Doughboy Draught
American Pilsners were bigger and hoppier in the past, right? Well, not always. In 1917 — near the end of World War I — Congress passed the Food and Fuel Control Act (also known as the Lever Act), which gave President Wilson the power to set prices on and direct the distribution of food and coal. Wilson shut distilleries, limited the amount of coal breweries could use and capped the alcohol percentage in beer to 2.75% by weight (about 3.4% by volume). Here is a classic American Pilsner an American infantryman (or doughboy) might have drank during training, before being shipped off to the trenches in Europe.
Doughboy Draught (Late WWI American Pilsner), all-grain clone recipe
(5 gallons/19 L)
OG = 1.032 FG = 1.006
IBU = 20 SRM = 3 ABV = 3.4%
Ingredients
3.0 lbs. (1.4 kg) 6-row pale malt
2 lb. 2 oz. (0.96 kg) 2-row pale malt
1 lb. 12 oz. (0.79 kg) flaked maize
5 AAU Cluster hops (60 mins) (0.71 oz./20 g of 7% alpha acids)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Saaz hops (10 min.)
1/2 tsp. calcium chloride (75 min.)
1 tsp Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 2007 (Pilsen Lager) or White Labs WLP 840 (North American Lager) yeast (2 qt./~2 L yeast starter)
5.5 oz. (142 g) corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Use 3 gallons (11 L) of mash water. Step mash grains and flaked maize with a 10-minute rest at 122 °F (50 °C), a 10-minute rest at 144 °F (62 °C) and a 40-minute rest at 156 °F (69 °C). Heat mash to 168 °F (76 °C) for mashout. Recirculate and runoff wort. Sparge with 170 °F (77 °C) water and collect about 3.5 gallons (13 L) of wort.
Add 2.75 gallons (10 L) of water and bring to a boil. Add calcium chloride and boil for 75 minutes, adding hops and Irish moss at times indicated in recipe list.
Cool wort, aerate and pitch yeast sediment from starter.
Ferment beer at 56 °F (13 °C). Lager for 4 weeks at 40 °F (4.4 °C). Bottle with corn sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.8 volumes of CO2.
Doughboy Draught, partial mash clone recipe
(5 gallons/19 L)
OG = 1.032 FG = 1.006
IBU = 20 SRM = 3 ABV = 3.4%
Ingredients
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) 6-row pale malt
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) flaked maize
2.25 lb. (1 kg) Briess extra light dried malt extract
5 AAU Cluster hops (60 min.) (0.71 oz./20 g of 7% alpha acids)
0.25 oz. (7.1 g) Saaz hops (10 min.)
1/2 tsp. calcium chloride (75 min.)
1 tsp Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 2007 (Pilsen Lager) or White Labs WLP 840 (North American Lager) yeast (2 qt./~2 L yeast starter)
5.5 oz. (142 g) corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Steep grains in 1 gallon (4 L) of water 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes. Add dried extract and 4 gallons (15 L) of water and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops, calcium chloride and Irish moss at times indicated. At end of boil, let the hot wort steep for 15 minutes. Follow remaining instructions from recipe above.
