Home Brew Forum

I'm off on holiday back to SA in three weeks' time, so I'm on a bit of a mission to fill my kegs with beer so they can lager while I'm away so that I've got something to drink when I get back in December (brr!).

I brewed 5 gals of German pils about a month ago, as simple a recipe as any but always turns out great. I'm repitching the yeast from that batch into these - 10 gallons of my favourite recipe. I'm hoping to get them into the keg for lagering just before I leave, which should give me approximately 8 weeks of cold conditioning before the festivities of the new year.

OG 1.052
IBU 42.2
EBC 8

Recipe
(All Weyermann malts)
80% Floor-malted Bohemian Pilsner Malt
10% Carapils
8% Munich II
2% Melanoiden

40g - 6.8 IBU - Czech Saaz 3.1% @ 110min (FWH)
100g - 15.3 IBU - Czech Saaz 3.1% @ 100min
20g - 12.2 IBU - Magnum 12.7% @ 80min
60g - 6.5 IBU - Czech Saaz 3.1% @ 30min
20g - 1.4 IBU - Czech Saaz 3.1% @ 15min
80g - 0 IBU - Czech Saaz 3.1% @ 0min

I used Tesco Ashbeck spring water (25ppm bicarbonate content), mashed at 68.9C (156F) for 60 minutes.
20L mash water, 4ml lactic, 7g CaCl2, 5g CaSO4. Mash pH of 5.2

Repitch of WLP800 - Urquell, pitched at 7C, allowed to rise to 10C.

Grains and hops



Salts


Mash
(a bit full)




Saaz first wort hops


Ice water recirc


Condensation on the boiler @ 7C


OG 1.052


Dual FV's in fermentation chamber @ 10C

Awesome matey! Really nice looking recipe.

NIce brewday, that is a very full mash tun!

@LB - thanks, it's an old tried-and-tested for me. Just the right balance of sweetness and toastiness / nuttiness for my palate.

@pdtnc - yeah, tell me about it! 10Kg grain + 20L water in a 30L MLT is really stretching the limits of my system. I'm desperately in need of a shiney 50L thermopot to convert to a MLT, I have the stainless false bottom already. Still, such a pleasure to be able to make 10 gals of lager at a time now!

this made it down to about 1.014, for an ABV of nigh on 5%. It tastes pretty good now, dropped clear and green hop taste just about gone, quite full-bodied. the beer has a brilliant head on it and laces all down the glass. Very pleased.

Will try grab a picture of it.

How well does the mash tun retain the heat?
I have one of those lying around at home but didn't think it would hold the heat that well!

Actually it works brilliantly well! The thing is to remember to preheat it first. Also, as you can see, I have it full to the brim which also helps a lot.

I also wrap it up in a blanket for the hour and it loses at most 1degC over the hour. I could really use a bigger MLT for the 10 gallon batches but it just about works so does me OK for now!

Thanks for that.

Jonny - not thinking of going 3V are you? if you do you'll have to delete all your other comments about BIAB being easier etc!!

Nothing wrong with BIAB, I've made some great beers that way...

I BIAB too - just light hearted joke with Jonnyt if he is thinking of going 2/3V!

I'm thinking of batch sizes.
Greater than 30L I cannot lift the bag!

For larger batches and also potentially smaller trial brews I'm considering a 2V actually with a mash tun and a boiler come HLT

I'm also trying a No Chill cube and dry hopping.

All part of the fun.

I haven't dry hopped yet, but need to give that a go sometime