Spicy And Floral Saaz Flavour And Aroma

[l7edwards]

Hey all
Im putting down a coopers pilsner today (kit, 500g ldme, 350dex, 150wheatmalt, s-189), and really want it to have that spicy and floral saaz flavour and aroma. Any suggestions on how much saaz to add, how long to boil for? Im not a true hophead, so i dont want it crazily hoppy... but i really want to do a pilsner with that great spicy floral character

 

[dicko]

Hey all
Im putting down a coopers pilsner today (kit, 500g ldme, 350dex, 150wheatmalt, s-189), and really want it to have that spicy and floral saaz flavour and aroma. Any suggestions on how much saaz to add, how long to boil for? Im not a true hophead, so i dont want it crazily hoppy... but i really want to do a pilsner with that great spicy floral character

If you are boiling all the additional malts then add the coopers kit and 12 gramms of saaz hops when you turn out the flame.
See if the hops aroma and flavour is what you want to achieve, then with the next brew adjust the hops to suit IE; more or less. It is important to add them at the same time for each experiment/recipe

Cheers

 

[Hutch]

Hey all
Im putting down a coopers pilsner today (kit, 500g ldme, 350dex, 150wheatmalt, s-189), and really want it to have that spicy and floral saaz flavour and aroma. Any suggestions on how much saaz to add, how long to boil for? Im not a true hophead, so i dont want it crazily hoppy... but i really want to do a pilsner with that great spicy floral character

Having never used the hop tea-bags I can't comment on them as such , however the one thing I can strongly recommend is that you use really fresh hops, particularly when trying to get the fresh flavours of European lagers/Pils. Some LHBS sell plugs, which I prefer over pellets. If buying pellets, get then from Craftbrewer - they are vaccum sealed, and fresher than you'll get from any other retailer (I think Ross has the new season Czech saaz pellets in stock now).

Discovering fresh hops was a huge improvement to my brewing some time ago, and I finally realised I COULD make beer with the same hop freshness as the commercial stuff - particularly the floral, spicy flavours in Pilsners and European Lagers.

As for quantity, I certainly don't think you can overdo it with 20-30gm saaz in a 10minute boil, that is if you're after the kind of aroma you get in an imported Pilsner.
Just for reference, in my last Pils I used 17 Czech Saaz plugs (240gms) in 25Ltrs, spread across a 60minute boil. It has a wonderful hop flavour/aroma, though certainly not over the top (very similar to many imported Czech Pilsners).

Also, you won't get the characteristic clean and "crisp" pilsner character unless you ferment it cold (10deg) with a good lager yeast. S-189 is a great dry yeast (also from above site sponsor), or if you're into liquid yeasts, something like the WYeast 2001, or 2278.
If you prefer to use the kit yeast before exploring the world of different yeasts, try to keep it cold, and steady for as long as it takes to ferment out. Then lager it for as long as your patience can take!

 

[pint of lager]

If you use the 12gm bags, make sure they come from a source that has quick turnover.

Best is to buy a larger pack and make sure it has been stored correctly. You are going to need 30 gms.

The quality of the hops is very very important. You want quality hops from your supplier's freezer.

For a nice addition to your brew, add 200 gms of your LME to a large saucepan with 2 litres of hot water. Dissolve the LME, don't let it sit on the bottom or it will scorch.

Place saucepan on stove and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.

At the start of the 10 minutes add 15 gms of saaz hops. Watch out when you add pellets, it may froth up, be ready to turn down the heat.

At the end of 10 minutes, add another 15 gms of hops, put the lid on and turn off the heat. Leave for 5 minutes.

Strain and add to the fermenter.

You may want to cool the solution so that your fermenter end temp isn't too hot. Just stand the saucepan in a sink filled with cold water.

If you like this flavour in your brew, up the hops to 20 or 25 gms next time.