So here is the recipe for five gallons of "YOUR FATHER'S MUSTACHE" a
Classic American Pilsner.
Water:
9 gallons moderately (temp.) hard well water boiled to soften
and eliminate bicarbonate alkalinity, racked, treated
with 2 t. CaCl2(2H2O), target 60 ppm Ca.
Grain bill:
7 lbs. American six row malt (80%)
1.75 lbs. flaked maize (20%)
Mash schedule:
Doughed in 8.5 qts. 58C water to get -->
50C protein rest, 30 min., (pH 5.5), then infused w/ 3 qts.
boiling water to -->
60C sac. rest for 15 minutes, then boosted w/ burner to -->
70C sac. rest for 40 minutes, then boosted w/ burner to -->
76C mashoff for 10 min.
Lautered in insulated Zapap, collected 7 gal. @ 1.041 for 32.8 p/p/g.
Note - Beautifully clear wort with minimum recirculation, easy
sparge. This six-row is beautiful to work with.
Boil - 1 hr, beautiful hot break, like egg drop soup
Hopped to 25 IBU target:
25 g. Cluster hops pellets @7.5% - 1hr boil
1/4 oz. Styrian Goldings @5.2% - 10 min. boil plus
settling steep - 15 min.
1/4 oz. Styrian Goldings @5.2% - 15 min. settling
steep.
Counter current cooled to 64F, 4.75 gallons collected at 1.055, then
diluted to 5.5 gallons at 1.048 in 7 gallon carboy, force chilled in
snowbank to 50F. Pitched New Ulm yeast from bottom of 3 liter starter.
Fermented @ 50F - 52F 12 days, racked, lagered seven weeks @ 33F,
kegged, conditioned with 10 psi @ 38F, then dispensed at 42F-44F. The
flavor showed best at mid 40sF and when drawn to give a good head and
reduced carbonation. (Most beer shows best like this).
I hope I have encouraged some of you lager brewers to try this style.
It is naked brewing, as Dan McConnell commented. There isn't any place
to hide, so watch your techniques. Please let me know your results,
and
lobby for this to be a recognized style. I propose two divisions:
Pre-prohibition, OG 1.150 - 1.060, 25 - 40 IBU; post prohibition, OG
1.044-1.049. 20 - 30 IBU. I suppose we could recognize rice rather
than
corn, but rice really is a flavor/body diluent. Fix says that modern
American lagers grew out of pre-prohibition "Western Lager," a lower
gravity, lower hopped, rice adjunct beer that was held in "low esteem"
by Easterners.
Thanks to Martin Manning, Ed Westemeier and Lowell Hart for their ideas
on what made the beer I remembered from the 50's, and George Fix and
Ben
Jankowski for their Brewing Techniques articles.