Pilsner Malt?

[adm]

I brewed a lager yesterday, but for the next one i want to get the colour as low as possible - so should I use Pilsner Malt instead of good old English Lager Malt?

And if so.....who sells it for a half decent price?

(Next lager will be 100% Pilsner Malt, 100% Saaz hops, WLP800.....I think...)

[edit1now]

Barley Bottom has Lager malt 3.5 EBC for £28 per sack plus delivery, though it will be English lager malt from Fawcett's. If you want it really pale (2.5 to 3 EBC) then Weyermann have an Extra Pale Pilsner malt, but I don't know who has it in the UK. Charles Faram is supposed to be a Weyermann distributor, though there's no mention of Weyermann malt on their website.

[adm]

Barley Bottom has Lager malt 3.5 EBC for £28 per sack plus delivery, though it will be English lager malt from Fawcett's. If you want it really pale (2.5 to 3 EBC) then Weyermann have an Extra Pale Pilsner malt, but I don't know who has it in the UK. Charles Faram is supposed to be a Weyermann distributor, though there's no mention of Weyermann malt on their website.

Thanks,

I'm using 3.5 EBC English Lager malt right now (and have only 2kg left from the sack ), but I was thinking of trying to get some of the real thing for the next lot - I'd like to do a run of ultra pale beers throughout the summer.

I'll give Faram's a call and see if they can help me out. Sadly, my local micros don't use any lager malt.....

[steve_flack]

You could try to reduce the color by adding a bit of flaked rice (shock horror) - not so much as bud obviously but 10-20% would lighten it up a bit.

[mysterio]

A German-style brewpub near me sell sacks of Weyermann pils malt for 25 quid a go, not much use to you though ADM unless you happen to find yourself up here.

The price H&G currently do it for does not justify the extra expense IMO. I switched over to the UK stuff before I found this supplier. Even using the Weyermann though It seems to be a shade darker than the lightest German lagers like Spaten etc. I may just be imagining it but maybe its worth keeping your boil vigor down presuming you have DMS under control.

Flaked rice Steve.. tut tut tut!

[steve_flack]

I've been using Belgian Pils malt (I was actually after the Weyermann but this is what turned up) recently. It's a nice malt but I don't think it's worth the extra money over British Lager malt either.

[edit1now]

Might be worth emailing Weyermann via their website to see who stocks it in the UK? They must have several English speakers on the (large) staff.

[adm]

Good point.

I gave up yesterday and bought another sack of good old UK Lager Malt yesterday, so that will at least give me a bit of breathing space to try and get some Weyermann at a non-stupid price!

[Aleman]

You could try Candirect . . . although with the drop in the value of the pound vs the Euro its not all that much cheaper than buying from H&G or Brupaks.

Another trick apart from reducing the boil vigour is to add some Campden tablets to the mash and boil . . . these act as reductones preventing the formation of Melanoidins and subsequent wort darkening

Another convert to British Lager malt here, although I got mine from Warminster