You Dip, I Dip, We Dip West Coast Pilsner
You Dip, I Dip, We Dip West Coast Pilsner
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.055 FG = 1.009
IBU = 55 SRM = 3.5 ABV = 6%
Ingredients
10.7 lbs. (4.8 kg) Rahr North Star Pilsner (or other characterful Pilsner malt)
8 oz. (230 g) Carapils® malt
4 oz. (113 g) Citra® hops (dip hop)
2 oz. (56 g) Citra® hops (whirlpool)
SafLager W-34/70 or White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Use a single-infusion mash with water that has balanced chloride/sulfate levels. Mash at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Conduct a 170 °F (77 °C) mash out step. Vorlauf until your wort is clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge the grains with 168 °F (76 °C) water to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort.
Total boil time is 60 minutes. After boiling 10 minutes, remove 2 quarts (2 L) of wort and cool to between 160–180 °F (71–82 °C). Add the dip hops to your fermenter and then add this cooled portion of wort on top. Close the fermenter and let it steep.
When the boil is complete, turn off heat, add the whirlpool hop addition to the kettle and give it a vigorous stir to create a whirlpool in the kettle. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Then cool this wort to about 50 °F (10 °C) and transfer to your fermenter on top of the wort and hops already in it.
Pitch yeast and ferment at 55 °F (13 °C) for one week. Then raise to 65 °F (18 °C) for 3 days. Crash to 40 °F (4 °C) for another seven days. You can dose the beer with gelatin/biofine during this period for extra clarity, if desired. Package as per usual.
Extract with grains version:
Replace the Pilsner malt with 5.85 lbs. (2.65 kg) dry Pilsner malt extract. Add carapils malt to a mesh bag and place in your brew kettle with 6 gallons (13 L) of water as it warms to 170 °F (77 °C). Remove grains and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and stir in malt extract. When totally dissolved, return to a boil and follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.
Written by Drew Beechum & Denny Conn
This West Coast Pilsner is meant to showcase the twin powers of the all-around craft hop – Citra – and the power of dip hopping. This is a crisp, quick pilsner with a zippy hop presence that leans into the more tropical citrus and pineapple notes of Citra. Don’t have the ability to lager? Choose your favorite neutral ale yeast and ferment as cool as you can. It won’t be as “lager polished” but it will still be tasty!