# Pilsner with NZ Hops



## hairydog (2/6/17)

I am planning on a Pilsner brew for the weekend with a simple grain bill of Wey pils and carapils and because

I have a stock of Kiwi hops I want to use them in the recipe.Hops I have are DR Rudi,motueka,nelson sauvin and riwaku,

has anyone brewed a recipe using these hops without turning it into a pale ale with small amounts of the fruitier hops with

the Motueka maybe around 35IBU? I am using the Mangrove jacks boh pils yeast.I was thinking Dr Rudi at 60min for bittering

with Motueka and Riwaka later maybe 15min anybody done any brews similar?


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## Cosh (2/6/17)

Yes, I used Riwaka late in the boil and 2124 yeast.

Turned into a beautiful Pilsner with a fruity twist. One of my all time favourite brews.

I'll post up the recipe when I get home tonight.


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## bconnery (2/6/17)

Absolutely. Nelson and Moteuka in particular I think are great pilsner hops. 
I don't have any of the recipes to hand but I use a ratio of 90/10% Pils/Munich malt, bitter with either a clean bittering or the same hop and then a flavour addition of 1.23g/litre at 15 or 10 mins (not my ratio, I inherited it from someone on here way back...) rounded, unless your scales are really accurate... I often, but not always, round down for the fruiter NZ flavours. I usually aim for something around the 35 IBUs


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## hairydog (2/6/17)

Thanks Cosh

Look forward to checking out that recipe,i can only get my hands on an equivalent white labs yeast but have kept the mangrove jacks yeast from previous brew.

bconnery I might give the munich a go instead of the carapils,good to hear hop combinations have been a success in your Pilsner brews.


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## fungrel (2/6/17)

Absolutely use Dr Rudi for bittering. I use it in American Wheat beers and any other pale beer that needs a relatively clean profile.

I don't use any hops 15min or less to give the malt a chance to shine, but Mouteka goes well in conjunction with Rudi.


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## Cosh (2/6/17)

Ferny Pils MkII
German Pilsner (Pils) (2 A)

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 21.00 l
Boil Size: 31.63 l
Boil Time: 90 min
End of Boil Vol: 25.48 l
Final Bottling Vol: 21.00 l
Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.7 %

6.00 g Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins) 
6.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins) 
4.50 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Wey (3.9 EBC) 96.8 %
0.15 kg Acid Malt (5.9 EBC) 3.2 %
31.00 g Riwaka [5.60 %] - Boil 60.0 min 23.3 IBUs
20.00 g Saaz [3.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 8.1 IBUs
0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins)
15.00 g Riwaka [5.60 %] - Boil 10.0 min 2.3 IBUs
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) 
10.00 g Riwaka [5.60 %] - Boil 5.0 min 1.3 IBUs
1.0 pkg Bohemian Lager (Wyeast Labs #2124)

Est Original Gravity: 1.048 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.9 %
Bitterness: 34.9 IBUs
Est Color: 6.5 EBC
Measured Original Gravity: 1.048 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.6 %


Mash Name: 3 Step Pilsner

Mash Steps
*Name* *Description* *Step Temperature* *Step Time*
Step Add 8.74 l of water at 63.3 C 55.0 C 5 min
Step Add 3.81 l of water at 90.2 C 64.0 C 90 min
Mash Out Add 8.37 l of water at 97.8 C 76.0 C 10 min


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## Quokka42 (2/6/17)

Obviously some people here don't have any Czech friends. German Pils and Amrerican Pilsner [sic] are not the same as a Pilsner (I actually often spell it Pilsener, as Pilzn is prounounced Pilsen in English.) Some of the German versions come close as they use classic noble hops, but you shouldn't call it anything like Pilsner if using American style fruity hops - it's just a pale lager.

Of course I am biased, as I discovered Saaz is the unmentioned flavour hop in a lot of the most famous Australian beers - missed by most because POR is also in the same area of the spectrum.


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## good4whatAlesU (3/6/17)

From the OPs list I reckon DrRudi (sharp bittering) and Riwaka (strong passionfruit) are out of place and don't really suit the pilsner style. I'd probably go for something like Wakatu instead.


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## AJS2154 (3/6/17)

good4whatAlesU said:


> From the OPs list I reckon DrRudi (sharp bittering) and Riwaka (strong passionfruit) are out of place and don't really suit the pilsner style. I'd probably go for something like Wakatu instead.


Yeah, I agree with you good4whatalesyou, but the clean crisp taste of a well brewed pilsner contrasted with something like Riwaka might be interesting. It would need to have solid bittering early in the boil, and only smaller amounts of Riwaka, or it might taste like passionpop.

I would be interested to hear how it turns out. For me, winter is pilsner brewing time and this year I am doing a couple of traditional pilsners. I am also planning one with only 1 hop, Motueka, and then one that has 3 hops....pacific jade, motueka and cascade. Behemoth brews a tasty Hopped up on Pils beer that has the 3 combined hops and it is a cracker.

See you, Anthony


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## good4whatAlesU (3/6/17)

Quite right. It might be a nice tasting beer anyway.. it's all good.


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## Quokka42 (3/6/17)

Oh, I don't disagree that it sounds like a nice beer - just being pedantic about the name. 

I am also going to put down a Pilsner soon - though I will stick with the traditional Saaz. I haven't actually brewed a lager in years, but I now have the equipment to do it properly - in winter, anyway - and Pilsner is is the simplest recipe and I figure will show me my mistakes most readily, whilst leaving me something drinkable.


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## hairydog (3/6/17)

Good to hear everybody preferences using hops and pilsner recipes,i also have brewed pilsners with
saaz and hallertau and simple single grain with a touch of carapils with good results.
I might try a mix of pilsner and munich (bconnery),60min DR Rudi to 20 IBU,15min combo of 10g Riwaka and the
rest Motueka to get 15IBU and i know it won't turn out as a by the book recipe but will still be a good drop.


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## Lyrebird_Cycles (3/6/17)

I personally dislike Dr Rudi having been forced to use it for years by the bean counters. I particularly dislike the bitterness it gives in lagers: totally out of place.

IMO you are much better off using all Saaz at 90 minutes for the bitterness, you'll need about 80g. The Saaz character is delicate and is easily swamped by coarser characters from modern hops, so If you mix Saaz with anything else you have to make sure the Saaz contributes more bitterness than the others; by the time you do this you might as well just use Saaz. I also think part of the character you get with Saaz has to do with the sheer amount of hops that are added for a given bitterness level which increases the levels of hops derived polyphenols etc.

Throw in whatever you want for aroma (but I concur with Quokka, don't call it a Pilsener).


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## good4whatAlesU (4/6/17)

I've used Rudi in some Stouts and after about 9 months in the bottle it settles down and rounds out very nicely. But it's definitely a longer term proposition - quite harsh early on.


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