Proposed Pils Extract Recipe

[stef]

So, my first extract effort- let me know what you think and feel free to give tips...

Pilsner
23 ltr

2kg LDME
0.5kg wheat DME
.250kg crystal malt, steep for 30mins

10 grams saaz @60mins
5 grams saaz @ 20 mins
5 grams saaz @ 5 mins

W34/70 Saflager yeast, pitched at about 22
fermented at steady 15 degrees (in underground cellar- i'd prefer colder, but it'd be heaps easier to leave at 15)

Any thoughts? I might also add some tangelo and/or lemon peel for a small twist.

 

[Lecterfan]

Hi depending on the type of pilsner you are after it looks ok. What AAU %age was the saaz though?
10gms for 60 mins will not result in much bittering effect...it may end up a bit too malty for a pilsner...

I did an extract/partial pilsner 3 months ago that came out ok. Instead of crystal I steeped some carapils instead, but I did a mini mash using some pilsner and vienna malt. I aimed for 40 IBU and you won't be anywhere near that...

The worst thing about mine: BLAND. I used northern brewer for bittering and added 15 gms saaz for the last 5 mins of the boil. I dry hopped when I racked it but I was scared of the saaziness of saaz so only used 10gms of saaz....in hindsight (and now that I dry hop more regularly), I would have used about 25 gms of saaz (had about 22L of beer in secondary).

So if you want something subtle then stick with it, but if you like a strong saaz pilsner (like Urquell - the king of pilsners IMHO), then I would definitely try dry hopping with a big delicious pile of saaz into secondary.

If you don't rack then chuck them in a week or so before bottling.

Regardless, I'm sure it will be fine. All extract (no more commercial cans) is an awesome way to wrap your head around the process of brewing...

 

[stef]

Thanks for that lecterfan.

I thought i got two packs of 10 grams of saaz , but then realised that cant be right- i got 2 packs of 50 grams .

So maybe i'd change to:

40 grams @ 60 mins
20 grams @ 15 mins
10 grams @ 3 mins

Anyone want to help me out on that? Think i might need more hop still? I'm aiming for a bit of a hoppy beer, but not over the top. Something that is easy drinking- bit of a summer thirst quencher. European style.

lecterfan, you said you were aiming for 40. Isnt that pretty high? what would say a becks or heineken be? I realise that its very different as they are commercial and they arent pilsners, but just as a reference point...

Glad i saw that before i started brewing...

 

[dc59]

Looks good with the revised hop schedule Stef.

Some people will argue that the crystal is not correct for the style, but I've brewed a few pilsners with small amounts of medium crystal and found it works ok.

Make sure you record the final recipe you end up using and take notes on how it comes out. It'll make it easier to formulate the next pilsner more to your particular tastes.

Hope it goes well.

 

[fawnroux]

You can also plug the numbers into Ians Spreadsheet to get an idea of your IBU's. A Pilsner should be around 35-45 IBU's?? (Thats just off the top of my head, please correct if wrong)

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...9655&st=266

A great little spreadsheet. I love saaz hops and would try and squeeze the other 30g in there somewhere, whilst keeping to the style. Thats me though

Dave

 

[Lecterfan]

Hi Stef,

Beersmith tells me Bohemian Pilsners are between 35 and 45 IBUs...I love Pils Urquell and it is a fairly big and robust beast so I'm never scared to aim highish haha.

I am not sure, but your Becks and Heinekins would be significantly lower than that...hunt around here or on google and I'm pretty sure you'd get an accurate figure (or at least a ballpark).

I agree with Dave, I'd be chucking in every last bit of saaz...but I would be doing that as a dry hop addition.

Go your hardest! If you've kept your IBU's low then you won't mind having some nice flavour and aroma hops to counteract the maltiness....

...of course this all just my 2c based on my persoanl taste!

EDIT: moving into extracts etc it is really worthwhile having some software...there are heaps of options, I even think someone from AHB designed brewmate.net (no affiliation) which is free and looks schnazzy. I got beersmith about 2 weeks before I'd heard of it so have not yet jumped onto it...will try it after Uni finishes.