Sapphire Pilsner

[BlackDuck]

MadBrewer...thanks for the thoughts. I'll look into the PH tests....I haven't done that yet. This one mashed for 75 minutes since it was at a lower temp. Water to grain ratio was 1:1.25. I had this set at 60% because I've been struggling with my OG's. By setting it lower, it increased the amount of grain that I had to use to get to the desired gravity. Once I fix this, I'll adjust the efficiency up and buy less grain to get the same numbers.

I did a 1.5 gallon top off into the fermenter, that's how I had the 4.85 post boil volume with 5.25 gallons into the fermenter.

[MadBrewer]

Ok I do remember now some of you topping off Mr Beer style after the boil.

You might also want to try a 1.5 qts per lb of grain ratio. That was my biggest jump in effeciency came from doing a thinner mash. I used to mash at 1.25 qts/lb and seen about 70-75% but going to 1.5 qts/lb I can see 80% or even more. I bet a thinner mash would give you a nice increase. What about your sparge method? Do you batch sparge?

[BlackDuck]

I'll definitely try the thinner mash..now that I know that the crush is part of the issue. I do a 2 step batch sparge. Pour the first amount in and stir it up really good. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then drain into the kettle. Then pour the second amount in and stir it up really good, then drain into the kettle.

Thanks for the tips...I really do appreciate it.

[MadBrewer]

Yeah a double batch sparge was the only other thing I was about to recomend. Sounds like your on your way to doin better. Im intrested in your updates...good luck on the next batch.

[BlackDuck]

Thanks again....give me a couple of weeks until the next batch. That's when I'll have a fermenter open. I'll most likely post the recipe right here in the Advanced Recipes section.

[FedoraDave]

This looks like a really good recipe. I'm not familiar at all with Saphir hops, though. Are they a Noble variety? What are the characteristics, and why did you decide to use them? I'm curious, because as you know, I'm brewing up a batch of Pearly Pils next weekend, and I intend for it to be a competition entry, so I'm sticking with pretty traditional ingredients.

[philm00x]

They're derived from Hallertau, and are known to lend a tangerine flavor/aroma. I made a pils with it once and it turned out too sweet, but I think had more to do w/ too much LME and possibly fermentation temps. It did a lot better in my Lazy Saturday amber ale that was hop bursted with an ounce of Saphir. Becks makes a beer with these hops, and is called "Sapphire". It's ok, really watery, but a little more flavorful than Bud.

[BlackDuck]

Dave....here's the information that is loaded into BeerSmith regarding the Saphir hops:

A new noble breed as an alternative to Hallertau Mittelfrueh in an attempt to make it more disease resistant and commercially viable. Similar in character to Hallertau varieties.
Used for: Pilsners, lagers, Belgian whites.
Substitutes: Hallertau Mittelfrueh

The first pilsner I did used a combination of Hallertau, Select Spalt and Tettnang. This produced a very tasty Pilsner which was slightly spicy. For this recipe, I wanted to try a hop that would give it more of a fruity/flower characteristic. I was originally looking for Hallertau Mittelfrueh, but the LHBS didn't have that. So I chose the Saphir since it was so close to the Mittelfrueh.

[FedoraDave]

Interesting.

I don't recall if my LHBS had Saphir when I bought my ingredients, but I wasn't really looking for it, either. I chose Hallertau for the bitterness and aroma boils, and Tettnang for the flavor boil, thinking that a slightly floral/fruity aroma would be a welcome first impression as the glass is being brought to the lips, and the spicier aspect of the Tettnang would keep it from being too fruity as it traveled across the tongue. I had originally planned on pretty much a SMaSH recipe (even though I'm using some Crystal 10 for body, a little color, and head retention). But I wanted a little more variety from the hops.

I'm really looking forward to exchanging Pilsners with you in a few months!

[BlackDuck]

The carboy is showing signs that fermentation has slowed considerably. The Kraussen has fallen and the airlock has slowed considerably. So, time to check the SG to see if it's ready for the D-rest. WOW. It's down to 1.010 already, which is it's projected FG. I didn't think it would be down that low already, it's only been 8 days since I brewed this. So, I'll let the temp come up to 60F for the D-rest for a couple of days. Even though the hydro says it's reached it's FG, there is still some fermentation going on. The airlock is still bubbling very slowly, and there is still some bubbles breaking the top of the beer.

The color was a nice pale yellow, the aroma and flavor were both nice and mild. Couldn't pick up on the fruity or flowery characteristic yet, but this one was not as spicy as the first German Pilsner that I made, which is what I was shooting for. So far, so good.

[Beer-lord]

Oh sure, just go ahead and brag how you get down to your projected FG in 3 days or so. It doesn't hurt me at all.

[philm00x]

That was quick! It took my lager almost 3 weeks to get down to 3/4 of the projected FG (which at that point I brought it out to 65-68 to finish fermenting and D-rest).

[BlackDuck]

It's been 3 weeks, so I took a FG reading a little taster. The FG was 1.010...it's done. It was a nice, mild flavor. Not nearly as spicy as the last lager I did, which is what I was looking for. It had a good pilsner flavor to it too. The color was a clear pale yellow. Just about perfect. It will go into the fridge on Wednesday for a cold crash, then get bottled this weekend.
Here's a pic:

image.jpg (58.45 KiB) Viewed 2522 times

[Beer-lord]

Another nice product by Blackduck Breweries!
Nice going.

[MadBrewer]

Lookin Good. Was this the batch you were going to check ph, mash finer, and bump up your strike water ratio to try and help your efficiency?