Summer! It really is the best time of year, and it’s when we really seem to fall in love with our classic styles again, such as June’s selections of pilsner and nut brown ale.
The pale brewed in May is ready this month. The amber can be cooled and consumed on June 6, which is also brew day for our first style this month, pilsner. Start right away with this one, because it will take about as long as the maibock did. Then in a week you’ll start your second beer, nut brown ale.
Czech Revolution
For most brewers the formal definition of a pilsner is a lager made with hops grown only in the Saaz region of the Czech Republic. But this is not always the case; pilsner has broader implications.
There are three main types of pilsner: the traditional Czech style, German, and European, which is sometimes known as Dutch or Scandinavian. There is also an American version, sometimes spelled pilsener, which is often thought of as premium lager and all-malt beer. It is not often produced today, having been replaced by adjunct lagers for the most part.
The original pilsner, Plzensky Prazdroj (Pilsner Urquell), was first brewed in 1842. “Pilsner” refers to the Bohemian town of Plzen in the Czech Republic. “Urquell,” which is Germanic, means original source. The pilsner style, and lagers in general, came together partly from advances in malting to create more pale-colored base malts, a viable lager strain of yeast, and mashing by decoction. Advances in equipment technology also played a role as steam was eventually used to heat brew kettles in lieu of fire, thus decreasing the amount of coloring that went on in the kettle. The Urquell brewery still uses a direct-fired copper brew kettle.
These factors created a pale, clean beer, which had never been seen. The introduction of glass drinking vessels served as further impetus. By the 1850s, pilsner — synonymous with lager then — was brewed in Germany and exported to Britain and slowly was gaining a foothold in the United States.
Modern Pilsners
Czech pilsners are very smooth and well rounded, but they have a distinct hop presence from the use of noble varieties, namely Saaz. The finish is very malty and in some cases can be slightly sweet. Terminal gravities run as high as 1.020 (5° Plato). The German
examples are similar, but they are lower in original and terminal gravities. They also may have a more perceptible hop bitterness accompanying the noble characters due to the higher degree of attenuation, decreased maltiness, and the use of hops other than Saaz (for example Northern Brewer and Perle). The Dutch style is lighter still, commonly made with some sort of adjunct such as corn or rice and attenuated to possess a very dry finish with little maltiness. (See Pilsner Specifications, page 20.)
Some better-known pilsners are Pilsner Urquell and Budweiser Budvar (Czech styles); DAB Pils, Warsteiner, and Spaten Pils (German styles); and Heineken (Dutch style). Beck’s, brewed in Northern Germany, is also a very popular beer that models the light Dutch style.
For the most part, when people in the United States think of pilsner, it is Urquell that comes to mind, although some say that Budweiser Budvar (unavailable here) is a better product. The key to reproducing these beers is in understanding the ingredients and the methods involved, because they are a bit unorthodox at times.
Grain Bill
The base of the pilsner should be made of a malt that is as pale as possible and fits your mashing technique. If you insist on making things hard on yourself by doing a traditional decoction, then American or German six-row barley is probably what you want. The only problem is that six-row varieties have a thicker husk, which means more tannins when boiling. It is much easier to choose a good American, Canadian, or English two-row pale. Munich and Vienna are also good malts, but they must be very light in color.
The base malt recommended for the recipes this month is the same as for all the lagers covered, Beeston Chariot Pilsner. It is a two-row Chariot-type barley, 1.5° to 2° Lovibond, with a moderate protein content (10.5 percent to 11 percent) but a correspondingly high diastatic power and good nitrogen level. This means the malt will perform well in a single-infusion mash. The conversion temperature for Urquell is 149° F. That is how these recipes are formulated. Other pilsners, particularly German varieties, work better at about 153° F.
Water
The water in Plzen is notoriously soft, having 35 parts per million (ppm) total dissolved solids. It is very different from other brewing centers in the world, such as Munich (275 ppm total dissolved solids) and Burton, England (1,100 ppm). So what does it mean? Not much, really. Hard water, like that in Burton, is supposed to be responsible for a more pronounced bitterness in beers, whereas soft water is thought to lend a more subtle bitterness. But the fact is that every mash needs to be adjusted to 5.2 to 5.5 pH for every beer, no matter what your water is like. So really what it comes down to is how to treat the water, not so much what the untreated water will do.
