Recipe of the Month – December 2015 – Pilsener Schmilsener

This recipe is an Aussie Brewmakers ‘take’ on a Czech Pilsener style beer. This recipe is another great introduction to experimenting with hops and wet malts for the beginner or ‘tin kit’ brewer.

The name of this recipe came about years ago when a good mate (a.k.a. ‘craft beer boy’) came to visit my bar and was dismayed to find I only had a Pilsener on tap. When a frosty pot was offered the response was ‘Pilsener Schmilsener’ prior to tasting. As it turned out, it is now his favourite beer and is always requested when he visits. Pilsener Schmilsener sort of stuck after that!

Supplied Kit Ingredients:

• 1.7kg Morgan’s Special Kettled Saaz Pilsener Beer Kit
• 1.5kg Coopers Light Malt Extract Tin
• 200g of Dextrose
• 12g Tettnanger Finishing Hops – Steeped
• 12g Saaz Finishing Hops – Dray Hopped
• 15g European Lager Yeast

Other Ingredients:

• 200g of Dextrose if kegging with no secondary fermentation (not supplied)

Method:

1. Clean / sterilize all equipment including wort and paddle
2. Discard Morgan’s Special Kettled Saaz Pilsener tin yeast and sit tin along with the 1.5kg Coopers Light Malt Extract Tin in hot water for 10 minutes
3. Boil 2.0ltrs of water in kettle
4. Add 1.3ltrs of boiled water to wort
5. Steep 12g Tettnanger Finishing Hops in 200ml of boiling water for 10 minutes
6. Add both the Morgan’s Special Kettled Saaz Pilsener tin and the 1.5kg Coopers Light Malt Extract Tin and  200g of Dextrose to wort and stir thoroughly to dissolve
7. Pour 250mls of boiled water into each tin and stir then add to wort
8. Add water to wort to 22.5 ltrs and test temperature – make sure it is between 18-24 degrees before pitching yeast
9. Take initial hydrometer reading
10. Add Tettnanger Finishing Hops bag and steeped water to wort
11. Pitch 15g European Lager Yeast and stir gently
12. On day 3 of ferment add 12g Saaz Finishing Hops bag to wort (dry hop)
13. When fermentation finished check with hydrometer and bottle as per normal.

N.B. If kegging, add an additional 200g of Dextrose at step 6