283 Kilometers (European Pale Lager)

283 Kilometers

(5 gallon/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.047  FG = 1.009
IBU = 22  SRM = 5  ABV = 4.9%

Ingredients
5.0 lbs. (2.3 kg) Vienna malt
5.0 lbs. (2.3 kg) Pilsner malt
6 AAU Tettnang hops (60 mins) (1.5 oz./43 g of 4% alpha acids)
1 tsp. Irish moss (15 mins)
1/4 tsp. calcium chloride (90 mins)
Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian Lager) or White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) yeast (3 qt./~3 L yeast starter)
1.2 cups corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Use water with under 50 ppm carbonates, but over 100 ppm calcium. Step mash with a 5-minute rest at 133 °F (56 °C), a 15-minute rest at 140 °F (60 °C), a 30-minute rest at 154 °F (68 °C) and a 5-minute rest at 168 °F (76 °C). Recirculate wort for about 20 minutes (or until clear), then collect wort until final runnings drop to SG 1.010. Heat sparge water to the point that the grain bed temperature stays around 168 °F (76 °C) during wort collection. Add water, if needed, to make 7 gallons (26 L) of pre-boil wort. Add calcium chloride and boil wort vigorously for 90 minutes.

After boil, cool wort and transfer all but 1 quart (~1 L) to fermenter. Transfer the 1 quart (~1 L) to a sanitized container and store in refrigerator (to be used as kräusen beer). Aerate remainder of the wort well and pitch yeast sediment from yeast starter. Ferment at 50 °F (10 °C) until fermentation slows. Take stored wort (for kräusen beer) from fridge, pitch with a fresh dose of lager yeast. Once kräusen beer starts fermenting, add to main batch of beer and raise temperature to 54 °F (12 °C). When fermentation stops, dump yeast (or rack to secondary) and lager at 40 °F (4.4 °C). Keg and carbonate to 2.5 volumes of CO₂.