For example the Plzen water is very soft, but the very pale mash of a pilsner needs to be acidified. So you are actually hardening the water to get the numbers you want. Conversely, very hard water may need to be softened to reach the mash pH desired.
The water profile for Plzen varies with the source consulted, but an average of three different water charts yielded these concentrations (in parts per million): calcium 7, sodium 2, magnesium 2, chloride 5, sulfate 5, and bicarbonate 15.
Mashing
The traditional method of mashing grain for Pilsner is the decoction system. The recipes given use Chariot malt, which lends itself to a single-infusion mash. For purists, the actual decoction schedule from the Urquell brewery has rests at 95° F, 122° F, 149° F, and 165° F.
Fermentation
Both Budweiser Budvar and Pilsner Urquell are produced by very traditional, very lengthy brewing methods. The primary fermentation step at Urquell is done in large wooden casks, pitched at 40° F, and fermented at 46° F for 14 days. Afterward it is transferred to lagering vessels and kraeusened. The yeast strains available now are very good and cover a wide range of lagers. Good choices include Wyeast 2278 (Czech Pils), as well as 2124 (Bohemian lager) and 2007 (Pilsen). The 2124 is actually a bit more complex than the 2278 but not as flocculent, which may be a factor if you desire a very clear beer after bottle conditioning.
Lagering
It takes about three months for the beer to be ready to drink, mostly due to a long, cold lagering period. As in the fermentation stage, this is traditionally done in large wooden casks sealed with a thin layer of molten pitch. This also adds to the character of the beer. The alternative fermentation schedule given with the recipes represents a compromise. The beer conditions in the bottle and will be ready much faster. But if you want to emulate Urquell completely, use a 14-day primary fermentation and a three-month lagering period.
To lager use Cornelius kegs with 1 to 2 inches cut off of the draw tube. The keg can be put in a chest freezer, old refrigerator, or an ice-water bath in a plastic garbage can. Excess pressure from the still-active yeast can be vented by using the release valve on top of the keg.
When the beer is ready and has cleared sufficiently, it can be drawn directly from the keg into bottles. It will be fairly free of yeast due to the cropped draw tube, and it will be carbonated from lagering under pressure. In fact this can be done in two stages, one for lagering on yeast and a second in which the beer is filtered into a fresh keg to be force carbonated. If you choose this latter method, use a rough filtration of 10 to 20 microns and follow with a polish filtration of 1 to 4 microns, depending on the condition of your beer. Alternatively, finings such as brewer’s gelatin work very well, too.
For most brewers, bottle conditioning will work just fine. Most of the sediment should remain in the carboy. The remainder will fall to the bottom over the month of lagering in the bottle (longer if you can stand it). Chill the bottles a few days before drinking to help with cold break and further sedimentation.
When bottling choose amber-colored bottles, or keep your green ones away from all light. Green and clear bottles can produce skunky beer. Care needs to be taken with highly hopped pilsners, particularly ones containing Saaz hops, which easily react to light.
Nut Brown Ale
Brown ales, sometimes known as nut brown because of their color, originated in England and exist as a very strong style today. Brown ale is broken into two categories, Northern brown (sometimes known as strong brown) and Southern brown.
There is also a lower-gravity style of English brown ale known as mild ale, which is like the little brother to the Southern style. It is brewed in the West Midlands around Wolverhampton, or “Black County.” Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery makes a nice version of this beer called High Desert mild. In recent years this style has been split into light and dark mild in many competitions to reflect the many different versions brewed in the United Kingdom. Examples of U.K. mild ale are Bank’s Mild and Marston’s Merrie Monk and Walnut Mild.
The character of English brown is light, with a moderate alcohol flavor. The Northern style has a short caramel finish, and the Southern style is darker, lower in alcohol, sweeter, and less bitter. The American version is a combination of the two, but it has more of everything and possesses a distinct American hop profile. All of the browns have toffee, chocolate, toasted, and biscuit flavors associated with the use of the brown spectrum of specialty grains, although in varying degrees of intensity.
