Brewing German Pils at home

Name: Brewing German Pils at home
Yield: 20 L
Ingredients: 4.51 kg Pilsner malt; 0.26 kg Carapils; 33 g Hallertauer Tradition; 27 g Tettnanger; SafLager W-34/70: 16–24 g (0.56–0.85 oz) for 20 L (about 5.3 gal) (80–120 g/hl)

Pale, dry and bitter with a fine hop aroma.

Base recipe for 20 litres (5.3 gal), calculated with the Brauwerkstatt beer creator. With one click you can adapt it to your batch size, bitterness, colour or alcohol content.

Adapt in the beer creator

Typical figures

Alcohol	4.4–5.2 %
Bitterness	25–40 IBU
Colour	5–10 EBC (3–5 SRM)
Carbonation	5.2 g/l (2.6 vol)
Yeast	SafLager W-34/70 (bottom-fermenting)
Fermentation temperature	10–13 °C (50–55 °F)
Brewing water	soft, for pale beers

Recipe for 20 litres (5.3 gal)

Original gravity: 11.5 °P (SG 1.046)
5.0 % vol
32 IBU
7 EBC (3.6 SRM)
Final gravity: 2.3 °P (SG 1.009)

Grain bill

Pilsner malt	4.51 kg (9.94 lb)	95 %
Carapils	257 g (9.1 oz)	5 %

Hops

Hallertauer Tradition 5.5 % α	33 g (1.16 oz)	60 min
Tettnanger 4.5 % α	27 g (0.95 oz)	15 min

Yeast

SafLager W-34/70: 16–24 g (0.56–0.85 oz) for 20 L (about 5.3 gal) (80–120 g/hl)

Mash schedule

63 °C (145 °F) · 40 min → 72 °C (162 °F) · 20 min

Brewing water

Mash water	16.5 L (4.36 gal)
Sparge water	14.5 L (3.83 gal)
Total water	31.0 L (8.19 gal)

Brewing steps

Clean and sanitise everything that touches the wort after the boil.
Measure out 31 L (about 8.2 gal) of water and treat it with the brewing-water calculator. For a pale beer: soft water, mash pH 5.4–5.5.
Split the water: mash water 16.5 L (about 4.4 gal), sparge water 14.5 L (about 3.8 gal).
Heat the mash water to 66 °C (151 °F) and mash in 4.51 kg (9.9 lb) Pilsner malt and 0.26 kg (0.57 lb) Carapils (gives about 63 °C / 145 °F).
1. rest: 63 °C (145 °F), 40 min (maltose rest).
Measure mash pH 10–15 min after mashing in (cool the sample to 20 °C / 68 °F). Target 5.4–5.5.
2. rest: 72 °C (162 °F), 20 min (saccharification). Iodine test at the end: no blue colour = starch converted.
Mash out: heat to 78 °C (172 °F) and hold for 10 min.
Rest 10–20 min, lauter slowly and sparge with 14.5 L (about 3.8 gal) water at 78 °C (172 °F).
Boil the wort for 90 min.
60 min before the end of the boil add 33 g (1.2 oz) Hallertauer Tradition.
15 min before the end of the boil add 27 g (0.95 oz) Tettnanger.
10 min before the end of the boil add Irish moss (about 2 g / 0.07 oz, soaked beforehand).
After the boil stir a whirlpool and let it rest for 15 min.
Chill to 9 °C (48 °F), measure original gravity (target 11.5 °P), run 20 L (about 5.3 gal) into the fermenter, aerate well and pitch the SafLager W-34/70 (amount see yeast).
Primary fermentation 10–14 days at 10–13 °C (50–55 °F), then 2 days at 15–16 °C (59–61 °F) (diacetyl rest).
Measure final gravity (target about 2.3 °P). Priming sugar per bottle from the carbonation calculator (target 5.2 g/l), then bottle.
Bottle-condition 1–2 weeks at room temperature, then store cold (0–4 °C) for 4–6 weeks.

Notes

Created with the beer creator (brewhouse efficiency 70 %, final gravity about 2.3 °P).