Wheat Malt In A Pilsner Urquell Clone?

[SJW]

This is the Pilsner Urquell AG clone i am about to do and was just wondering if it was standard practice to use wheat malt in this style for head retention? For some reason i always add some in all my darker brews and was wonding if 200g would effect the taste of this lighter style beer? And does it really improve the head?

#21 PILSNER URQUELL
Bohemian Pilsner


Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 28.00 L
Boil Size: 37.63 L
Boil Time: 90 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0


Ingredients


5500.00 gm Pilsner, Malt Craft Export (Joe White) (3.2 EBC) Grain 88.7 %
500.00 gm Cara-Pils/Dextrine (3.9 EBC) Grain 8.1 %
200.00 gm Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (3.5 EBC) Grain 3.2 %
60.00 gm Saaz [4.00%] (60 min) Hops 21.9 IBU
50.00 gm Saaz [4.00%] (30 min) Hops 14.0 IBU
40.00 gm Saaz [4.00%] (5 min) Hops 2.9 IBU
15.00 gm Saaz [4.00%] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
0.50 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs SafLager German Lager (DCL Yeast #34/70) Yeast-Lager



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.051 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.9 %
Bitterness: 38.9 IBU
Est Color: 6.3 EBC


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out Total Grain Weight: 6200.00 gm
Sparge Water: 27.67 L Grain Temperature: 22.2 C
Sparge Temperature: 75.6 C TunTemperature: 22.2 C
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 16.17 L of water at 71.9 C 65.6 C 75 min

Notes

Bulk prime 140g dex

 

[Green Iguana]

The cara-pils will give you a good head tetention and some body...the wheat malt is not really necessery or to style, however thats the thing about craft brewing, create whatever you want. I'm sure it will be a top brew...

Pilsner Urquell uses a decoction mash and long boil time......You could throw in a small amount of melanoidin malt to replicate a decoction...or some munich.....your hoping schedule looks good. Urquell is bitter like your IBU's...

Thats alot of saaz... you could also bitter with a high alpha hop such as Perle or Northern Brewer to cut down the grams....

Good luck


Cheers

 

[neonmeate]

sure you can. i'm sure it won't do any harm at that level. it probably replaces some of the protein missing from the highly modified malt.
you should probly use WLP800 or the wyeast equivalent if you really want to do it right. 34/70 won't give the same maltiness or diacetyl.

me i'm hanging out for the new weyermann bohemian pils malt to arrive so i can really clone the thing.

if you want to know more about the actual methods they use (like first wort instead of dryhopping etc) read this, it gives all the gory details:
brewingtechniques.com/library/backissues/issue5.3/urquell.html

 

[Green Iguana]

tetention ? can anyone tell I've just got back from the pub......



RETENTION


Cheers

 

[Gulf Brewery]

SJW

I wouldn't dry hop a pils. I think you will find it gets a bit too grassy from the saaz. My preference is lots of saaz at flame out.
I use cara-pils for the head retention and some munich for a bit more body.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[Gough]

Thanks for the link neonmeate

 

[Barry]

Good Day
I agree with Pedro, I wouldn't dry hop the pilsener. IMHO you will achieve a better result if you add the hops just after/at the end of the boil.

 

[ozbrewer]

PU is one of my favorite beers to Drink, and try to clone, because of its simplicity it is very hard to get perfect....you would think it the other way, but as said, PU does boil for a very long time, from memory its 4-5 hours?, and i also beleve that at PU they mash at a very high water/grist ratio, no sparging at all,

I woul not bother with the wheat malt either, the High rate of late hopping and the carapils, and the fact that you are using a good amount of base malt, you will have a good head anway, assuming your method is correct, just stick to the basics and youll be right

I have made this beer with a combination of sazz/hallertau, and it realy does taste good, it takes the dirty taste away from the Sazz that we occasionally tend to get in Oz. Not 100% tru to the origonal recipe, but if you raly want to drink PU you would go by a case, and not be a craft brewer, thats what its all about

 

[SJW]

Thanks guys, I think i will brush the wheat and the Cara-pils, at that level anyway, is only there for the colour I would think. Also thanks for the PU link.

STEPHEN