The guidelines for an English-style brown ale are: original gravity 1.040 to 1.050 (10° to 12.5° Plato), bitterness 15 to 25 IBUs, color 15° to 22° SRM, and alcohol by volume 4 percent to 5.5 percent. For American brown, the target numbers are: original gravity 1.040 to 1.056 (10° to 14° Plato), bitterness 25 to 60 IBUs, color 15° to 22° SRM, and alcohol by volume 4 percent to 5.9 percent.
The Northern brown is the most common brown imported into the United States, with Newcastle and Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown probably the most prevalent.
American and hybrid versions from U.S. microbreweries include Pyramid Best Brown, Deschutes Bond St. Brown, Rogue Hazelnut Brown (which actually has hazelnuts in it), and Goose Island Brown.
Malt
Even though English brown ales are lighter than American browns, the grain bill is essentially the same. An American, Canadian, or British two-row pale malt should serve as the base, or use a combination of these. The two pale malts chosen in these recipes are a standard two-row malt such as Klages, Harrington, or Manley mixed with a significant amount of English Maris Otter for richness and depth. Alternatives are Maris Otter crosses such as Beeston’s Pipkin Pale or Halcyon. The body should be fortified with light to medium caramel malts to add sweetness, caramel flavor, and complexity to the specialty grains. Color ratings of 20°, 40°, and 60° Lovibond are good, as these malts can be used in moderate to high amounts without making the beer too dark.
However, if you are purposely trying to brew a brown ale that is very low in caramel character, such as a low-gravity mild ale, the higher-roasted crystal malts are good for just the opposite reasons. Just a little will add color and body, but the decreased amount in the grain bill means less added flavor. This leads to the use of roasted specialty grains for brown color and chocolate or toffee flavors. Biscuit malt, brown malt, and chocolate malt are good, and all are included in our recipe for American-style brown ale.
These recipes can always be simplified, but the complexity translates into quality. The English recipe is simpler, using only chocolate malt and one type of crystal malt as specialty grains. The English recipes contain no sugar, as is common in many browns.
Hops
Neither version should be overly hoppy, particularly the English recipe, which is more of a testament to the brewer’s ability to create a well-balanced beer. The American-style brown can be more bitter, but it should be accompanied by an increase in maltiness and gravity as well. It is for these reasons that hop varieties with high alpha-acid contents are seldom used, in favor of increased hop rates of lower-alpha varieties.
It doesn’t take a master brewer to figure out that an English brown requires traditional English hops and, similarly, the American version should be brewed using American varieties. Regular readers of this column have come to expect a few standards in the recipes given. The English recipe uses a Fuggle and Goldings program, which is perfect, but alternatives are Bullion for bittering and Brambling, Progress, and Wye Challenger for flavoring and aroma additions. The American brown ale recipe employs Cascades for bittering and is finished with Liberty. Other good hops for American brown are Centennial (in moderation), Willamette, Crystal, and Mt. Hood.
Yeast Selection
Yeast selection and fermentation for the browns are exactly the same as the two pale ales from last month, Wyeast 1056 (American ale) for the American and 1318 (London ale III) for the English.
Bohemian Pilsner
(5 gallons, all-grain)
This is a well-hopped pilsner with a slight caramel note in the finish and more color than other styles, much along the lines of Urquell. The numbers below are from the Urquell brewery.
Ingredients:
• 6.5 lbs. two-row pale malt
• 1 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 1 lb. caramel malt, 10° Lovibond
• 4 oz. Saaz hops (3.3% alpha acid): 1.75 oz. (5.5 AAU) for 90 min., 0.75 oz. (2.5 AAU) for 30 min.,
1.5 oz. (5 AAU) at end of boil
• 2 pt. starter of Wyeast 2278 (Czech pils)
• 1/3 cup corn sugar for priming
Step by Step:
Mash grain in 2.75 gal. of water for 60 min. at 149° F. Sparge with enough 168° F water to yield 5.75 gal. of wort.
