I’ve never done a pils before…
8# 2row
1# c60
1# Marris otter
4 oz Choco malt
4oz victory
3/4oz centenial @ 60
1 oz cascade @ FO
I was going to use White labs’ San Fran strain.
and lager is in a swamp box at (hopefully) 55 for a month or so.
Thoughts?
Quick update, I was looking at 2 recipes…
There is no chocolate malt and only 1/2 # of c60.
What you have there is more an American Amber Lager. It will be like Sam Adams in the malt category and have citrusy hop profile that is not in line with a pils. Your recipe may make a tasty beer, but it will not taste like a Pilsener. This may also come out more like a steam beer.
For a pils you should use all pils malt. Two row will work as a substitute, but it will not give you the same malt profile. You could also use up to 10% melanoidin malt to get some of that character. In the hop category, you want Czech or German hops. Saaz are traditional. Hallertau, and Tetnang are probably second choices if you want a German character. Many brewers use a neutral bittering hop like Magnum or Perle for bittering and finish with one or a blend of the traditional hops. Shoot for 30-40 IBUs and use the softest water you can. I try to ferment a lager at 48-52. Your temp of 55 will work, but you really need to get it down to below 35 for a few weeks after primary fermentation to get that crisp, lager finish.
If you really want a pilsner, get all the specialty malts and late hops out of there. Otherwise just call it beer because it is not pilsner style.
I guess this is all begging the question: what is the OP looking for? If you’ve ever had a Pilsner Urquell, (a Czech/Bohemian pils), especially on draught, or a Warsteiner (German Pils), also…especially on draught, the clean unobtrusive taste is pretty unmistakable.
As the others have said, all your specialty malts will get in the way of that taste, but that is not to say it won’t be good beer.
In your mind, what exactly are you setting out to make? Please don’t say beer.
This looked like one of those posts that cause a forum kerfuffel. It could have just been a typo but a pilsner should have pilsner malt, no crystal, no chocolate, no Maris Otter and probably no Victory. I agree that an Amber Lager made with 2112/810 would be delicious and it’s the type of beer I would make (and have made numerous times) and they’re delicious. When I make a pilsner, I typically use Durst or Best Malz Pils malt, some small amount of Munich 10 or Vienna, possibly CaraPils or CaraFoam and maybe acid malt. Hops would be Saaz, Hallertau, Tradition, Tettnanger, Hersbrucker, Spalt, Mittelfruh and possibly even Northern Brewer. There are a lot of yeast strains… 2124, 830, 800, 802, 2278, 2206, 2782, etc. but using a steam yeast at around 55° makes a nice gold beer. The water should be low in bicarbonate and sulfate… the softer the better but getting the calcium to 50ppm with CaCl is good.
As much as I enjoy mucking up recipes to suit my tastes; Pilsner is one of those that demand the “Beer Police”. As others have said; Pilsner malt & Noble hops, that’s it!
hmmm… ok. I’m fine with changing the style to a Steam beer/ lager.
My goal is to make my wife a beer that she’ll drink, I’m going to low hops, low(ish) alcohol.
I’d originally thought about a pils, but apparently don’t know the style.
Let’s call this recipe a lager.
Thanks for the feedback!
Are there any particular beers your wife likes (ie any commercial beers)? If she is into Corona, then you could likely make something like that. Same goes for Anchor Steam, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Pliny the Elder, etc. etc. etc.
I didn’t mean to be a style nazi above, I just think something just got lost in translation. Certainly didn’t want to incite any kerfuffelage.
Because the OP was in PA, I thought his goal might be the traditional lager by Yuengling (which I am about to make, btw) and the grain bill (without the chocolate) would be closer to that style than a pils for sure. Again, making something like a West Coast Lager is totally up my alley and you can call that beer anything you like but some of the purists here would probably suggest that you don’t call it a pilsner. Cheers and good luck with the beer.
