Getting 'pilsner' Into Pilsner

[dent]

Here are some notes from a German commercial brewery from a presentation by Steve Holle - the PDF is worth a read.

Schoenramer Pils
Brauerei Schoenram, Schoenram, Bavaria
• soft water, low alkalinity, chloride and sulfate ions enhances body and aroma respectively
• very pale barley variety with a lot of enzyme activity (we use the variety Barke, the palest available)
• intense mash, single-decoction best as it boosts attenuation. Rests vary according to year, but a long
time around 65°C is necessary
• high attenuation (>87% apparent) enhances hop character (dryness) and at the same time, through the
higher level of alcohol, adds a sweetness to balance out the bitterness
• I am a proponent of aroma hop varieties and use only aroma varieties for my Pils (as for all my beers),
even for the bittering - 4 different varieties given 5 times, more than 50% as late hopping, all are Bavarian
hop varieties from the Hallertau and Spalt (the varieties and combination a secret I'm not at liberty to give
away)
• enough evaporation to drive out DMS ( > 5.5% )
• acidification of mash and wort to adjust pH (lactic acid derived from the malt and propagated to around
1.5%)
• hot trub separation with the whirlpool, cold trub separation with flotation tank
• fermentation in open vessels beginning around 7°C, max. temperature 9°C, pitching rate 18 million cells
per ml (about 1 liter of thick yeast per hl)
• ferment close to final attenuation, cool to 3°C over 2 days (total fermentation time with cooling around 8
days) add 8% kraeusen beer when transferring to lagering
• we skim our fermentation head almost daily
• hold in tank at 3°C for 2 weeks until vigorous secondary fermentation begins to calm down, gradually
cool to below 0°C (around minus one) over two weeks
• last two weeks below freezing, total lagering 6 weeks, 5 weeks is also OK, but not less
• ensure minimal oxygen take-up at bottling

 

[labels]

Thanks for that input, sheds a lot of light on things

-=Steve=-

 

[Nick JD]

Vigorous secondary fermentation at 3C?

This is the VOLUME thing that I reckon homebrewers can't emulate.

 

[Renzo]

The 8% Krausen 2ndry ferment might also be a factor, although I'm not sure if any of the bigger breweries do that. Could be wrong though.