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BOHEMIAN PILSNER

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zech or Bohemian-style bold hop character. Bohemian Pilsner Pilsner is one of those is rich, but not heavy. , but not C styles that many new without balance. Hoppy, but without brewers want to learn to brew per - covering up the malt. Clean, but not BOHEMIAN PILSNER fectly. While still crisp like other without fermentation character. The by the numbers Pilsner-style , Bohemian-style malt character is bready and in bal - OG: . . . . .1.044 –1.056 (11 –13.8 °P) Pilsner has a spicy hop character and ance with the hop flavor, hop aroma, FG: ...... 1.013 –1.017 (3.3 –4.3 °P) a nice, rich, complex maltiness. and hop bitterness. Not too bold on SRM: ...... 3.5 –6 Bohemian-style Pilsner usually has a either front, these characteristics are IBU: ...... 35 –45 bit more malt sweetness than just strong enough to be obvious ABV: ...... 4.2 –5.4% German-style Pilsners, which helps to the drinker. When tasting a well counter the substantial hop bitter - made Bohemian Pilsner, all of these ness, making it a more balanced, well- flavors seem to end at the same time rounded . in the finish. Back in 1842 Bohemian Pilsner I prefer a nice continental Pilsner was the first clear, pale-colored beer. malt for Bohemian Pilsner. Even though it was the palest beer You can use other pale malts if you back then, Bohemian Pilsner tends to have no other option, but the light, be slightly richer in color than many grainy taste of high quality Pilsner “modern” Pilsner beers. It ranges malt is right on target for this style. from very pale gold to a deep bur - That is all you need for a great nished gold. Just as the measure of Bohemian Pilsner. You can enhance what is the lightest colored the malty flavors with a small addition has shifted over time, today there is of , light Munich or melanoidin also a shift occurring when it comes malt, but keep the percentage to less to describing beer styles. What was than 5% of the grain bill. You don’t “high gravity” and “hoppy” just ten or want to overdo the clean, restrained fifteen years ago, means something malt flavors of this beer and you never different on today’s beer menu. With want to add things like caramel malts. the advent and popularity of styles The sweetness and flavor of caramel such as Imperial IPA and the malts add the wrong character. There hop/alcohol creep that has occurred is one exception, which is head and (mainly on the west coast of the US) body forming dextrin malts such as over the past few years, the beer that Carapils®. These malts have very lit - the average brewer or drinker has in tle flavor impact, but it is best to keep mind when you say “hoppy” has shift - these between 0 and 10% of the grist. ed. When I started brewing, the Extract brewers should use a material I read often described Pilsner-like malt extract that attenu - Bohemian Pilsner as a hoppy beer. ates in the range of 70% or more. While Bohemian Pilsners should have Most light-colored extracts will atten - an obvious hop flavor and aroma, uate fairly well and should be close don’t expect a big, bursty hop aroma enough. There are several good or over-the-top flavor. Obvious but Pilsner or pilsner-type extracts out integrated is perhaps a better way to there, so finding one should not be describe the hop character of too difficult for most brewers. Bohemian Pilsner. The Beer Judge Historically, a brewer would use a Certification Program (BJCP) style decoction mash when brewing a guidelines describe the hop character Bohemian Pilsner and some as a complex and pronounced spicy, still use this time proven method with floral hop bouquet. That is a good under-modified malts. While a decoc - description, but don’t think it means a tion mash might produce some subtle

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1 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine byo.com © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved Bohemian Pilsner Ferment around 50 °F (10 °C) and a temperature of 154 °F (5 gallons/19 L, extract) until the drops clear. With (68 °C). Hold the mash at 154 °F OG = 1.056 (13.9 °P) healthy yeast, fermentation should (68 °C) until enzymatic conversion FG = 1.016 (4.2 °P) be complete in two weeks or less, is complete. Infuse the mash with IBU = 40 SRM = 4 ABV = 5.3% but don’t rush it. Cold fermented near boiling water while stirring or take longer to ferment than with a recirculating mash system Ingredients or lagers fermented at warmer raise the temperature to mash out 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) Briess Pilsen liquid temperatures. If desired, perform a at 168 °F (76 °C). Sparge slowly malt extract diacetyl rest during the last few with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting 4.83 AAU Czech Saaz days of active fermentation. wort until the pre-boil kettle volume (1.38 oz./39 g at 3.5% alpha Rack the finished beer to a keg is around 6.5 gallons (25 L) and the acids) (60 min.) and force carbonate or rack to a gravity is 1.044 (10.9 °P). 