tthhee bbeesstt ooff BOHEMIAN PILSNER Please note all file contents are Copyright © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This file is for the buyer’s personal use only. It’s unlawful to share or distribute this file to others in any way including e-mailing it, posting it online, or sharing printed copies with others. Bohemian Pilsner by Jamil Zainasheff zech or Bohemian-style bold hop character. Bohemian Pilsner Pilsner is one of those is rich, but not heavy. Bitter, 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 beers, 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 beer. in the finish. Back in 1842 Bohemian Pilsner I prefer a nice continental Pilsner was the first clear, pale-colored beer. malt for brewing 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 beer style the malty flavors with a small addition has shifted over time, today there is of Vienna, 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 breweries 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 Continued on page 3 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 yeast 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 lagers take longer to ferment than with a recirculating mash system Ingredients ales 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 hops 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 Lager), 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).