This is will be a quick post, as I’m still newer-ish to brewing lagers. There’s also no fancy techniques, other than my normal ferment/serve from the same keg, and spunding for carbonation.
Thankfully I’ve had some success in the few batches I’ve made as they don’t last very long and very easy drinking.
This one was great, I’m very happy with it, but I was going for a west-coast style pilsner and I didn’t fully get there.
Things I love about this beer
- Super easy to drink. Clean, no diacetyl that I can sense, pretty darn tasty.
- The head/foam is the best I’ve ever had on any beer I’ve made. Super proud. It lasts a long time, too.
- I’ve got two full kegs worth just waiting to be drunk.
Things I want to change/tweak for next time
- It finished a little sweet. I’m going to mash lower, and try to dry it out a little more next time. Also change the water profile to “Bru’n Water – Yellow Dry”
- I was aiming for that Highland Park Timbo Pils “west coast” style pilsner… More hops next time, both bittering and dry hop I think.
- I might try mashing in at like 138F or something, raising to 148F for a while. Who knows, it will be a couple months before I brew the next version. Time to think on it.
Here’s what you came for:
| Basics | ||
| Batch Size (fermentor): | 10 gallons | |
| Boil Length: | 60 minutes | |
| Mash Temp: | 150F | Single Infusion |
| OG: | 1.052 (estimated) | 1.055 (actual) |
| FG: | 1.011 (estimated) | 1.013 (actual) |
| ABU: | 5.29% (estimated) | 5.5% (actual) |
| IBU: | 25 | |
| SRM: | 2.72 | |
| Fermentables | ||
| Pilsner | 100% (20lbs) | |
| Total | 100% | |
| Hops | ||
| Saaz | 2 oz | 60 min |
| Nelson | 5 oz | Whirlpool @ 170F |
| Nelson | 6 oz | Dryhop around 1.020 |
| Total | 13 oz | |
| Yeast | ||
| WLP830 | Big boy starter | Pitch at 68, and refrigerate it down to 50F |
| Diacetyl Rest | Let it free raise back up to 68 for 4 days at FG | |
| Lager | Down to 38F in the kegerator for however many weeks you want, I tasted my first sample around 3 weeks. | |
| Water | Bru’n Water – Yellow Balanced | |
| Mash pH | 5.3 | |
| Calcium | 50 | |
| Mg | n/a | |
| Sodium | 5 | |
| Sulfate | 75 | |
| Chloride | 50 |
Some additional notes about this brew:
- Halfway through fermentation, I added my spunding valves as I was fermenting in kegs. I meant to add it at the beginning, but I forgot. I believe the spunding helped that fantastic creamy head.
- That creamy foam lasted forever. It was beautiful and I’m very proud of it.
- I don’t have any brew day pics, so here’s some pictures showing off the beautiful foam I get from it. The picture on the right is about 5-7 minutes after pouring the pint.
Next up, Coconut Hefeweizen, inspired by a hipster coffee shop’s banana bread I had a while back.
Cheers!
Nick