5.8 AAU Czech Saaz hops bottling bucket, add the priming The total wort boil time is 90 (1.67 oz./47 g at 3.5% alpha sugar, and bottle. Target a carbona - minutes, which helps reduce the acids) (30 min.) tion level of 2 to 2.5 volumes. SMM (S-methyl methionine) present 2.9 AAU Czech Saaz hops A month or more of cold condition - in the lightly-kilned Pilsner malt and (0.83 oz./24 g at 3.5% alpha ing at near freezing temperatures results in less DMS (Dimethyl acids) (10 min.) will mellow some of the flavors and Sulfide) in the finished beer. Add the 2.9 AAU Czech Saaz hops improve the beer. Serve at 43 to 46 first hop addition with 60 minutes (0.83 oz./24 g at 3.5% alpha acid) °F (6 to 8 °C). remaining in the boil. The other hop (0 min.) additions are at 30, 10, and zero White Labs WLP800 (Pilsner Bohemian Pilsner minutes left in the boil. Add Irish ), Wyeast 2001 (Urquell) or (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) moss or other kettle finings with Fermentis Saflager S-23 yeast OG = 1.056 (13.9 °P) 15 minutes left in the boil. FG = 1.016 (4.2 °P) Chill the wort to 50 °F (10 °C) Step by Step IBU = 40 SRM = 4 ABV = 5.3% and aerate thoroughly. The proper The Briess Pilsen extract contains pitch rate is 20 grams of properly both Pilsner malt and Carapils®. Ingredients rehydrated dry yeast, four pack - Use an appropriate amount of dried 10.75 lbs. (4.8 kg) Durst continental ages of liquid yeast or one package extract if you can’t get the liquid Pilsner malt (or similar) 2 °L of liquid yeast in a 9-liter starter. version. If you can’t get Briess 0.75 lb. (340 g) Briess Carapils® Ferment around 50 °F (10 °C) extract, any fresh, high quality light malt (or similar) 2 °L until the yeast drops clear. With color extract made from Pilsner 4.83 AAU Czech Saaz hops healthy yeast, fermentation should malt will work well. (1.38 oz./39 g for 3.5% alpha be complete in two weeks or less, Add enough water to the malt acid) (60 min.) but don’t rush it. Cold fermented extract to make a pre-boil volume 5.8 AAU Czech Saaz hops lagers take longer to ferment than of 6.5 gallons (25 L) and the gravity (1.67 oz./47 g for 3.5% alpha ales or lagers fermented at warmer is 1.044 (10.9 °P). Stir thoroughly acid) (30 min.) temperatures. If desired, perform a to dissolve the extract and bring to 2.9 AAU Czech Saaz hops diacetyl rest during the last few a boil. The total wort boil time is 90 (0.83 oz./24 g of 3.5% alpha acid) days of active fermentation. minutes. Add the first hop addition (10 min.) Rack the finished beer to a keg with 60 minutes remaining in the 2.9 AAU Czech Saaz hops and force carbonate or rack to a boil. The other hop additions are (0.83 oz./24 g of 3.5% alpha acid) bottling bucket, add the priming at 30, 10, and zero minutes left in (0 min.) sugar, and bottle. Target a carbona - the boil. Add Irish moss or other White Labs WLP800 (Pilsner tion level of 2 to 2.5 volumes. kettle finings with 15 minutes left in Lager), Wyeast 2001 (Urquell) or A month or more of cold condi - the boil. Fermentis Saflager S-23 yeast tioning at near freezing tempera - Chill the wort to 50 °F (10 °C) tures will mellow some of the fla - and aerate thoroughly. The proper Step by Step vors and improve the beer. Serve at pitch rate is 20 grams of properly Mill the grains and dough-in target - 43 to 46 °F (6 to 8 °C). rehydrated dry yeast, four pack - ing a mash of around 1.5 quarts of ages of liquid yeast or one package water to 1 pound of grain (a liquor- of liquid yeast in a 9-liter starter. to-grist ratio of about 3:1 by weight)

2 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine byo.com © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved differences, I find that high quality deionized water. If you have highly with almost any lager yeast, though continental Pilsner malt and a single alkaline water, use a 25/75 mix of tap my favorites are White Labs WLP800 infusion mash will produce a beer to reverse osmosis or deionized water. (Pilsner Lager) and Wyeast 2001 every bit as good as the best commer - It is important not to use all reverse (Urquell). Other excellent strains are cial examples and even a best of show osmosis or deionized water with no White Labs WLP802 (Czech winner. It is far more important to pay mineral additions, as it lacks the Budejovice Lager) and Wyeast 2000 attention to fermentation, sanitation buffering capacity and necessary (Budvar Lager), 2124 (Bohemian and post-fermentation handling than minerals for all-grain brewing and for Lager), and 2278 (Czech Pils). You worrying about decoction. If you’ve ideal fermentation. need around 400 billion clean, healthy ensured that all of those other aspects In this style, hop flavor and aroma cells to properly ferment 5 gallons of your process are flawless, then should always be present and should (19 L) of this beer, which