Papazian's Pilsener

Bodensatz Brewing

Papazian's Propensity Pilsener

Ingredients

3.0 kg Bulk Liquid Malt Extract
1 lb crystal malt
2.0 oz Saaz boiling hops (full boil)
0.5 oz Tettnanger flavour hops (10 minutes)
0.5 oz Saaz finishing hops (2 minute steep)
1 package Wyeast 2278 Czech Pilsener

Method

Crack the grains and put them in grain bag and put bag into brewpot when water is cold. When the water starts to boil, start timer and take grain bag out.

Now add the malt extracts and boiling hops (in another bag), and boil for 1 hour.

Flavouring hops is added to the hop bag with 10 minutes left in the boil.

Turn off heat, add finishing hops to bag, and let steep for 2 minutes.

Dump wort into a 23 litre carboy which already contains some cold water (temperature shock absorber). Sparge the hop bag into it, then fill the rest of the way up with cold water and stir well.

Data

brewed: Jan 13, 1996
pitched: Jan 16, 1996 (A.M.) at 12C
racked: Jan 23, 1996, put into cold storage (1.030)
bottled: Apr 16, 1996
O.G. 1.040
F.G. 1.011

Pitching

Smacked the yeast 24 hours before brewing, but it still wasn't puffed 48 hours after brewing, so made a starter (500ml, 1.040) out of it. The starter was going well enough the next morning (Jan 16), so we pitched at 12 degrees C.

Fermentation

Initial fermentation took place in the basement at a constant 12 degrees C. It was racked, then put into the barn. Unfortunately we got a warm snap, so it started at 8C for 1 day, then went up to 12C for a few hours, but is going back down to normal temparatures now (Jan 25). We hope to then be able to hold it steady somewhere between 3 and 5 C.

Good thing this is a hearty yeast which can withstand such wild temperature fluctuations.

Taste Tests

Yield