Divine Cement Pilsner
5 gallons (19 liters)
OG: 1048/12 degrees Plato (calculated at 75% efficiency)
Alcohol: 4.0 percent by volume
Bitterness: 46 IBUs
Color: gold (4–6 SRM)
Yeast: Wyeast 2007 or 2278; White Labs WLP800. (Lagering time will be four to six weeks. If you can’t manage this kind of temperature control, try an alt yeast at coolish temperatures.)
9.5 pounds (2.59 kg) Czech or other European pilsner malt
Or, for extract brewers:
5.5 pounds (1.5 kg) Dry extract or 6.25 lbs of fresh liquid extract
0.5 pounds (227 g) Pale (10°L) crystal malt
Mash (1.5 qt water/lb) at 152 degrees F (67 degrees C), rest 1 hour; at the end of this, remove a thick 1/3 of mash and raise to boiling, then boil for 15 minutes and add back to main mash, which should stabilize at 170 degrees F (77 degrees C) or higher, for mash-out.
Note to extract brewers: mix a cup of extract and a couple of quarts of water, add this to your kettle and stir well as you boil intensely for 10 to 15 minutes to get some caramelization. Then, add the rest of the wort and proceed as usual for a steeped-grain extract recipe.
1 ounce (28 g) Saaz (pellets) added to first wort in kettle
1.25 ounces (35 g) Saaz (pellets) 90 minutes
2 ounces (57 g) Saaz (pellets) 15 minutes
1 ounce Saaz (pellets) end of boil
Ferment around 50 degrees F (10 degrees C); secondary should be in 35 to 40 degrees F (2 to 5 degrees C). Lagering time will be 4-6 weeks. A couple of days of 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) temperatures late in the lagering process will reduce the buttery diacetyl produced by the yeast. If you can’t manage this kind of temperature control, try an alt yeast at coolish temperatures.
