Ok…let us know what the difference would be in the grain bill. We have made an outstanding Helles, now want to make a great Pils (German).
Whatever it takes to get to SG 1.044-1.050 (11-12.4 °P) 25-45 IBU(s) on your system.
Pilsner is the same as helles, but maybe double the hops. Or 150%. Something like that.
Ok guys, that is kinda what we thought. Might need to double up on the hops.
Thanks!
Deja vu? No Pilsner brewing with 20 years experience? I remember the helles being as good or better than German examples so I would just go with your gut.
Well…yes, and no. Brewed a number of Pils over the decades. But never really brewed a “Helles” before, until now. So thinking we will repeat the basic grain bill, and go heavier on the hops. Will use a 3rd Gen W-34/70.
Before, I thought there was little difference in basic Euro Lagers. Thinking they were all really close in profile. Now we are narrowing in targets that we never really cared about in years past.
The recipe section of the AHA website is a great resource:
For a Helles i like Barke Pils as the base malt, as the flavor is whst you get around Munivh.
Pils. I like the regular Weyermann Pils or for more dryness Durst Pils.
Durst Pils equals dryness? I would like the finish to be just a bit dryer than what we have had lately.
Looking at Ireks Pils Malt, might order a 55 lb bag.
Try increasing your sulfate. That should help crisp it up.
100% pilsner malt for both Helles & standard German pils beers. I’m thinking both hopping rate and water profile would be key differences - higher sulfate level, sulfate/chloride ratio tilted toward sulfate for a more hop/bitter accented pils, with something like a Munich water profile being more standard for helles. As I say, this is what I’m thinking, but lord knows I’m not the smartest guy in the room. I haven’t experimented with different maltsters to compare grain flavor contribution - Weyermann is what I have easy access to. I love the rich flavor and “softness” of a well-brewed helles but have not attempted to brew my own yet - that’s on the one of these days agenda.