Beer of the Moment Article - Pilsner

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	Paul Rigby

Pilsner

History
The evolution of what is today called “Pilsner” started in 1295 when King Wenceslas II declared the state of Bohemia, the town of Plzen was established in a militarily strategic position in the west of the state close to several major rivers and trading routes. The good citizens of the essentially agricultural town of Plzen were granted permission to brew their own beer if they so wished, this situation eventually moved to local co-operatives being formed with the most skilled artisan being given the job of brewing beer for the entire community. Bear in mind that brewing then was an art developed by trial and error with no science component at all! Over the next several centuries’ beer became an important product economically, socially, and culturally. Quality also improved somewhat, progressing from dark turbid concoctions to comparatively clean light coloured brews crafted from the finest local ingredients.
As with many classic beer styles Pilsner is the culmination of a number of fortuitous events such as the Industrial Revolution (responsible for the production of unsmoked light coloured malts) and most notably advances in science, namely the invention of the thermometer and hydrometer, as well as Pasteur’s ground breaking work in the study of fermentation and more particularly yeast (which was virtually unknown prior to his work). No beer saga would be complete without some clandestine episodes and Pilsner is no different! It had become apparent at this stage that yeast played a major role in the production of beer and history tells us that a monk managed to smuggle a container of high quality bottom fermenting yeast (lager yeast) out of Bavaria into Bohemia and then onto Plzen. All the requirements for the production of a classic high quality light coloured beer were in place – excellent local barley, outstanding local hops (mainly the Zatec Red or as it is now known Saaz), the purest and softest water anywhere in Europe and stolen Bavarian yeast cultures, all supported by significant advances in science and technology!
Pilsner was borne as a distinct and unique style in 1842 and is the progenitor of all light coloured golden “Pilsners”. This style is certainly the most duplicated style of beer ever developed, virtually all beer drinking nations produce a beer based on the classic Bohemian original and without exception they are all hoppy, aromatic, and bitter with a clean and distinct malt profile, albeit some more distinct than others. (American styles spring to mind where one might think that American Pilsners are an abomination and bear no resemblance to the classic original, but I contend that by comparison to other American beers their “Pilsners” are in fact comparatively bitter and hoppy etc and thus could – depending on your point of view - legitimately be classified as Pilsners). It is appropriate that I now briefly delve into the variations of beers labelled as “Pilsners”. As mentioned above most nations produce a “Pilsner” style and all are different from the original and classic Bohemian (i.e. Pilsner Urquell) and the variations are simply due to local tastes, local ingredients, and most importantly local water (Melbourne water is almost identical to the pure soft water of Plzen – so there is no excuse for not being able to make a good pilsner using Melbourne water!). German pilsners are probably the next most well known and are local versions of the original and as I suggested the only differences are ingredients. German versions use German hops such as Tettnang and Hallertau, German malts, and again importantly German water (most German water supplies are very “hard”). This principle applies to virtually all pilsner styles wherever they may be brewed.

Brewing Notes
Most scribes proclaim that any true full grain pilsner clone should employ a decoction mash – I must say that I am personally at odds with that concept! It is said that decoction mashes give body, mouthfeel and a smoothness and roundness not achievable with other mashing systems – my opinion is that this is claptrap!! Decoction mashing was the traditional method used by artisan brewers prior to the invention of the thermometer whereby from trial and error methods it was discovered that by separating and boiling a certain percentage of the total mash and returning the boiled portion to the main mash that extract yields were increased. That method was, and still is, used by commercial Czech brewers sticking to the philosophy that ”if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” I have done a number of test brews using both decoction and infusion systems and I am unable to detect any differences that I could definitely attribute to either mashing system

Brewing Notes for the Brave!
As mentioned earlier water is a vital factor in the production of a high quality pilsner, If you are making a Czech (Bohemian) style then no adjustments to Melbourne water is necessary, however, if you are contemplating making a German style that is supposedly true to style then some adjustment to Melbourne water is required. I say this will great trepidation as I have experienced more stress, headaches and frustration in my attempts to chemically “adjust” Melbourne water to duplicate the waters of various well known brewing cities of the world – my advice is don’t bother unless you are a masochist!!!

Enhanced Kit Version
I suggest starting out by purchasing a good quality Pilsner kit and 1 Kg of dried malt extract. There are numerous choices of brands and the quality of the kits in this popular style are generally excellent and the final decision is yours. There really isn't much that can be done to enhance a kit beer but one of the primary attributes of Pilsner is hop character and this can’t be put in a can!
For hop flavour I recommend that you make a “hop tea” by putting half a litre of cold water into a saucepan and add 10 to 15gms of fresh Saaz hop pellets (if you are making a Bohemian style or substitute Hallertau or Tettnang for a German style), bring to the boil as quickly as you like, and boil for 5 minutes. Add the strained liquid into the fermenter and discard the residue.
Procuring the elusive hop aroma is only achievable by dry hopping in the fermenter. I suggest that you add 10 to 15gms of hops (type of hop is dependant on the style being brewed) toward the end of fermentation. Follow the usual kit method for the remainder of the brew.

Malt Extract & Mini Mash Version
Base Malt – 3kg Light Malt Extract (Preferably dry)
Grains - 200gms Pilsner Malt (German)
200gms Vienna Malt

Put half a litre of cold water in a saucepan and add grains and heat up SLOWLY (over a 15 to 20 minute period) until just short of boiling. Strain the liquid into your fermenter, and discard the grain residue.
Hops – For bittering I favour a general-purpose medium alpha hop (usually around 7%) called Northern Brewer, aim at around 45 IBU. Quantity will vary depending on the %AA (alpha acid) of the hops being used. Grain & Grape staff will be happy to do the calculations for you. You can also use the on-line bitterness calculator here. For hop flavour make a hop tea as outlined above, for hop aroma add 10 to 15gms (Use Saaz for a Bohemian and Hallertau or Tettnang for a German style) to the fermenter toward the end of fermentation at an SG of around 1.016-18, or if you are in the habit of racking into a secondary fermenter (I recommend racking for every brew not just Pilsners!) then add hops into the secondary fermenter after racking,
Total boil time should be 90 minutes with the hops boiled for only 60 minutes.
Yeast - I recommend Wyeast 2278 Czech Pils, 2024 Danish, 2206 Bavarian, or 2124 Bohemian - in that order of preference. If you prefer the convenience of dry yeast then try DCL Saflager.

Full Grain Version
Grains - 4000gms Pilsner (German)
750gms Vienna (German)
250gms CaraPils (German)
Mashing regimes are many and varied. Most modern malts are very well modified and only need a simple single step infusion mash to obtain very good results, however some of the more complex mashing regimes will provide the brewer with more control over the ratio of fermentable to non fermentable sugars.
Hops – For bittering aim at around 45 IBU's using Northern Brewer hops. For hop character use Saaz for a Bohemian and Hallertau or Tettnang for a German style. For flavour add 25 to 30gms for the last 10 minutes of the boil, for aroma soak 25 to 30gms at the end of the boil. I strongly recommend dry hopping with 10 to 15gms in the secondary fermenter after racking.
Total boil time should be 90 minutes with the hops boiled for only 60 minutes.
Yeast - I recommend Wyeast 2278 Czech Pils, 2024 Danish, 2206 Bavarian, or 2124 Bohemian - in that oder of preference. If you prefer the convenience of dry yeast then try DCL Saflager or 34/70.