Total boil time is 90 min. At beginning of boil, add 1.75 oz. Saaz and continue for 60 min. more. Add 0.75 oz. Saaz and boil for 30 min. more. At end of boil add 1.5 oz. Saaz charge or, if flowers are available, use in hop back. Whirlpool and cool to 45° F to pitch starter.
Ferment at 45° F for three days, raise to 50° F over four days, and then rack to secondary fermenter. Continue fermentation for seven days until gravity is 1.018 (4.5° Plato). At this point cool to 40° F or below and let settle for seven days. Prime and bottle at 1.016 (4° Plato). Age at least four more weeks before drinking.
Terminal gravity for Urquell is 1.015 (3.7° Plato), so this should be right on.
OG = 1.049 (12.1° Plato)
43 IBUs
4.2° SRM
4.5% ABV
Bohemian Pilsner
(5 gallons, extract with grain)
Ingredients:
• 6 lbs. very light pilsner malt extract syrup
• 1 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 1 lb. crystal malt, 10° Lovibond
• 4.25 oz. Saaz hops (3.3% alpha acid): 1.75 oz. (5.5 AAU) for 60 min., 1 oz. (3.1 AAU) for 30 min., 1.5 oz. (5 AAU) at end of boil
• 2 pt. starter of Wyeast 2278 (Czech pils)
• 1/3 cup corn sugar for priming
Step by Step:
Start with 5 gal. of water in boil kettle. Steep crushed grains in a nylon bag at 150° F for 30 min. Remove bag and rinse with enough 168° F water to make 5.5 gal. Add extract. Total boil time is 60 min. At start of boil, add 1.75 oz. Saaz and boil for 30 min. Add 1 oz. Saaz and boil for 30 min. more. At end of boil, add 1.5 oz. Saaz or, if flowers are available, use in hop back. Whirlpool and cool to 45° F to pitch starter.
Follow the fermenting instructions and refer to the specifications for the all-grain version.
American Brown Ale
(5 gallons, all-grain)
Ingredients:
• 7.5 lbs. two-row pale malt such a Gambrinus or Great Western
• 0.5 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 1 lb. crystal malt, 40° Lovibond
• 0.5 lb. biscuit malt
• 0.25 lb. brown malt
• 0.25 lb. chocolate malt
• 1.5 oz. Cascade hops (6% alpha acid): 0.5 oz. (3 AAU) for 90 min., 1 oz. (6 AAU) for 45 min.
• 0.75 oz. (4.5 AAU) Liberty hops (6% alpha acid) at end of boil
• 1 pt. starter of Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming
Step by Step:
Mash grain in 3.25 gal. of water at 150° F for 60 min. Sparge with 168° to 170° F water to collect 5.75 gal. of wort.
Total boil is 90 min. At start of boil, add 0.5 oz. Cascade hops and boil 45 min. Add 1 oz. Cascades and boil remaining 45 min. At end of boil, add Liberty hops to finish. Whirlpool and cool to 69° F to pitch starter. Oxygenate/aerate well.
Ferment at 69° F for seven days, then rack to secondary. Continue fermentation for seven more days until gravity is about 1.012 (3° Plato) or fermentation stops. Let settle, rack, prime, and bottle. Age seven more days before drinking.
OG = 1.056 (14° Plato)
33 IBUs
17° SRM
5.5% ABV
American Brown Ale
(5 gallons, extract with grain)
Ingredients:
• 7.5 lbs. pale malt extract syrup
• 0.5 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 1 lb. crystal malt, 40° Lovibond
• 0.5 lb. biscuit malt
• 0.25 lb. brown malt
• 0.25 lb. chocolate malt
• 1.75 oz. Cascade hops (6% alpha acid): 0.75 oz. (4.5 AAU) for 60 min., 1 oz. (6 AAU) for 45 min.
