17 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

I'm posting this because I'm very excited about this beer. I had the opportunity to sneak in 2 brewdays this weekend and I was just envisioning this beer earlier in the week and realized I could make it today. Czech it out... 7.00 lbs Best Malz Pils 1.25 lbs Best Malz Munich 6L .75 lbs Best Malz Munich 10L 4 ounces Carafoam 4 ounces CaraHell .85 oz Santiam pellets 7.2% for 60 mins (6.1 AAU) 1 oz Mt. Hood pellets 5.7% for 5 1 oz Hallertau pellets 4.3% for 3 1.15 oz Santiam pellets 6.3% for 1 Wyeast 2278 Czech Lager yeast OG: 1.054, FG: 1.104, IBU: 34, SRM: 5-6, ABV: 5.2% I realize there is no Saaz but all of these hops should work harmoniously together and give the beer a really nice punch of flavor and aroma. I used 50% distilled water, mashed at 150.5° for 60 mins and got my mash pH to 5.2, sparge & kettle pH both came in at 5.3. This Wyeast 2278 has a great character to it and it's also a high-floccer so this beer should have a really nice gold color with nice clarity. Since getting this mash-sparge-kettle pH situation under control, I have to say that I have some uber-clear secondaries down in the brew bunker. Cheers Beerheads.

[Big Nake]

So this is one of the first pale beers I made where I was comfortable with all of the pH nonsense.  This brewday went very smooth and my numbers all lined up nicely.  I had a couple pale beers before this where I was fumbling with things, getting a low mash pH, etc. but I got past that and continued making beers like pils, helles, kolsch, etc.  This beer got kegged, cold and carbed this week and I just snuck a sample with a cobra tap to see how it tastes.  I added some gel solution to the keg after the beer was cold so this first glass is cloudy.  But the flavor and aroma are outstanding.  Very smooth flavor with crisp hop flavor and aroma.  The color is tough to judge because of the cloudiness but it looks like it will be  medium to dark gold.  Indeed these hops worked harmoniously together and I will snap a pic when it's on tap and [hopefully] clear.  For anyone with some active lager yeast laying around... this is a nice beer.  Cheers Beerheads.

Edited by KenLenard, 13 June 2014 - 08:40 PM.

[positiveContact]

sounds awesome ken.  maybe that will be my next lager yeast to try.  I'm due for a bo pils type beer - really craving it.

 

what kind of ferm temp profile did you go for?

Edited by TheGuv, 16 June 2014 - 04:38 PM.

[Big Nake]

sounds awesome ken.  maybe that will be my next lager yeast to try.  I'm due for a bo pils type beer - really craving it.   what kind of ferm temp profile did you go for?

Pitch 2278 cold and into 50°, well-oxygenated wort and ferment about 2 weeks at 48° (in a fridge), remove it from the fridge so it could warm up to basement temps for 2-3 days and then send to a secondary where it probably sat for a couple of weeks. Then into a keg, drop to about 35° (where I added a gel solution for the second time), then force carb at 25psi for 48 hours. It's still sitting in that on-deck fridge and probably will for another 4 weeks or so. Cheers.

[positiveContact]

Pitch 2278 cold and into 50°, well-oxygenated wort and ferment about 2 weeks at 48° (in a fridge), remove it from the fridge so it could warm up to basement temps for 2-3 days and then send to a secondary where it probably sat for a couple of weeks. Then into a keg, drop to about 35° (where I added a gel solution for the second time), then force carb at 25psi for 48 hours. It's still sitting in that on-deck fridge and probably will for another 4 weeks or so. Cheers.

 

out of curiosity and since you've probably tried most lager yeasts, which yeast makes the best bo pils in your opinion?

[Big Nake]

out of curiosity and since you've probably tried most lager yeasts, which yeast makes the best bo pils in your opinion?

That's tricky but I do like Wyeast 2278 quite a bit. I have used (and have on-hand) some 2000 Budvar and also 2001 Urquell but I seem to go back to 2278 more frequently. It's a high-floccer which is always good in my book. Also, I'm always confused about 2124 because it's called "Bohemian" which implies that it's Czech but it always seems to get referred to as German. I like 2124 more than any of the others I have mentioned... there is just something so good and versatile about it because you could make a pilsner, a festbier, a helles, a dark lager and almost any style with it and have it come out spectacular. If you flipped a coin between 2278 and 2124 for BoPils, I don't think you could lose. That said, you could probably make a great BoPils with 2000 and 2001 as well. Throw 2782, 800 and 802 in there and now you have a real mess on your hands.

Edited by KenLenard, 17 June 2014 - 07:04 AM.

[MyaCullen]

That's tricky but I do like Wyeast 2278 quite a bit. I have used (and have on-hand) some 2000 Budvar and also 2001 Urquell but I seem to go back to 2278 more frequently. It's a high-floccer which is always good in my book. Also, I'm always confused about 2124 because it's called "Bohemian" which implies that it's Czech but it always seems to get referred to as German. I like 2124 more than any of the others I have mentioned... there is just something so good and versatile about it because you could make a pilsner, a festbier, a helles, a dark lager and almost any style with it and have it come out spectacular. If you flipped a coin between 2278 and 2124 for BoPils, I don't think you could lose. That said, you could probably make a great BoPils with 2000 and 2001 as well. Throw 2782, 800 and 802 in there and now you have a real mess on your hands.

