This is my ongoing saga of nailing what I believe to be a great Czech pils. To put the metamorphosis into perspective look at the table below
| Malt | Hops | Water | Mash Temp | OG | FG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.4% German Pils 2.6% Carapils |
28.00 g Perle [8%] – Boil 60 min 28.4 IBUs 28.00 g Czech Saaz [3.75%] – Boil 30 min 10.2 IBUs 28.00 g Czech Saaz [3.75%] – Boil 15 min 6.6 IBUs |
100% RO 1g CaCl mash 1g CACL sparge Pinch of Gypsum each |
148 | 1.048 | 1.011 |
| 2 | 93.6% German pils 6.4% Carapils |
14.00 g Northern Brewer [10%] – Boil 60 min 15.8 IBUs 14.00 g Northern Brewer [10%] – Boil 45 min 14.5 IBUs 28.00 g Sterling [8%] – Boil 20 min 15.3 IBUs 28.00 g Sterling [8%] – Boil 5 min 5 IBUs 28.00 g Sterling [8%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs |
75% RO 25% tap 2g CaCl mash 1ml lactic mash 1ml lactic sparge |
152 | 1.047 | 1.012 |
| 3 | 96% German Pils 4% Melanoiden |
28.00 g Northern Brewer [6%] – First wort 20.4 IBUs 28.00 g Sterling [8%] – Boil 30 min 19 IBUs 28.00 g Sterling [8%] – Boil 5 min 4.9 IBUs 28.00 g Sterling [8%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs |
75% RO 25% tap 2g CaCl mash 1ml lactic mash 1ml lactic sparge |
154 | 1.051 | Est 1.012 |
OK a lot of data but the overall gist is I’m not getting enough malt body. I’m close to nailing it but even mashing at 152 the beer seemed overly dry and the bitterness just a tad biting. To remedy this I decided to use Melanoiden malt, which is a German malt that basically mimics the color and taste of a decoction, instead of Carapils. I also added the bittering charge as a first wort hop. Apparently a majority of Czech brewers do this. In theory it should smooth out the bitterness.
6 gallons
Estimated OG: 1.051
Estimated FG: 1.012
Estimated Color: 4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 44.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 5.0%
Grain
11 lbs German Pilsner (2 SRM) 93.6%
.75 lbs Carapils (2 SRM) 6.4%
Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00 g Northern Brewer [6%] – First wort 60 min 20.4 IBUs
28.00 g Sterling [8%] – Boil 30 min 19 IBUs
28.00 g Sterling [8%] – Boil 5 min 4.9 IBUs
28.00 g Sterling [8%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs
Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
1tsp yeast nutrient 15 min
Mash and Sparge
75% RO water
25% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
2g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
1ml lactic acid added to mash water
Mash in 5 gallons water 163F and let stabilize to 154F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 4.5 gallons cold
Yeast
Saflager S-23 2 packs
Fermentation
Ferment 5 days at 57F
Let free rise 67F and hold for 3 days
Take gravity reading and if terminal cold crash to 28F for 1 day
Add fining – 1tsp gelatin to cup of boiling water and stir to dissolve and let settle 1 day
Rack to keg and let carbonate – depending on your preferred method to carbonate it will be ready to drink but I found on the last batch at least a week was optimal for conditioning, so were looking at around 3 weeks from “grain to glass” for best results.