First AG Lager/Pilsner

[macleanb]

Having finally run out of procrastinations - I am finally going to undertake a lager - a pilsner me thinks, aiming for around 5% to 5.5% abv

Going to be using pilsner malt
Some maize (maybe a fair bit)
a wee touch of cara-something
wee touch of wheat malt
Hallertau as main bittering
Saaz as aroma
and for a bit of a twist some NZ Saaz at flame out (very kindly donated by Aleman)

Bit concerned re my water - which is London - so pretty hard - any advice re treatment (that I can understand)...

I think I did this post last year - but I mean it this time!

If anyone has any suggestions re how many/what temp/duration decoction steps (which I want to have a go at just for the hell of it)

The looking at other posts would pitch 2 x saflager at 12c (unsure how long that will take to get to with my IC - could I pitch a bit warmer and put straight into fermentation fridge?)

Ferment 10 @12c
Ferment 2 days 16-18C
cool to 2C maintain 5 days
Rack
lager for 4 weeks at 0-2C

transfer to keg or bottle.


Missed anything

[Rookie]

My water is slightly hard and what I do is dilute it with distilled water: 1/4 to 1/3 distilled. With harder water you may want to use a larger portion of distilled.
When I make a pilsner I use mostly pilsner malt with a little munich. It turns out good with a single temperature infusion.

[Aleman]

for a bit of a twist some NZ Saaz at flame out (very kindly donated by Aleman)

Did I

Bit concerned re my water - which is London - so pretty hard - any advice re treatment (that I can understand)...

Asda Smart Price water Or Tescos Ashburton Spring . . . both are very low in bicarbonate, and would benefit from the addition of a tsp of Calcium Chloride in the Mash and 1 in the boil.

If anyone has any suggestions re how many/what temp/duration decoction steps (which I want to have a go at just for the hell of it)

Don't! . . . If you really have to I would go for a 66C main mash then pull a thin decoction (Mostly mash liquor ) and raise that to 75C (at 2C per min) . . . hold for 20 minutes
, then raise to boiling . . . boil for 15-20 minutes (top it up to keep the volume constant), then return to the main mash for a mash out.

Otherwise everything else looks ok . . . don't go more than 20% on the corn

[macleanb]

Hi Aleman - Yes you did - way back in June 08 (They went straight in the freezer) so should be fine.

Thanks very much for the advice. I can see that decotion is a bit of a faf, but suspect you have other motives for steering me clear - just curious as to what pitfalls you envisage me falling down if I go ahead or is it just not worth it (as I said, its more just a been there, done that, got th t-shirt type of thing)

If I didnt decoct - would you suggest some melanoidin malt to up the malt profile?

Also just notice the alpha on those hops you sent me - wow 8. something - so pehaps I should bitter with these rather than aroma and make it an all saaz affair (have some more regular 2.1 saaz as well).

[Aleman]

There is very little to be gained by a decoction . . . even Greg Noonan only does a single decoction now. . . . . . a couple of hundred grams of Melanoidin will give a similar profile with a lot less hassle

You could bitter with the NZ Saaz, and use Czech Saz for aroma . . . its what I do . . . sort of

[macleanb]

(sorry to go on) So just a single step infusion mash then, no acid/protein rests needed (this is Brupack Pilsner malt - no idea where it coms from).

You might be forming the opinion I like to make things hard for myself - just interested in trying new things....

[Aleman]

The Brupak Pilsner Malt is from Weyermann and is fine with single infusion mash . . . well it has been for me for the last 10 years . . . The malt is well modified and when I do a decoction (very occasionally) I avoid the 50-60C region completely . . . and it is difficult to go from 35C straight to 64C, in one jump . . . So it gets a boiling water infusion as well . . .but really unless you can get under modified Czech Spring Barley malt you are onto a hiding to nothing attempting a Decoction

[macleanb]

Right - going to use the follwoing recipe - hope it will bit a little more floral than yor ordinary lager due to the late hops - any comments/suggestions welcome:

Bens Pilsner
German Pilsner (Pils)


Type: All Grain
Date: 05/10/2008
Batch Size: 25.00 L
Brewer: Ben
Boil Size: 30.11 L Asst Brewer: Ian
Boil Time: 90 min Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.20 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (3.9 EBC) Grain 70.00 %
0.80 kg Corn, Flaked (2.6 EBC) Grain 13.33 %
0.25 kg Acid Malt (5.9 EBC) Grain 4.17 %
0.20 kg Cara-Pils/Dextrine (3.9 EBC) Grain 3.33 %
0.20 kg Melanoiden Malt (39.4 EBC) Grain 3.33 %
0.20 kg White Wheat Malt (4.7 EBC) Grain 3.33 %
0.15 kg Acid Malt (5.9 EBC) Grain 2.50 %
45.00 gm Hallertauer [2.10 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 9.6 IBU
30.00 gm NZ Saaz [8.20 %] (60 min) Hops 21.2 IBU
35.00 gm Saaz [3.00 %] (20 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
35.00 gm Saaz [3.00 %] (15 min) Hops 5.0 IBU



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.055 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.060 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.28 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.39 %
Bitterness: 35.8 IBU Calories: 564 cal/l

[steve_flack]

The Brupak Pilsner Malt is from Weyermann

Occasionally it's sourced from Belgium (Brewferm) as well - I know I picked up two sacks of it last year. It's also fine in a single infusion mash. With no other darker malts in the grist it makes an incredibly pale lager (OK I cheated and put 1% of flaked barley in there but that's not a dark grain and I can pretend it's chit malt and still Reinheitsgebot)

BTW Ben, you have acid malt in your grist twice.

[macleanb]

Woops Thanks Steve. I will be using bottle water as per alemans suggestion, it was my intention to add acid malt to ensure my hop flavours stay soft (only one lot though ) - does this sound advisable?

Also I want this beer to be refreshing & thirst slaking, gulpable but dangerous - so dont want too much body - does the amount of cara/melanoiden seem to meet this design goal, am I over doining it on either ? (I do tend to overdo everything as Iank will testify )