Good Boh Pils Extract/spec Grain Recipe

[Oatlands Brewer]

Hi Guys.

oohhh..ive promoted myself up to the partial/AG forum.....i hope this is the right place for my questions...at this rate ill be up at the AG forum in March.... i just need to buy all the bling to go with it eh! :unsure:

Anyway enough bullshit....

I cant seem to find too many decent pils recipes around..."why is it so"

im looking at doing a Extract with grains brew and im guessing mostly using Saaz, something nice and fresh and bitey for the middle of summer.

even the books i got for xmas only have a few Lager and pils brews in them, is it because they are not a good choice for extract brewing? ive read that Pilsner malt isnt canned that much.

 

[manticle]

I think a good pils (and the one I've brewed was not but that was due to some as yet unidentified infection) do rely on the character of the pilsner malt which is slightly sweet and alsmost honey like. If you're up for a partial I'd add some in.

Otherwise pale extract, saaz hops and a decent lager yeast (some good wyeast pilsner yeasts around depending on where you place your intended result) with appropriate temps. I've seen recipes where people suggest a bit of munich malt to add in some body and maltiness and certainly the best European lagers and pilsners have a nice supporting malt backbone. Not sure if caramunich would give a similar characteristic?

Essentially pale malt, noble hops and lager yeast and temps. I think you also need to picth more than the normal amount of yeast and pitch cool.

 

[seemax]

Ideally use a lager yeast , S-189 dry is good or if you go liquid try bohemian pils or czech pils. You'll also need about twice the yeast count compared to an ale... so 2 dry packets for a 23L batch. Pitch at fermenting temperature, that means around 10C.

As for extract go for the Morgans Extra Pale and do a mini mash of pilsner malt and carapils.

Czech Saaz is the obvious hop choice... but I find Hallertau nice too. Even Cascade works well, nice citrus edge.

If it all sounds too hard, use ale yeast US-05 and ferment at 15C and you should end up with a nice neutral psuedo-lager.

 

[Brewman_]

If when you say Pils you mean Czech pils? Then you absolutely have to brew with the Wyeast 2001 liquid yeast!

This is absolutely sensational in it's Pils Urquell character. I used this during November for Xmas Pils and it is great. I have used this yeast a few times now and there are two rules I have found. Don't try to dominate with either malt or hops, go for an even balance and the yeast character will shine.

On the other hand there are many other lager yeasts which are less dominant.

Fear_n_Loath.

 

[Oatlands Brewer]

Thanks guys

i was denfinatly going the lager yeast path, ive got a tempmate controlled fridge now so can do them properly. i found out last night that the fermenting fridge will go down to -2 at about 3/4 throttle, much to the detrement of the wifes broccolli harvest...oopps.

We cant get liquid yeasts in Tassy for some reason, looks like ill have to do a mail order.

What about qtys of grain for the mini mash seemax, ive only done spec grains up to about 500gr sofar.

Also i am guessing that the hopping sechedule whould be weighted more towards the flame out/dry hopping side and a decent bittering addition at 60 mins.

 

[seemax]

If you're batch size is 23L do a mini mash of say 2kg pils malt and 0.5kg carapils. Then top up with 1.5kg of extract malt unhopped. You can do this mash in a stock pot or similar, mash in at 66C, cover and leave for 60mins, drain with a fine sieve/voile cloth/bucket with holes... whatever works, then use this as your boil liquid. Remember though a lower boil volume will reduce your hop utilisation. Beersmith should work it all out though.

Do a 60min boil using saaz with additions at 60,15,5,0mins up to around 30IBU... chill to 10C and pitch yeast. if you go liquid yeast you will need at least a 2L starter with a wyeast smack pack.

 

[Oatlands Brewer]

just another question about mashing guys...above it was said "mash in at 66C, cover and leave for 60mins"

Does this mean that you bring the water temp up to 66 then chuck the grain in and turn the heat off.... and leave for 60 mins or do you keep the temp at 66 for the hour.

The reason i ask is the brew ive just finished off, a northern brown type thing with grains steeped, i kept the temp on the high side of 65 for the hour, it was a pain in the arse to do with the dials on the stove.

Have i done a bad thing.

 

[seemax]

You want the mash to be sitting at 66C for the hour, so your "strike" water will be around 71C. There are plenty of online calculators for working out strike temps.

As a guide, the higher the mash temp (eg 70C) the less fermentable the wort, so you will end up with a higher final gravity and more body. Low mash temps (eg 64C) will mean in general lower FG and a drier beer.

 

[Screwtop]

You want the mash to be sitting at 66C for the hour, so your "strike" water will be around 71C. There are plenty of online calculators for working out strike temps.

As a guide, the higher the mash temp (eg 70C) the less fermentable the wort, so you will end up with a higher final gravity and more body. Low mash temps (eg 64C) will mean in general lower FG and a drier beer.

The above is true. Remember if you are doing a partial that extract is less fermentable so improve fermentability to counteract by mashing your grist somewhat lower at say 63 and extend the time a little to say 75 min.

Cheers,

Screwy

EDIT: Henno made a fantastic Bo Pils a while back, see if you can flush the recepie out of him and convert it for partial.

 

[Pumpy]

Hi Guys.

oohhh..ive promoted myself up to the partial/AG forum.....i hope this is the right place for my questions...at this rate ill be up at the AG forum in March.... i just need to buy all the bling to go with it eh! :unsure:

Anyway enough bullshit....

I cant seem to find too many decent pils recipes around..."why is it so"

im looking at doing a Extract with grains brew and im guessing mostly using Saaz, something nice and fresh and bitey for the middle of summer.

even the books i got for xmas only have a few Lager and pils brews in them, is it because they are not a good choice for extract brewing? ive read that Pilsner malt isnt canned that much.

Oatland Brewer you have to 'walk before you can run' you should know there is not much to a Pilsner recipe .

yet there is 'everything' about the process to mashing and fermenting and storing a Pilsner .

mashing and brewing Ales is a different to making pilsners ,

I have been at it a few years now and reckon i am getting close to better lagers and pilsners .

You just need a bit more practice

Pumpy

 

[Screwtop]

I have been at it a few years now and reckon i am getting close to better lagers and pilsners .

You and me both Pump.

Screwy

 

[Pumpy]

You and me both Pump.

Screwy

 

[Henno]

I don't know whether my recipe will help you as such being 3V and using herms now. Zwickel told me it should be 100% pilsener malts the whole way though. The other thing is to pitch heaps of yeast and I mean HEAPS! So step it up a lot if you get your wyeast 2001. The other trick Screwy put me onto was to use a lot of the yeast cake from my first single batch and pitch it straight into a double, the single batch does the stepping up for you. My double batch turned out much better than the single as a result of this I believe.

That's my knowledge of the matter in one paragraph. Good luck mate.