My third NHC beer. Very similar to my first attempt at this beer but I went with all Weyermann malts this time and upped the Saaz by 50% in the 10 min and whirlpool additions. I also switched to the pilsner urquell strain.
BrewDesign
Recipe Info
Beer Name: czech pale lager ebiab 2
Style: Czech Pale Lager
Style
Original Gravity: 1.043
Final Gravity: 1.014
Color: 4.2
Alcohol: 3.8 %
Bitterness: 37.3 IBUs
Brewery
Efficiency: 70
Attenuation: 68
Mash
Mash Fermentable Weight: 10 Pounds
Mash Thickness: 2.4 Quarts per Pound
Grain Temp: 72 F
Strike Water Qty: 8 Gallons
Mash Volume: 8.8 Gallons
Strike Water Temp: 164 F
Mash Temp: 156 F
Boil
Kettle Gravity (start of boil): 1.036
Predicted Mash Run-off Volume: 7.1
Target Starting Boil Volume: 7.25
Boil Duration: 60 Minutes
Evaporation Rate: 1.25 Gallons per Hour
Final Boil Volume: 6
Fermentables
| Weight (Lbs) | % by Weight | Name | Yield | SRM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 90.0 | Weyermann Pilsner; German | 80.0 | 1.8 |
| .5 | 5.0 | Weyermann Carared | 74.0 | 19.5 |
| .5 | 5.0 | Weyermann Wheat Malt; Pale | 82.0 | 2.0 |
Hops
| Weight (ozs) | Name | AAU | Time (mins) | Use | IBUs / Addition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .4 | Magnum Pellets | 13.2 | 60 | First Wort | 19.1 |
| 1 | Saaz Pellets | 3.0 | 30 | Boil | 8.3 |
| 1.5 | Saaz Pellets | 3.0 | 10 | Boil | 5.9 |
| 1.5 | Saaz Pellets | 3.0 | 15 | Whirlpool | 4.0 |
Yeast and Friends
| Amount (Milliters) | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 vial | wlp 800 pilsner lager yeast or wyeast 2001 urquell |
Misc
| Amount | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tablet | Whirlfloc Tablet | 15 |
| 1 tsp | Yeast Nutrient (Wyeast) | 10 |
Notes
Quantity of Yeast: 1 vials / pouches (100B cells per)
Quantity of DME: 125 grams
Starter Size: 1.25 litersSalt and Acid adjustments:
Mash Salts:
Calcium Chloride: 7.0 gram
Mash Acid:
Lactic Acid: 3.0 ml @ 88 %
Sparge/Boil Salts:
Predicted Mash pH of: 5.45
Mash Ions (ppm):
Ca: 70.0 Mg: 3.0 Na: 21.0 Cl: 122.5 So: 24.0
Boil Ions (ppm):
Ca: 70.0 Mg: 3.0 Na: 21.0 Cl: 122.5 So: 24.0
mash @ 156F 60 min
168F 10 min
cool to 45, oxygenate for 1.5 mins and pitch and raise to 50 over 24 hours, hold for total of 2 weeks. over 2 days raise to 60F and hold through total of 3 weeks. rack to clean keg and lager for 2 weeks at 35. add gelatin and lager for 1 more week. rack to clean keg, force carb and serve.
gelatin is 1/2 tsp in 1/4 of water heated in microwave to 180 by heating 10 secs at a time.
Forced Carbonation
Keg Temperature: 41 F
Volumes of CO2: 2.5
Set Keg Pressure to: 12.8 psi
1-8-16 make 1.5L starter of wlp800
1-11-16 regular brewday. pitched @ noon
1-12-16 kreusen starting but no bubbling. must be a leak but had a hard time finding. adjusted some clamps and and bubbling finally started.
1-13-16 nice 1″ kreusen and slow steady bubbling
1-14-16 ”
1-15-16 ”
1-16-16 starting to slow a bit
1-18-16 ~2 sec
1-19-16 ~4 sec
1-20-16 ~6 sec starting to drop clear
1-21-16 no bubbling
1-31-16 racked to lagering keg. FG 1.016 pH 4.34 tastes and smells great. very promising!
2-18-16 gelatin (1/2 tsp + 1/4 cup filtered water microwaved to 180F)
2-20-16 racked to clean serving keg. set to 30 psi for 24 hours @ 38F then set to 12 psi
3-5-16 bottled off 6
not sure how i feel about this beer. it is really good and hits all the style markers but there is a whisper of diacetyl which i’m not a fan of. i think it can do well in competition but not sure it is my thing.
NHC 2016 results:
It scored a 32 and its marked as 2nd in it’s flight but did not go to mini-BOS. the judge complaints are harshness from oversparging and overly bitter. i didn’t get either of these from this beer and they didn’t mention what i was noticing (diacetyl) so not sure what to make of it. kinda hard to oversparge BIAB 🙂 I guess I could tune down the bitterness but i really think it is spot on if not a hair low. I think these comments are going to be ignored. Scoresheets:
Colonial Cup results:
We have a winner! Not only a winner in category but BOS! Kinda surprised since I wasn’t sure what to make of this beer but when I drink it next to a pilsner urquell it hits all the czech pils notes – a little sweetness, a hint of diacetyl and a nice solid but pleasant saaz character. This recipe came from a BOS recipe that gordon strong gave out so I’m thinking it’s a pretty good recipe 🙂 Scoresheets:
