeks
Carbonate and drink
Rinse and repeat.

 

[khiddy]

You might consider a 90-minute boil to drive off DMS, and the hops are a bit lower than specified (you're at 34 IBUs w/Tinseth calculation, 39 w/Rager, 34 w/Garetz).

As far as yeast, have you considered the Wyeast 2247 Private Collection lager? It sounds like it might be right up the alley as far as benefitting from hoppiness.

Wyeast 2247-PC European Lager Yeast
Beer Styles: German Pilsner, Bohemian Pilsner, Classic American Pilsner, Munich Helles, Dortmunder Export
Profile: This strain exhibits a very clean and dry flavor profile often found in aggressively hopped lagers. Produces mild aromatics and slight sulfur notes typical of classic pilsners. This yeast is a good attenuator resulting in beers with a
distinctively crisp finish.
Alc. Tolerance 10% ABV
Flocculation low
Attenuation 73-77%
Temp. Range 46-56°F (8-13°C)

 

[Walker]

the hops are a bit lower than specified (you're at 34 IBUs w/Tinseth calculation, 39 w/Rager, 34 w/Garetz).

I am seeing about 52 IBUs in ProMash. I assumed 7.5% AA (range for sterling is 6-9) and pellet form. I don't know what method is used to calculate it, but it's coming up much higher than the 30's.

EDIT: whole form @ 7.5%AA gives 47 IBU.

 

[goofiefoot]

90 mins - oops, that's actually what I had plugged into my recipe process.

I use Beer Alchemy for Mac, and this is the 49 IBU it spit out based on loose pellets. Not sure what else I need to adjust

DM is pretty specific about a Czech yeast - will the 2247 (looks to be generically "European") give me a close flavor profile?

How about the addition of Carapils? I'd love some good head retention, but not sure if it will mess with anything.

 

[goofiefoot]

So, I plugged in my stats into Mr Malty to get my actual pitching rates.

Whoa!!! 3 Liquid Vials in 2 gallons of starter (shaking intermittently)? or 8.5 vials without starter?

My cost just went up dramatically. Other than the yeast packs at $7/pop, I would need more DME, plus the time to get all that brewed up. Is there any good way of getting around this?

There is the option of dry lager yeast (still 4 packs though), and while it doesn't save much money, it would save time. Problem is, the recipe specifically calls for a Czech lager yeast. The SafLager S-23 states that it works well for a large variety, but I don't want to be disappointed in the final product.

Suggestions?

 

[Walker]

I am surprised that you would need three vials to make a starter! I would think that a single vial would be sufficient for a starter.

 

[goofiefoot]

I am surprised that you would need three vials to make a starter! I would think that a single vial would be sufficient for a starter.

Would I just need to make a stronger starter wort with one vial?

 

[Walker]

I don't know. You're being more anal about it than I would be.

I am brewing a lager this weekend and I made a starter with a single wyeast Activator smack-pack. For ales, I don't make starters, but I am for the lager.

I have never even seen a white labs vial, so I don't know how much is even in them.

 

[commonlaw]

You could step the starter, which may be what I am doing with a pils this weekend. Make a 1 or 1.5L starter from one pack, then pitch that into a 4L starter (use a growler maybe?). That would probably give you some extra yeasties.

 

[goofiefoot]

We've got fermentation going on!

We ended up brewing this on NY day, but tried a little "Pepsi-Challenge" experiment. We brewed 12 gallons total - 6 gallons all-grain, based on my recipe above, and 6 gallons modified for LME with steeped grains.

The all-grain worked out terrific. I've had some efficiency issues lately, and this time I hit my targeted 70% exactly. My 90 min boil was a little light, so I ended up with a little more volume at 1.054, but I really can't complain.

We've done pretty well with most of our extract brews, but this one came out low - 1.049. Not horrible, but not sure where we lost efficiency.

I created 2 starters, each about 1 quart. I was stretching my supply of DME with a little table sugar and yeast fuel to get that amount. I agitated the starters about every 6-10 hours, and ended up with a nice thick yeast cake to pitch.

I had krausen the next morning after pitching, and both airlocks are bubbling away today.

 

[Martin2D]

The reason that the numbers are so high for lagers because Jamil is very emphatic that good lagers need huge cell counts to come out well. I would assume this has to do with preventing as little ester formation as possible or something along those lines.