• 0.75 oz. (4.5 AAU) Liberty hops (6% alpha acid) at end of boil
• 1 pt. starter of Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming
Step by Step:
Start with 5 gal. of 150° F water. Steep crushed grain for 30 min. Sparge grains with enough 170° F water to make 5.5 gal. Heat to boiling and add extract syrup. Total boil will be 60 min. At start of boil, add 0.75 oz. Cascade hops and boil 15 min. Add 1 oz. Cascades and boil remaining 45 min. At end of boil, add Liberty hops to finish. Whirlpool and cool to 69° F to pitch starter. Oxygenate/aerate well.
Follow the fermenting instructions and refer to the specifications for the all-grain version.
English Brown Ale
(5 gallons, all-grain)
Ingredients:
• 7.25 lbs. Maris Otter
• 0.5 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 1 lb. crystal, 40° Lovibond
• 0.25 lb. chocolate malt
• 1.5 oz. Fuggle hops (4.2% alpha acid): 1 oz. (4.2 AAU) for 90 min., 0.5 oz. (2.1 AAU) for 30 min.
• 1 oz. (5.5 AAU) Kent Goldings hops (5.5% alpha acid) at end of boil
• 1 pt. starter of Wyeast 1318 (London III)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming
Step by Step:
Mash grain in 3 gal. of water at 150° F for 60 min. Sparge with 168° to 170° F water to collect 5.75 gal. of wort.
Total boil time is 90 min. At start of boil, add 1 oz. Fuggle hops and boil 60 min. Add 0.5 oz. Fuggles, boil remaining 30 min. At end of boil, add the Kent Goldings hops. Whirlpool and cool to 69° F to pitch starter. Oxygenate/aerate well.
Ferment at 69° F for seven days, then rack to secondary fermenter. Continue fermentation for seven days until gravity is about 1.012 (3° Plato) or fermentation is finished. Let settle, rack, prime, and bottle. Age seven days before drinking.
OG = 1.048 (12° Plato)
23 IBUs
16° SRM
4.5% ABV
English Brown Ale
(5 gallons, extract with grain)
Ingredients:
• 7 lbs. English pale malt extract syrup
• 0.5 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 1 lb. crystal malt, 40° Lovibond
• 0.25 lb. chocolate malt
• 1.75 oz. Fuggle hops (4.2% alpha acid): 1.25 oz. (5.25 AAU) for 60 min., 0.5 oz. (2.1 AAU) for 30 min.
• 1 oz. (5.5 AAU) Kent Goldings hops (5.5% alpha acid) at end of boil
• 1 pt. starter of Wyeast 1318 (London III)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming
Step by Step:
Start with 5 gal. of 150° F water. Steep crushed grain for 30 min. Sparge grains with enough 170° F water to make 5.5 gal. Heat to boiling and add extract syrup. Total boil will be 60 min. At start of boil, add 1.25 oz. Fuggle hops and boil 30 min. Add 0.5 oz. Fuggles and boil 30 min. At the end of boil, add Kent Goldings hops to finish. Whirlpool and cool to 69° F to pitch starter. Oxygenate/aerate well.
Follow the fermenting instructions and refer to the specifications for the all-grain version.
Brewing Schedule Notes
June 3, Thursday
Prep day for pilsner
Assemble all ingredients for pilsner, sanitize equipment, and start yeast culture for brewing on Sunday.
June 6, Sunday
Brew day
Brew pilsner, record original gravity, and begin fermentation. Amber ale (brewed in May) is ready to drink.
June 11, Friday
Prep day for nut brown
Assemble all ingredients for brown ale and sanitize equipment. Start yeast culture for brewing on Sunday.
June 13, Sunday
Brew day
Brew nut brown ale, record original gravity, and begin fermentation. The pilsner will be racked over to a secondary and the gravity recorded. Check for off-flavors or contamination. Continue for 14 more days.
June 20, Sunday
Transfer
The brown should be ready for transfer to secondary. Record gravity and check for off-flavors. Continue for seven more days.
June 27, Sunday
Bottle both beers
Both beers should be ready to bottle today. The nut brown will be aged another week before drinking, and the pilsner needs at least four more weeks. Date and reserve a case of the pils for drinking later in the year.
July brews: IPA and Belgian tripel.
