I recently tapped a pilsner I made with this malt. I have used a handful of “craft malts” and never really fell in love with any. And I suppose if I was dead set on this beer tasting like a Czech Pilsner, I wouldn’t like it, either. But it tastes great and very interesting. Simple pale lager base (90% Pevec, 8% carafoam, 2% acid malt) hopped like an American take on a Czech pilsner (Sterling at 90 mins and 30 mins, Czech Saaz at 0 mins). I Hochkurz decocted it (146/158/168) and fermented with WLP802 (~50F). Lagered at 34F in the keg for 4 months. 1.059 to 1.013, but it tastes much lighter than that.
Wow – clean, delicate honey flavor, slightly floral aroma. Very very pale color – I would think it was a 1.040 rice lager from looking at it. Anyway, I wouldn’t use this malt for a pilsner, but it is very interesting and very beautiful in its own way. I can only imagine how it would taste in Belgian Blonde Ale or a Weizen. Pretty nice.
I’d love to find a domestic replacement for Weyermann Pils, but so far i’ve found nothing that compares. I order my grain through BSG, anyone have experience with the Leopold Bros pilsner malt?
I thought they might just be doing malt for distilling. Pils malt, well Todd Leopold did go to brewing school in Germany, where you learn to malt and brew.
I have been trying to think of how to describe this beer, and it strikes me that the floral honey aroma, delicate softness and easy drinkability reminds me a bit of the descriptions I have read of NZ Pilsner. I understand that is more hop-driven, but I couldn’t help but think these malt-based flavors and aromas (maybe a bit like a dry muscat wine) could compliment NZ hops. I don’t have any more of this malt left (and due to a mixup at MoreBeer, I have twice my necessary annual supply of base malt), but if anyone wanted direction on what to do with that malt, I think my second attempt would probably be a NZ pils and the third a pale Belgian style.