I am sure this has been asked a thousand times but any suggestions on a water profile for a German Pilsner? This is what i am thinking. Would love some feedback on the water and recipe. I think my PH will be lower than stated 5.4ish.
My worry is that i have read that Sulfate clashes with noble hops?
Recipe: German Pilsner TYPE: All Grain
Style: German Pilsner (Pils)
—RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 2.9 SRM SRM RANGE: 2.0-5.0 SRM
IBU: 38.1 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 25.0-45.0 IBUs
OG: 1.048 SG OG RANGE: 1.044-1.050 SG
FG: 1.010 SG FG RANGE: 1.008-1.013 SG
BU:GU: 0.793 Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz Est ABV: 5.0 %
EE%: 72.00 % Batch: 5.50 gal Boil: 8.70 gal BT: 60 Mins
—WATER CHEMISTRY ADDITIONS----------------
German Pils
100% RO
Finished Profile ppm
Ca 54
Mg 0
Na 8
SO4 60
Cl 55
HCO3 -3
Hardness 136 (ppm as CaCO3)
Alkalinity -2 (ppm as CaCO3)
RA -41
SO4/Cl 1.09
Batch Volume 8.70 Gallons
Total Mash 5.00 Gallons
Mash Dilution 5.00 Gallons
Total Sparge 5.07 Gallons
Sparge Dilution 5.07 Gallons
Mineral Additions Mash (g) Sparge (g)
Gypsum . 2.0 2.0
Epsom Salt 0.0 0.0
Canning Salt 0.0 0.0
Baking Soda 0.0
Calcium Chloride 2.0 2.0
Chalk . 0.0
Pickling Lime 0.0
Mag Chloride 0.0 0.0
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs 13.5 oz Total Hops: 2.60 oz oz.
—MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5.50 ------
-ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
9 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 96.5 %
5.5 oz Carafoam (Weyermann) (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 3.5 %
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 4.99 gal of water at 159.3 F 150.0 F 60 min
—SPARGE PROCESS—
-RECYCLE FIRST RUNNINGS & VERIFY GRAIN/MLT TEMPS: 65.0 F/68.0 F
-ADD BOIL CHEMICALS BEFORE FWH
Fly sparge with 5.08 gal water at 168.0 F
—BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.041 SG Est OG: 1.048 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1.55 oz Perle [7.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 30.0 IBUs
0.55 oz Hallertauer [4.70 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 4 5.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Tettnang [3.90 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 5 2.6 IBUs
It has been said that SO4 clashes with noble hops. I like German Pils, and plenty of places in Germany do not have Pilsen water. If you like an assertive lingering dry finish, then some SO4 does the trick.
I like Kai’s Pilsner water profile for German Pils.
Ca=59 ppm
SO4=89 ppm
Cl=63 ppm
For a lager yeast, I would aim for a much lower calcium content along with lower chloride and sulfate. Just recognize that some lager yeast perform better when the calcium content is low.
Martin, can you point me to any references to lager yeast and low Ca?
Having lived and traveled around Germany, the water can be variable. Some is pretty hard. Where I lived it had a mineral taste, but that was more wine country.
The reference for low calcium in Southern Bavaria will be published in the Mar/Apr 2014 issue of Zymurgy. The water of Southern Bavaria is quite similar…hard and alkaline. That makes it easily softened by pre-boiling or lime softening. Either of those options have been available for over a hundred years. So yeasts from that region are likely acclimatized to low calcium conditions.
However, places like Jever and Dortmund have water with more permanent hardness. I expect that yeasts used in those places do not have to have low calcium content to perform well. An extensive article on this calcium/yeast issue should be published in Zymurgy, probably in May/June.
Interesting to think a yeast strain might adapt to water quality. I wonder if this persists once someone at White Labs takes it, cultures it for many generations over several years with their own water profile, and then sells it. Seeing as this is a fairly new topic of discussion, I don’t suppose the yeast companies have been adjusting water to match the profile from the location where the yeast was originally procured?
I have a German pils on tap that I made using the Jever (boiled) profile from Bru’nwater. I’m loving it! Not only that, but it was on tap 4 weeks to the day after I brewed it. That included only a week of lagering. At 4 weeks, it was crystal clear and delicious.
What yeast Denny? That part about yeast evolving to conform to the local water is just a hypothesis on my part. I need data on which yeast worked well at what calcium content. I do know that the boh pils yeast does not like calcium at 40 ppm.
Martin, don’t you get about 35 ppm Ca from the mash? Additions will get that higher, no? Some is Ca is consumed in the mash, but how much? Where would AJ be at by adding 20 ppm Ca?
Some makes a little sense to me. British Ale strains would benefit from Ca to flocculate quickly, as that beer is at cellar temps and on cask needs to drop bright quickly. Lager yeasts have a long time at cold temps, so they will settle out with proteins via Stokes law, so the Ca is not as essential.
If there are detrimental factors from higher Ca and lager yeasts, hope that is covered in the article.
I am using 34/70 Boh pils so i suppose i will need to have the Ca a little higher i suppose? Do you happen to have an idea of what range Boh pils does like?
I suppose that if my grain bill/malt supplies some ppm of Ca i should be OK to push it in the low range of 40ppm on the water calculator? i have heard that the grist can supply up to 70ppm of ca? i think it was a pod cast from palmer recently.
I’m assuming Martin meant the opposite - the region where Czech Pilseners became famous is famous for very soft water. I’ve heard of BoPils being made with well under the oft-quoted 50ppm Ca.
Any chance of the recipe Denny? ;D