Just want to start a new thread on a point Asher made in the SABSOSA Comp 2005 discussion.
In regards to the Pilsner that he entered, Asher said:
"Yep I went quite big with the Pils - I'm finally starting to realise how important 3 months lagering really is with these beers. They tent to taste way over hopped in the beginning... but balance over time..."
In the past I've made some beers that I have gone heavy handed on the hops, and they were very much out of balance and I agree that an extended period of cold conditioning or if you can proper lagering can help. However recently I've changed my approach and I'm now trying to get the balance right at the start with out the need for extended lagering. Personally I have found that this approach gives a freshness to the hops flavours that nicely match the dry crisp nature of a pilsner, particulary a German pilsner.
So my question for all is what are the pros and cons of the different approaches and what are the flavour differences?
Do different hops require a different approach (lately I've exclusively been brewing pilsners with German Hallertau Hersbrucker plugs, 3.2% AA)?
Do different strains of lager yeast require a different aproach?
A follow-up question is would you go the big path if you're intending to filter and possibly need to compensate for any stripping of flavours?
About time we had a good brewing technique discussion.
Cheers
MAH
In regards to the Pilsner that he entered, Asher said:
"Yep I went quite big with the Pils - I'm finally starting to realise how important 3 months lagering really is with these beers. They tent to taste way over hopped in the beginning... but balance over time..."
In the past I've made some beers that I have gone heavy handed on the hops, and they were very much out of balance and I agree that an extended period of cold conditioning or if you can proper lagering can help. However recently I've changed my approach and I'm now trying to get the balance right at the start with out the need for extended lagering. Personally I have found that this approach gives a freshness to the hops flavours that nicely match the dry crisp nature of a pilsner, particulary a German pilsner.
So my question for all is what are the pros and cons of the different approaches and what are the flavour differences?
Do different hops require a different approach (lately I've exclusively been brewing pilsners with German Hallertau Hersbrucker plugs, 3.2% AA)?
Do different strains of lager yeast require a different aproach?
A follow-up question is would you go the big path if you're intending to filter and possibly need to compensate for any stripping of flavours?
About time we had a good brewing technique discussion.
Cheers
MAH