La Conner Brewing Co.’s Pilsner clone
Two continental Pilsner malts lay the foundation for the Washington-brewed Pilsner lager and noble hops round out the profile.
La Conner Brewing Co.’s Pilsner clone recipe
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.051–1.056 FG = 1.013–1.014
IBU = 37 SRM = 5 ABV = 4.9–5.4%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs (3.0 kg) Coopers light malt extract syrup
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) Dingeman Pilsner malt
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) Weyermann Pilsner malt
1 tsp. Irish moss
9.0 AAU Northern Brewer hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g of 9% alpha acid)
3.5 AAU Czech Saaz hops (20 min.) (1 oz./28 g of 3.5% alpha acid)
4.7 AAU Hallertau Hersbrucker hops (5 min.) (1 oz./28 g of 4.7% alpha acid)
3.5 AAU Czech Saaz hops (5 min.) (1 oz./28 g of 3.5% alpha acid)
White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) or Wyeast 2206 (Bavarian Lager) yeast
O.75 cup of corn sugar (for priming)
Step by Step
Steep crushed grains in 3 gallons (11 L) of water at 150 ºF (66 ºC) for 30 mins. Remove grains from wort, add Northern Brewer hops, malt syrup and bring to a boil. Add Irish moss and boil for 60 mins.
Add the first addition of Czech Saaz hops for last 20 mins of boil. Add Hallertau Hersbrucker and final addition of Czech Saaz for last 5 mins. of boil. When done boiling, add wort to 2 gallons (7.6 L) cool water in a sanitary fermenter and top off with cool water to 5.5 gallons (20.9 L). Cool wort to 75 ºF (24 ºC) aerate the beer and pitch yeast.
Allow the beer to cool over the next few hours to 65 ºF (18 ºC) and hold until the yeast has started fermentation. When fermentation starts, reduce temperature to 50 ºF (10 ºC) and hold until beer has dropped to final gravity. This should take about 3 weeks. Bottle your beer, lager at 45 ºF (7 ºC) for 4–6 weeks and Enjoy!
All-grain option: Use 4.75 lbs. (2.2 kg) of both Dingeman Pilsner and Weyermann Pilsner malts. Mash grains at 151 ºF (66 ºC) for 60 mins. Boil for 90 mins. Lower the amount of Northern Brewer boiling hops to 0.66 oz. (18.5 grams) to account for higher extraction ratio of a full boil. LaConner Brewing uses the first wort addition method of hopping, so add the Northern Brewer hops to the wort when the runoff is finished, and leave them in the beer during the boil. The remainder of the recipe is the same as the extract.
