Best way to make a dryer pilsner

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Hi,

I currently have my first all grain BIAB lagering away! It tastes good (well flat but good ) but I want to make the next one slightly drier.

1st Brew
5kg Premium Pils + .5kg Carapils
Mashed 60mins @64C --> 10mins @72C --> 10 mins @ 78C
27G mittlefrueh @60min then 20G @ 20min for 25 IBUs
Got a OG of 1.053 and it went down to 1.010 using S189 at 14C
This will give me a AC% of 6 after bottle-priming which is stronger that I would like also

So what is the best way to go

1. Change my mash somehow to make it drier?
2. Change my grist to something like 4kg premium pils .5kg carapils +.5 flaked rice or dextrose?
3. Change my yeast to something that will go drier?

Also if we could avoid 19 posts along the theme of "why do you want it drier?"/"you dont need it drier you need some more hops you 25IBU sook"/"If you want to drink tasteless fluid, save time it comes out of the tap" I have a heap of big beers brewed from my K&K days I just want to get a nice dry summer lager down first.

Thanks guys

JJJ

 

[mckenry]

As long as youre not going for a certain style and really just want as dry as possible, go down to 62° mash and replace some of your grain with sugar. Get one of the wyeast packs that have a high attenuation - Danish Lager is about 77% tops from memory. Not exactly sure but most lagers from wyeast are about 75% anyway. Aerate really well with a BIG starter and thats about the best us homebrewers can do. There is also dry enzyme as an option, but I have never used it and it gets a fairly bad wrap here. You could read up on it and decide for yourself.

 

[manticle]

Lower mash temp.

Longer mash time.

More attenuative yeast.

Fully fermentable adjunct as part of total fermentables (dex, rice etc)

Bigger pitch rate and better oxygenation (only valid if yeast is struggling due to health/numbers and you are keeging a stalled beer).

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Lower mash temp.

Longer mash time.

More attenuative yeast.

Fully fermentable adjunct as part of total fermentables (dex, rice etc)

Bigger pitch rate and better oxygenation (only valid if yeast is struggling due to health/numbers and you are keeging a stalled beer).

How low/long should I go ( would doing more rests help

Any suggestions on a more attenuative yeast? I would like to use a lager yeast but could be talked into a clean ale yeast if it was going to go lower.

What are theadvantages of one over the other? or should I just do a bit of everything?

Does flaked rice have any advantages over dextrose (it is a bit more effort and more expensive)

Thanks for the help

 

[Bizier]

Pour it on a plate and leave it in the sun.

 

[Bizier]

Go 62 then 65 then 72.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Go 62 then 65 then 72.

20mins each?

 

[Dan Pratt]

20mins each?

No Joey. :blink:

The suggestion from Manticle to mash lower and longer is the correct way to get the beer drier, plus all the other line items will make the beer drier.

Make the first rest @ 62c for 90mins then ramp up to 72c and mash out.

Add 5-10% dextrose to the ingredience

Use a Liquid Yeast strain that is highly attenuating and finishes dry. http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain.cfm

 

[Barry]

As well as the good advice above I would not use the carapils, its main purpose is to add body. The use of 4-6 gms of CaSO4 into the mash could also heighten the perception of dryness. Could replace 500 gms of the pilsner malt with 500 gms of Munich malt. IMHO it tends to increase the grain/slightly toasty character of a light coloured lager. This might provide some of the "dryness" you are looking for.
Hope this helps.

 

[Bizier]

If you add an overlapping alpha/beta rest at 65 after the 62 beta rest, you should get a bit of additional maltose. This is compared to ramping straight through at your fastest speed.

Barry's suggestions are good.

 

[dent]

Of course another option is to simply reduce the OG to 1040-45 which will make for a more summery lager.

 

[manticle]

Definitely drop out the carapils and reduce the malt overall if it's too strong. If you got it to 1010 as it is, then I'd do everything you have done (yeast, mash temp, time etc) but with 3 kg pils and 1 kg munich or vienna (and/or decoction for some bready flavours). If that's still not dry enough, mash at 60-62 for 90 mins and add 250-500g of dex or 1 kg of rice and drop the base malt to get the same desired OG. Yeast sounds attenuative enough to me.

500g of any cara in a single batch lager is a fair bit in my opinion. Missed that last night when I read the OP.

 

[Bizier]

The carapils won't be like other "cara" malts in increasing sweetness, but the job of carapils is to provide non-fermentable carbohydrates and proteins.

I personally think it is useless stuff if you are a decent brewer.

 

[manticle]

No not sweetness but equivalent to mashing high. I've never used it and I agree. Just mash high if you want dextrins. Maybe good as a spec addition to kit brews.

 

[manticle]

I prefer a candle lit dinner.

 

[sponge]

I know what to get the mrs for xmas then..


EDIT: The post I was referring to seems to have magically disappeared?

 

[manticle]

EDIT: The post I was referring to seems to have magically disappeared?

User deletion I think rather than modding.

 

[mje1980]

Yeah, I deleted it because it read a little wrong hahaha.

I used to use carapils at 3-5% purely for the head it gave the beer. Was easy to do, and worked great. I now do a protein and glycoprotein rest.


Carry on

 

[sponge]

No, it read right Mark.. I think you may have just been scared to admit it? :lol:

I think I'll have to try the 55'C rest though. I've always done a rest at 72, but haven't tried the 55 as of yet. Might have to try it with my brew tomorrow.

 

[Weizguy]

Yeast nutrient in your boil?