My Holy Grail Of Pilsner Recipe's

[Thommo]

Thanks for the warm welcome Zwickel. :beer:

I'll probably start annoying you with PM's once I get everything sorted out for my temp control.

 

[andreic]

Great topic. I have boh pils down as a style I'd like to do well. My first 2 attempts were single infusions with 100% pilsener malt (JWM, then Weyermann). They were OK for my first 2 attempts... but there is a lot of improvement to go... I may just try your grain bill and mash schedule on my next one, which is due to be brewed next weekend. I will be using the whitelabs WLP802 budejovice yeast though.

cheers, Andrei

 

[Zwickel]

I'll probably start annoying you with PM's once I get everything sorted out for my temp control.

no worries mate, Im standby to help anyone

@andreic, thats a beautiful yeast.....combined with fine Saazer hops...yum :wub:

its time for a beer.....

 

[blackbock]

Lately I have been copying Tony's hopping schedule with the main bittering addition @ 40 mins. I was sceptical but now I am convinced that it makes a difference, especially with plugs or flowers. I read somewhere else that Urquell does their bittering addition at 40 mins also, but maybe that is a load of cr*p. I wouldn't know. Maybe someone else here knows?

 

[jonw]

Double Infusion, Light Body Step Time Name Description Step Temp
20 min Protein Rest Add 9.00 L of water at 59.1 C 52.0 C
30 min Saccrification Add 8.00 L of water at 78.1 C 63.0 C
30 min Saccrification Add 8.00 L of water at 93.4 C 72.0 C

As a bit of a newbie, I'm interested in the reasoning for adding the volumes/temperatures shown above. Why not up the initial water:grain ratio, and then achieve the step temperatures by adding (smaller amounts) of boiling water?

On a slightly different note, what temperature adjustments do you make during fermentation? I'm about to pitch a WLP802 Budovice (sp?) starter - I plan to pitch at 18 degrees, let it take off, then slowly (~48 hours) reduce to 11 degrees. At the end of the primary, I'll up that to 16 degrees for a couple of days, rack to the secondary, then reduce to 1 degree to lager for as long as my patience (and current beer stocks) last.

I'll be bottling, so I imagine that, once lagering is finished, I raise the temperature to room temp, bottle, condition and store at room temp.

Cheers,

Jon

 

[drsmurto]

Having only done this once i use beersmith to adjust the volumes using boiling water which i add slowly and stir like a mad man. Horses for courses i reckon.

As for fermentation i make my starter at ferment temp (i used wyeast 2000 and fermented at 11C), pitch at ferment temp and leave at this temp until fermentation is complete. I then rack and lager without doing a diacetyl rest - altho ppl will argue this one.

 

[tangent]

Why not up the initial water:grain ratio, and then achieve the step temperatures by adding (smaller amounts) of boiling water?

adjust the volumes using boiling water which i add slowly and stir like a mad man.

That's what I do too. Works well. Even easier if I had a stirrer like Zwickel.

 

[andreic]

Great topic. I have boh pils down as a style I'd like to do well. My first 2 attempts were single infusions with 100% pilsener malt (JWM, then Weyermann). They were OK for my first 2 attempts... but there is a lot of improvement to go... I may just try your grain bill and mash schedule on my next one, which is due to be brewed next weekend. I will be using the whitelabs WLP802 budejovice yeast though.

cheers, Andrei

Well... some follow up.

I have made 2 Pilsner's with the mash schedule suggested. Both were OG=1.052, but FG=1.014. Does this seem ok? I was kind of hoping for a lower FG to make it a lighter beer.

The first beer is lagering away and 2nd one goes into the fridge this weekend some time for lagering. The proof will be in the drinking which is some time off yet.

 

[devo]

From experience I'd have to say that the recipe is a tad Melanoidin heavy because I found 2.7% overly malty. My next revision of a pilsner will be around the 1.5%.

 

[andreic]

From experience I'd have to say that the recipe is a tad Melanoidin heavy because I found 2.7% overly malty. My next revision of a pilsner will be around the 1.5%.

I'd have to concur. My 2 pilsners with a similar grain bill (ie ~5% melanoidin) were nice enough beers, but I will definitely be cutting the melanoidin down for my next crack at a bo pils. The melanoidin contributed a lot flavour wise that seemed a little over the top for me.

 

[daronb]

Hi, the Saaz I am using is 6% so adjusted the amounts to 30, 30 and 30grm respectively at the same boil times.

I had a very slow sparge with a lot of residual sugar near the bottom of the mashtun and that was sparging 25L. Unfortunatley smashed my hydrometer so will take a sample 12 hours after and see how it looks.

Am worried about the Melenodin comments tho. Am hoping its not too heavy on Malt driven

 

[philistine]

i know the last response on this thread is 2 years old now, but just thought id pitch in.
Just used your mashing schedule and was amazed by how well all the proteins and crud seemed to bind together in globs towards the end of the boil. With a bit of a stir and even after 10 mins of cooling (without chiller) the globs had already started to settle out.... WORKS A TREAT!

 

[dicko]

I tend to agree with the addition of Melanoiden as well.
I feel it brings too much malt to that style at 5%. I keep mine to around 1.5% or leave it out altogether.