is double maybe it is time to worry about range from low to moderate. I really what you would use for an equivalent decoctions. Of course, there are still like using Czech Saaz hops, though strength . For a simple, non-stirred breweries in the that sometimes they’re hard to source. starter, one package of liquid yeast in brew their Pilsner with a decoction While many consider Czech Saaz 2.3 gallons (8.7 L) will result in the mash. Tony Powell, Head Brewer at hops a must in this style, you do have right amount of yeast. If you’re not Fish Brewing Company, is also a big some flexibility. The trick is to select making a starter, you’ll need about proponent of decoction. He reports hops with that same spicy character. four packages of liquid yeast. If you’re 3 that on a recent trip to Europe he You don’t want anything fruity or cit - using dry yeast, use approximately ⁄4 found a number of brewers still pas - rusy. Some decent substitutions are ounce (20 g) of fresh, properly rehy - sionate about decoction mash as a Tettnang, US Saaz, Polish Lublin, drated yeast. critical component of their process. If Sterling, Sladek, Ultra, and Vanguard. When making lagers, I like to get you want to brew this style in a tradi - You can get away with Hallertau, the wort down to 44 °F (7 °C), oxy - tional manner also, go with a double Spalt, Perle or Tradition. It is really the genate and then pitch the yeast. I let decoction, open fermentation and a overall impression that matters. The the beer slowly warm over the first minimum of 45 days of lagering. big picture is that you want moderate 36 hours to 50 °F (10 °C) and then I I like to avoid any work I really hop character and a firm bitterness, hold this temperature for the remain - don’t have to do, so I prefer a single but both should complement and inte - der of fermentation. This results in a infusion mash. I target a mash temper - grate well with your malt and yeast clean lager, with very little diacetyl. ature range of 152 to 156 °F (67 to 69 choices. The balance of bittering ver - The idea is to reduce the diacetyl pre - °C). If you are making a lower gravity sus malt sweetness should always be cursor alpha-acetolactate, which the beer, use the higher end of this tem - to the bitter side. You want a firm bit - yeast create during the early phase of perature range to leave the beer with tering presence, one that is obvious fermentation. With a warmer envi - a bit more body. While this may seem but not harsh. The bitterness to start - ronment, the yeast form more alpha- like a fairly high mash temperature, ing gravity ratio (IBU divided by OG) acetolactate and the finished beer keep in mind that lager yeast will con - ranges from 0.6 to 1.0, but I like to contains more diacetyl. Given time sume more of the tri-saccharide mal - target around 0.7 to 0.8. and the proper conditions, active totriose than the average ale yeast. A good Bohemian Pilsner isn’t as yeast will convert the diacetyl to While we don’t want - clean as your typical German or other compounds with a higher flavor like body, we do want the fully American Pilsner. There aren’t obvi - threshold, but the lower the initial attenuated beer to still have a fairly ous fermentation flaws or anything amount of diacetyl, the less there will full mouthfeel. “unclean” about the beer, but there is be in the final beer. If you start or fer - I’ve never been a proponent of a very subtle background note of fer - ment your lager warmer, you will messing with brewing water needless - mentation-derived compounds that need to do a diacetyl rest during the ly, but for Bohemian Pilsner I make an add a certain fullness and interest to last part of fermentation. To perform exception. Many commercial brew - the beer. Some may point out the a diacetyl rest, warm your beer up eries typically use water with a low BJCP style guide’s acceptance of about 10 °F (6 °C) until fermentation mineral content. diacetyl in this style. Yes, I suppose is complete and the yeast have had a You can make a fine example of that is acceptable in very small chance to eliminate the diacetyl. the style with most water, but low amounts, but I don’t think it is some - In any case, don’t rush things. carbonate water helps match the thing to shoot for. In many cases I Good lagers take time and they fer - character of the classic examples. You believe it may not be present at the ment slower than ales, especially can build your water from scratch, , but it is instead a fault that when fermented cold. Once the beer but if your water has moderate alka - develops in the package with the oxi - has finished fermenting, a period of linity and you just want to get in the dation of alpha-acetolactate into lagering for a month or more at near ballpark, try mixing your filtered tap diacetyl over time. freezing temperatures can improve water 50/50 with reverse osmosis or You can ferment Bohemian Pilsner the beer.

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