I am with you on the versatility of 2124, Ken

 

I have done a Dort, and a Fest so far this year with it, and am gonna do a summer pils, and then attempt a steam beer with it 

[SchwanzBrewer]

So where's the pic? I'm thirsty.

[SchwanzBrewer]

This intrigues me. I want to make a slew of german beers. Probably start with duss alt, but also I would like to make something akin to Kens recipe, and also a Doppel Sticke. 

[Big Nake]

This intrigues me. I want to make a slew of german beers. Probably start with duss alt, but also I would like to make something akin to Kens recipe, and also a Doppel Sticke.

Velcome to my Vorld. Dorts, Helles, Kolsch, Alt, Festbier, Dunkel, Pils... sometimes this is all I want to brew and drink. I get revved up over English Ales and various American styles but it's German stuff that I look forward to the most. This is going to lager for awhile so I pic is a few weeks off. Cheers.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Velcome to my Vorld. Dorts, Helles, Kolsch, Alt, Festbier, Dunkel, Pils... sometimes this is all I want to brew and drink. I get revved up over English Ales and various American styles but it's German stuff that I look forward to the most. This is going to lager for awhile so I pic is a few weeks off. Cheers.

 

I think for me it's a summer/fall thing. A real traditional flavorful lager or Alt just hits the spot. Spring I want IPA's and Pale Ales. Winter I want big IIPAs, stouts and porters.

[Big Nake]

I think for me it's a summer/fall thing. A real traditional flavorful lager or Alt just hits the spot. Spring I want IPA's and Pale Ales. Winter I want big IIPAs, stouts and porters.

I'm the same in that I want lighter beers in the summer (kolsch, pils, helles, etc) and maybe things like festbier, Vienna, amber lagers, red lagers, dark lagers, pale ales, ESBs, etc. other times of the year. I gravitate towards the lower end of the SRM, ABV and IBU scale but the weather does impact what I want.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Here's the version I'm gonna do in a couple weeks...

 

80% Weyermann Pils

10% Weyermann Munich 10L (10-ish)

5% Briess Carapils

5% Weyermann Carahell

 

Mash Temp - 149

OG = 1.056

FG = 1.011

 

Hops

Nugget pellets - 14.5% 60 Min, 30 IBU

Hallertau Mitt - 3.2% 20 Min, 4 IBU

Opal - 6%, 20 Min, 8 IBU

Opal - 6%, 15 min, 5 IBU

Hallertau Mitt - 3.2% 15 Min, 2 IBU

Opal - 6%, 10 min, 3 IBU

Hallertau Mitt - 3.2%, 10 min 1.5 IBU

Opal - 6%, 5 min, 1.5 IBU

Hallertau Mitt - 3.2%, 5 min, 0.75 IBU

Opal - 6%, Flameout, 0 IBU (1oz)

Hallertau Mitt - 3.2%, Slameout, 0 IBU (1oz)

Opal - 6%, Dry Hop, 3 days, 6 days

Hallertau Mitt - 3.2%, Dry Hop, 3 Days, 6 days

 

Yeast - WYeast 2278 Czech Pils

Ferm temp - 48

[Big Nake]

So about 55 IBU? Thassa lotta hops. You'll also have to describe your patented "Slameout" process. Is this like hopSLAMing at flameout or what? I'm always leanring something from you guys.

[positiveContact]

he forcefully throws the hops into the kettle like he's "throwing them on the ground!!!!".

 

okay - i really don't know what it means...

[MyaCullen]

seems more of a hybrid than a Czech Pilsner

[Big Nake]

I realize that some of these German and Czech pilsners have more hopitude which is fine.  If you used soft water (as a Czech version might require), the hops sometimes get muted or don't shine through as much as they might with harder water.  When I sampled this Hoppy(ish) Czech lager I made, I thought the late hops were really nice and sort of jumped out at you but... pfft, I only used 3 ounces of hops in mine and only ended up with 34 IBUs so mine would be considered wimpy compared to Rich's.  It's all good here in Beerville. 

[SchwanzBrewer]

Slameout is when you invite the Macho Man randy Savage over to brew and let him put the hops in WWE style. Sadly, the process is not repeatable anymore.

 

 

seems more of a hybrid than a Czech Pilsner

 

I'm going for German Session LPA. How's that for style name mix? I made something similar a long time ago as a pseudo lager before I could lager and really liked it. Having the ability to lager now and wanting to get to know some german hops, and Ken's recipe inspired me to make this beer. I'll brew it next weekend.

 

 

I realize that some of these German and Czech pilsners have more hopitude which is fine.  If you used soft water (as a Czech version might require), the hops sometimes get muted or don't shine through as much as they might with harder water.  When I sampled this Hoppy(ish) Czech lager I made, I thought the late hops were really nice and sort of jumped out at you but... pfft, I only used 3 ounces of hops in mine and only ended up with 34 IBUs so mine would be considered wimpy compared to Rich's.  It's all good here in Beerville. 

 

I have hard water. The hops will shine, which is what I'm going for. I'll make a more traditional Czech Pilsner 2 beers from now after the doppel sticke.