Crafting Pilsner: Tips from the Pros
Pilsner —be it the Czech or German variety — is a classic style that some will say needs not be messed with. However, craft and homebrewers alike are a creative bunch and experimentation is part of the fun. Use this advice from two pros who aren’t afraid to put a twist on the style to brew up your own “Americanized” Pils.
Brewer: Josh Rapp, Avery Brewing Co., in Boulder, CO
We definitely had classic styles in mind when developing Joe’s Pilsner. It has a similar grain bill, fermentation specs, and hop varietals as a traditional German Pilsner. However, there is one glaring difference: Hop content. It has about quadruple the amount of flavor and aroma hops you would normally see in a German Pilsner. We, and a lot of consumers in the budding craft beer scene at the time we developed this recipe, were all about the hops. We only use traditional Hallertau Hersbrucker hops for flavor and aroma but in much higher quantities. On a 5-gallon (19-L) scale we add 0.59 oz. (16.7 g) of Bravo hops at 13.5 alpha acid for 60 minutes of boil time and 3.6 oz. (103 g) of Hersbrucker hops at flame out. In my opinion, bittering hops do not add flavor or aroma to the beer, so someone trying to clone our recipe could use any hop for their first addition as long as they account for the difference in alpha acid. Generally, I would suggest tracking down a larger alpha acid hop for bittering additions in any beer to cut down on trub and for consistency.
Water is key for any style of Pilsner. We generally aim to hit a pH of 5.20 to 5.40 throughout the brewing process and use phosphoric acid, calcium chloride, and calcium sulfide to achieve those specs, but the amounts change from month to month. Homebrewers should be able to get a free assessment of their water from the city they live in and adjust accordingly. Most adjustments can be done in the mash tun with small adjustments in the kettle if necessary.
Joe’s is fermented at 50 °F (10 °C). We start at 1.041 and it usually takes three to four weeks to reach terminal gravity at 1.008. We do a diacetyl rest for all of our beers. With Joe’s, we increase the temperature to 64 °F
(18 °C) at 1.016. If homebrewers can hit these specs, great! However, fermentation rates in the homebrewing environment depend on pitching rates and fermentation control. Higher temperature or more temperature fluctuation could result in a quicker fermentation time.
Brewing Pilsner is all about keeping every part of the process clean and taking fermentation slow. Consider how much grain trub is making it into your kettle and try to minimize it. Try and filter out as much hop trub as possible when going into your fermentation vessel. Pouring through a muslin sack into a second, sanitized vessel before wort chilling works well for this. If possible try to “grain out” by raising the temperature of your mash to 172 °F (78 °C) before starting your lautering process as even a small amount of tannin can come through in such a delicate beer. By that same coin, make sure that your water stays between 163–167 °F (73–75 °C) while actively sparging. A Pilsner can be a very beautiful, delicate beer but it can also easily show all of the flaws in your process.
The number one piece of advice I always give to any brewer, whether at home or commercially, is take as much data as possible and write everything down. “Write It Down” culture is life!
Brewer: Florian Kuplent, Urban Chestnut in Saint Louis, MO
Our SLIPILS (an imperial Pilsner) and Urban Gold (a session Pilsner) both break from the traditional style. In a way, SLIPILS is a stronger version of our Stammtisch Pils (traditional German-style Pils), but it also takes some cues from the pale Bock beers that we make. We did increase malt and hop bills, but it is obviously important to find a balance. It’s not a linear relationship. SLIPILS uses ingredients from Bavaria (hops from Hallertau and malt from Franconia) and is brewed following the Reinheitsgebot. We use a traditional, long step-mashing regime, cold fermentation using our Bavarian lager yeast, and a long, cold maturation. Ultimately it is a traditional beer with some American tweaks.
The idea behind Urban Gold was to create a session style Pils with plenty of hop aroma and flavor. We decided to use a combination of European and US hops to bring out a fruity, citrusy, and herbal character in the beer.
I often hear from homebrewers that they mature their lagers for months, and I don’t think that is a good idea. With proper management of the fermentation, such lengthy lagering times are not only unnecessary, but also potentially harmful. At some point, time will work against you. Yeast that does not have any nutrients available will start to digest itself in a process called autolysis and produce undesirable flavor and aroma compounds. The length of maturation is not a sign of quality — the way the beer smells and tastes is!
Two things are very important when brewing Pilsner: The quality of the bitterness and how fermentation is managed. The bitterness should be pronounced and crisp but never lingering. The types and quality of hops used are essential. I prefer classic aroma hops even for bittering. Good yeast health and sufficient pitch rates combined with well-aerated wort will help achieve a clean fermentation along with good attenuation. This produces a sessionable beer even at a higher ABV.
Our SLIPILS (an imperial Pilsner) and Urban Gold (a session Pilsner) both break from the traditional style.
