Come to find out the the LHBS sold me domestic 2 row instead of pils malt. I just found this out, and the batch is already brewed.
Wondering how much of a difference this will make.
90% 2 row
10% vienna
OG 1.053
All Saaz total 40 IBU
Pilsen water profile
WY Bohemian lager.
I’m a little disappointed to know I didn’t use the malt that was intended. It looks like color might not be that far off. Any comments on how this will impact flavor?
I’m sure it will be fine. Side by side comparison, you’d taste the difference. But this beer all by itself, it will still turn out fine. Possibly a little more malty than expected, but should still be a nice pilsner.
It will be great. No worries. I once brewed a pilsner with 2-row that took 2nd in the “light” beer category in a local competition (although that was like 10 years ago).
I agree with dobe12 and Dave.
The character of the malt may be different, and the resulting color may not be spot on, but you’ll really have to wait until it’s done to effectively judge the results. The bottom line is that if in the end it winds up tasting like a Pils, you still brewed a Pils, regardless of the ingredients used.
A good example of that principal is the fact that one of the top selling lager beers of the mid 20th century was apparently actually made with an ale yeast. 8)
Appreciate the feedback guys. sounds like I can still hope for a decent result.
Sierra Nevada Summerfest is made with 2-row. and while its not a classic pilsner, its a damned fine beer IMO.
+1 to all of the above. I regularly make pilsners with 2-row simply because it is typically the only bulk grain I ever have on hand.
Plus Saaz do tend to move to the foreground.
I’d be less concerned about the 2-row malt than I would about the Vienna malt. You should still get a perfectly drinkable beer that fits broadly into the pale lager category, but Vienna malt really doesn’t have any place in a pilsner at all if you value stylistic accuracy, or at least not in that quantity. I hate to put it so bluntly, but that’s just how it is. I’m sure there will be others here who will rush to argue with me on this point, but I have no intention of making a debate out of this.
Well the thought was to make the malt profile slightly more robust, given that I employed a simple infusion mash. One the one hand, if the vienna is completely inappropriate, then I can just exhale and say “f— it, I made a bastard beer.”
Well the thought was to make the malt profile slightly more robust, given that I employed a simple infusion mash. One the one hand, if the vienna is completely inappropriate, then I can just exhale and say “f— it, I made a bastard beer.”[/quote]
Yeah, like I said, I think you’ll get a fine beer. I’m not trying to make you feel stupid. But there’s really nothing wrong with just going with a simple infusion mash with all (or very nearly all) pilsner malt when you make a pilsner, and that’s pretty much how it’s almost always made. Any time anyone puts any other malt into the recipe for this style of beer, it’s usually a very small amount of a very low-color caramel malt, or a pinch of carapils, but not any other base malt besides pilsner malt. It’s a style that’s supposed to be clean and simple, though not boring. If you want a more intense flavor in this style, you might also consider reassessing your hop bill. You have a fairly wide range of hopping level to play with (BJCP guidelines specify something like 25-45 IBUs, if that concerns you), and this is a style that can accommodate some interesting hop flavors and aromas without straying out of the traditional style guidelines. I mean, you don’t want to make it like an IPA, obviously, but you can definitely give it a good solid hop character. Or if you really want to give it a stronger malt character, go with a yeast strain that leaves a more full-bodied and malty beer, and keep the hopping level a little on the low style. But let this recipe show you what kind of beer you get with it and go from there. It’s your beer, and you can do whatever you want with it. I just wouldn’t want you to get a beer that’s totally not what you expected if you really want a traditional-tasting pilsner, that’s all. :cheers:
Several times a year I make a beer just to make beer, and not to necesarily follow any style. I just bottled an experiment this past weekend, a couple gallon batch using Pilsner malt, Czech pilsner yeast, but heavily hopped with my Cascade hops from the back yard. It’s not for competition, it’s not for sharing (at this point anyway) it’s just for a little experimental fun. If I like it, I’ll bump it up or tweek it a little. But the 30 gallons of Pilsner Lager I’ve made since December has been as close as I can get it (water is the biggest difference - Ohio water vs. Plzen water).
